I can always tell that autumn is coming when suddenly, I get cold in the middle of the night.
I'm a warm sleeper, as in I get very hot easily during the night. Or maybe that makes me a cold sleeper?? I can never wear cute flannel pajamas to bed and wearing socks on my feet is probably my worst nightmare. I think it's really a combination of my body getting hot at night, but I also think that I just enjoy being cold while sleeping. I live on the third floor of an apartment complex and barely turn on the heat in the winter time. I swear it just elevates from the two apartments below, causing my place to be 80 degrees. Sometimes I even have to open the windows in the middle of January. Well last night was different because I woke up in the middle of the night feeling chilly enough to closely wrap my blankets around me. I swear I get the best sleeps ever with the windows open and the cool air coming through.
Enough about sleep, more about soup. I think minestrone is the best season transition soup because you can still utilize many of the end of summer vegetables that I know we all still have on hand. Zucchini, corn, and of course tomatoes are all delicious in this soup. There aren't any really strict rules when it comes to making minestrone. Minestrone is basically a tomato based soup with beans, and whatever vegetables you have on hand. I recently read online that eating a cup of beans a day is the single best longevity trick in the book and it can add four years on to your life. I decided to be safe when making this soup and added in garbanzo beans AND kidney beans.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 medium zucchini, peeled, and diced
6 medium stalks of celery diced
3 medium carrots diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 15oz can of red kidney beans drained rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 parmesan cheese rind (optional)
1 cup short pasta like orzo or elbows
2 cups cut greened beans, frozen,
kosher salt and pepper
parmesan cheese (for serving)
crusty bread (for serving)
1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large dutch oven. Add in onion, celery, carrots, and zucchini, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for three minutes and add in the garlic. Stir to combine and cook for 8 - 10 minutes until veggies are soft.
2. Add in the dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and thyme. Stir and cook for 2 minutes
3. Add in the beans, diced tomatoes, broth, and parmesan cheese rind. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Bring soup to a simmer and add in the pasta and green beans. Cook until pasta is tender, around 8 minutes.
5. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. I usually add in 1/4 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp salt
5. Ladle into bowls and serve with extra graded parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 medium zucchini, peeled, and diced
6 medium stalks of celery diced
3 medium carrots diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 15oz can of red kidney beans drained rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 parmesan cheese rind (optional)
1 cup short pasta like orzo or elbows
2 cups cut greened beans, frozen,
kosher salt and pepper
parmesan cheese (for serving)
crusty bread (for serving)
1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large dutch oven. Add in onion, celery, carrots, and zucchini, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for three minutes and add in the garlic. Stir to combine and cook for 8 - 10 minutes until veggies are soft.
2. Add in the dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and thyme. Stir and cook for 2 minutes
3. Add in the beans, diced tomatoes, broth, and parmesan cheese rind. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Bring soup to a simmer and add in the pasta and green beans. Cook until pasta is tender, around 8 minutes.
5. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. I usually add in 1/4 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp salt
5. Ladle into bowls and serve with extra graded parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
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