Hearty and filling minestrone soup is loaded with vegetables, beans, and pasta in a rich tomato broth. This comforting soup is ready to eat in just 60 minutes.
2large Zucchini diced(washed and intact/not peeled)
⅓tbspDried Basil
1tbsp + ½ tsp of Dried Oregano
½tspDried Thyme
2tspOnion Powder
4Bay Leaves
8oz.Parmesan Cheese Wedge
1cupWater
2cupsDitalini Pasta
1candrained Northern Beans(rinsed and drained)
1canof Kidney Beans(rinsed and drained)
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Dice your garlic first! Set it aside on your cutting board and let it rest for 10-15 min. Letting garlic rest before heating it gives the enzymes a chance to form and ensures their maximum health and flavor benefits. Fresh and rested garlic in soups and other dishes are wonderful for flu season because of its amazing antioxidant and immune system boosting properties.
Next, warm your olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat until it shimmers. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion and garlic. Sauté in the olive oil until fragrant and translucent.
Open and pour in both full cans of the petite diced tomatoes (do not drain the juices) and the dry cooking wine of your choice. Simmer uncovered on low heat until the liquid has reduced by half. This takes about 15-20 min.
Add broth, bouillon, seasonings, tomato paste, parmesan rind (see below instructions), and carrots. DO NOT add the zucchini yet! Bring to a boil. Parmesan Rind Instructions: One of the special ingredients in this recipe is the parmesan rind! The parmesan rind is the parmesan’s outside shell or rind that develops as the cheese is air-dried in its temperature-controlled environment. The rind is typically about 1 inch thick on the larger end of your parmesan wedge. Visually, the rind might look and feel inedible. It feels and looks like wax but I promise it is completely safe to eat and is an amazing flavor-infusing ingredient for your soup! Some of the rind will dissolve while simmering, but there will typically be a soft rind left that is easy to remove in one piece after all the flavors have been infused into the soup.
Let the soup boil for about 2 min while stirring constantly so nothing sticks on the bottom.
Add salt and pepper, the 2 cups of dry Ditalini Pasta, and (diced but not peeled) zucchini. The skin of zucchini is so brilliantly bright and green and has lots of flavor and health benefits, so no need to shave it off.
Drain and wash the two cans of beans and set them aside.
Add 1 cup of water, stir and let simmer until the pasta is cooked and zucchini is tender. About 10 min.
Turn heat off and stir in beans and salt and pepper. Then remove the bay leaves and the remainder of the softened parmesan rind and discard it. Let sit for 2 min before serving.
This soup is delicious served with the rest of your wedge of parmesan shaved onto the top of your bowl of soup and some freshly cracked pepper.