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Hearty Minestrone Soup with Cheesy Bread

Adulting - "Soup & Sandwich"

8
Servings
Adulting/Hearty Minestrone Soup with Cheesy Bread

Ingredients

Minestrone Soup

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 3 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium red potato, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 ribs celery, trimmed and diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • ½ orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • Kosher salt and white pepper, to season
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 bouquet of fresh herbs: 3 sprigs thyme, 2 fresh bay leaves, 1 handful parsley, 1 sprig sage, 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 (15oz) cans petite-cut tomatoes with juices
  • 2 (9.6oz) cans gigante beans in tomato-dill sauce, or 2 (15oz) cans seasoned white beans
  • 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 Parmesan cheese rind (approx. 3”x2”)
  • 1 small yellow squash, diced
  • 1 small zucchini, diced
  • 3 leaves rainbow chard, roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Cheesy Bread

  • 4 ( ½ inch thick) slices multi-grain bread
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup shredded Italian-blend cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Provolone, etc), or any cheese as desired
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

Steps

Minestrone Soup

  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, potato, carrot, celery and bell pepper. Season with salt, white pepper, paprika, chili powder and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine.
  3. Add the bouquet of herbs. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
  4. Add the tomatoes, pureed beans and sugar and vegetable broth. Stir to fully incorporate the vegetables into the broth.
  5. Drop in the Parmesan cheese rind. Increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.
  6. After 20 minutes, add the squash, zucchini and rainbow chard. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
  7. Remove the lid and carefully remove the herb bouquet (leave the Parm rind in there, but don’t eat it of course).
  8. Season to taste with salt, white pepper, paprika, chili powder.
  9. Want more heat? Add another sprinkle of crushed red pepper. Too bitter? Add a dash of sugar.
  10. Finish with the lemon zest and stir to combine. Want some acid, squeeze that zested lemon in there.
  11. To serve: Ladle yourself a big bowl of that soup. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy with cheesy bread.
  12. Cool the soup completely and store in the refrigerator for the rest of the week. Feel free to add shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped bacon, chopped fresh herbs.

Cheesy Bread

  1. Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the butter, cheese, chives, salt and pepper.
  3. Evenly distribute the butter-cheese mixture onto the bread.
  4. Place onto a lined baking sheet.
  5. Toast for 6-8 minutes until melted and bubbling. Remove.