Minestrone

A wonderful hearty soup to fill you up. Adding pesto wakes up the taste of freshly picked vegetables.

Best served the day after but still delicious as soon as it's made. Make a large batch and freeze in individual sized containers for a quick meal. 

 Ingredients

olive oil
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup cubed pieces of ham
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
3 cups chicken broth OR 3 cups water and 1 Knorr Chicken cube
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup cooked white beans
1 cup cooked pasta (elbow macaroni or shells)
3 cups of vegetables (cubed potatoes, cubed carrots, cubed zucchini, spinach leaves, chopped broccoli, sliced mushrooms, sliced cabbage)
pesto or fresh basil leaves
parmesan cheese

Cook bacon until some of the fat melts (do not cook crisp). Add ham and mushrooms until mushrooms absorb the bacon fat. Remove from pan.




Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and saute the garlic and onions (do not brown the garlic).
Add celery.

Cook about 2 minutes, then add the potatoes.

Add the rest of the vegetables. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes more.




Add the tomato sauce. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes.

Pour in chicken broth and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add cooked beans, cooked pasta and meat. Add salt and ground pepper to taste.

Serve with a dalop of pesto or fresh basil leaves and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.