Last night the SHARE group came to my house for soup and our yearly planning session. This is one of my favorite all-vegetable recipes. It is particularly good in the summer when fresh veggies are readily available, but Dan was able to find everything in the produce isle. I served the soup with hot bread from the bread machine & real butter (give me a break--the soup is low fat)
TOMATO MINESTRA
1 Tbs. olive or canola oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. each dried basil & oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can (17 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14 oz.) reduced-sodium beef broth
2 beef broth cans of water
2 celery ribs,chopped
2 carrots, pared & chopped
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 can (15-19 oz) chick peas, drained
2 cups chopped escarole or spinach
1 cup uncooked small bowtie pasta
grated Parmesan cheese
In lg pot, combine oil, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, & pepper. Cook until onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in Tomatoes, water, broth, celery, carrots, zucchini & squash. Bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer 30 minutes. Add chick peas, spinach & pasta; cook about 20 minutes until pasta is tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired. 8 servings (4 if you eat like we do)
Note: Last night I was in a hurry so I added everything & cooked until pasta was done- the carrots were a little crunchy, but it was OK.