Minestrone Soup & A Meme

With the nippy, windy fall weather that is so prevalent these days I was craving a big bowl of hot soup with hearty vegetables. This is a perfect fit : absolutely filling and satisfying in every way and it's very healthy and low-fat to boot. It's easy to make too and it develops it's flavor by slow simmering so it doesn't need a lot of tending to, just some stirring occasionally.

I got this recipe from the Allrecipes website and followed it pretty closely except for the amount of tomato sauce since I only had tomato puree on hand... The amounts in the recipe makes a ton of soup... of which I froze half and we were still left with a big pot of yummy soup.

I'd also like to send this as my entry to WYF: Diet Food hosted by Hima.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Ingredients:

Onions - 2 medium, chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
Celery - 2 cups, chopped
Carrots - 4 to 5, peeled and cut into small cubes
Zucchini - 2, cut into cubes
Yellow Squash - 1, cut into cubes
Vegetable Broth - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Tomato Puree - 1 can
Kidey Beans - 1 can, drained and rinsed
Small Pasta - abt 3 to 4 tbsp (dry)
Green Beans - 1 can, drained and rinsed
Baby Spinach - 3 cups, rinsed and coarsely chopped
Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Dried Oregano and Basil - 1/4 tsp each
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Olive oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese - to serve (optional)

Method:
1) In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add onions, garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Then add the chopped celery, carrots and chilli powder. Saute this for another 5 minutes or so.

2) Next, add the zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, kidney beans, spinach leaves, tomato puree, water and vegetable stock. Add the dried herbs and salt.

3) Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes. Next, add the dried pasta and let it simmer another 20-25 minutes until the pasta is cooked.

4) Drizzle the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil on top of the soup and serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.


I've been tagged for the Fantastic Four Meme by sweet Richa ... so here goes:

4 places I've lived:
Madurai
Singapore
Georgia, USA
Washington D.C., USA

4 Jobs I've had:
CBLC Supervisor - This was at the Computer Based Learning Center in the University.
Gave Tuitions - for a brother and sister on Saturdays for math and science (8th and 11th std). Systems Analyst
and now a Business Process Analyst.

4 Favorite places I've holidayed:
Every trip that I took with my family: the long train rides, the bargaining with limited Hindi words, learning numbers in Gujarathi so we could figure out which bus to take back to my cousin's place, the many adventures (some good, some bad), seeing all the places that one reads in the history books, eating at roadside dhabas etc.

Phuket - loved the beaches, water sports and food.

Florida - just carefree driving and we visited so many places: Key West, Orlando, Kennedy Space Center and Daytona beach

Ashville, NC - A cozy bed and breakfast with breath-taking nature walks and the beautiful Smoky Mountains.

4 Favorite foods :
Gobi Manchurian
Pav Bhaji & all Chaats
Parottas and all their variations
Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu
(It's a pity that I've got to stop at 4... there's just too many on this list)

4 Places I would rather be:
At home with my husband and daughter OR
My parents' home (madurai) - i just automatically relax when I'm there.

4 Bloggers I'd like to tag:
Tee
Padma
Viji
Kribha

Comments

  1. My kids love Minestrone soup, looks really good!
    Nice reading your MeMe. Me too! Rather spend time with family at home than touring any exotic places alone!:))

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  2. That is one colorful soup and it was nice reading those additional 4's of U. Thanks for tagging me, I will surely play, gimme some time dear :)

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  3. This is my fav soup. I order this most of the time. Your pic looks absolutely good and comforting. Nice to know more about you. I love gobi manchurian too. Hey...you have tagged me. Asha has also tagged me for this. Will play it for both of you soon (maybe a week's time).

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  4. Wow the supe looks super delicious. I want to have a full bowl of it.

    Nice reading you MEME

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  5. Minestrone soup is my favorite...looks really inviting!
    Thanks for tagging me...will definitely play along. And will post my peach recipe before the end of the week :)

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  6. Soup looks so comforting and delicious.

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  7. The soup looks so delicious...slurp..slurp...Lavs...When I come to ur home...make this soup for me..plzz :-)
    And hey u said u lived in Ashburn...Do u still live there...just asking...because If u do....then we stay very close...can meet up once :-)
    Don't say u don't live here....waaah

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  8. nice meme laavanya...love minestrone soup too

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  9. nice looking soup and a good read your meme

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  10. Minestrone is my hubby's favourite! thanks for the recipe lavanya! I'll surely try this one...and absolutely loved reading your meme:)

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  11. I make this soup at least once a month, be it summer or fall. It is so versatile!

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  12. lovely soup, sure is a fav :) sometimes i add chickpeas instead of rajma.

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  13. lovely soup to go in this autumn weather!! simply incredible!!and simple Meme!!

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  14. Oh great! This is one of those "everything but the kitchen sink" soups which - to my mind - are the very best kind.

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  15. hey this soup has hell lot of ingredients:) looks nice though. You lived in Madurai:) I love the place. esp. madurai idly kadai:) cute meme

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  16. Looks wholesome and healthy Lavaanya, would love to have a bowl right away!:)

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  17. its more like one pot dish than a soup for me. we make it quite often. beautiful pic lav and wonderful meme:)

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  18. Asha, my daughter likes it too.. and will have little bowlfuls with me. My husband is the one who can't stand anything healthy... :) (ok that's a bit of an exaggeration).

    Padma, thank you.. with all the vegs going in, it had to be colorful. Take your time with the meme... :)

    Kribha, Thanks... somehow I've always had a weakness for gobi manchurian. I didn't realize that Asha had also tagged you. I had a tough time picking pple who hadn't already done this or been tagged...

    Thank you Happy Cook.

    Thanks Tee. Have fun with the meme.

    Thank you Madhu.

    Sirisha, That's great to hear we are closeby. Yes, we definitely should meet.

    Thank you Rajitha and Bhags.

    Mansi, am sure you will like this soup. Hope you try it. Thanks.

    Suganya, it is very versatile. If only my husband took to it a bit more, I'd love to make it more often.

    Richa, yes channa would work perfectly too. Will try that next time.

    Thank you Padmaja.

    Sivani, most definitely. It really is a 'cleaning out your fridge' kinda recipe.

    Thank you TBC.

    Sharmi, yes that idli kaday has become quite famous.. :) Try the onion uthappam at that shop.. That's really good too.

    Namratha, I wish I could send over a bowl to you.

    True Sia, it's perfect just the way it is and needs nothing to go with it. Thanks! :)

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  19. Hey Lavs Great to know u live closeby......Can meet up sometime :-)I stay in Reston :-)

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  20. Thanks for your entry laavanya. Minestrone soup is one of my favorite soups. I make sure I have it whenever I go to Olive Garden. It makes one pot meal with start, protein and vegetables. Great entry. Thanks once again for participating in my event.

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  21. This is so warm and comforting!!

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  22. The soup looks lovely...we had a bowl for dinner today.

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  23. nice to know more about you. gr8 soup. very healthy. will try it soon.

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  24. Love the meme and the soup. Will do mine soon. Thanks. Viji

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  25. Very inviting soup.
    Cute MeMe.How are you managing to post frequently ? Just wondering how to manage time...(home, esp kid and work ?)

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