Minestrone Soup

Kate here again with another recipe. Soup is a frequent guest at our table in the fall.

This is one of my family's favorites. To get started you’ll need 3 strips of bacon, chopped or …

if you have some bacon grease that will work just fine. The bacon grease adds the flavor we’re looking for. We don’t necessarily need the bacon.

This soup requires a lot of chopping, so I do all the chopping before anything else. Dice two celery stalks.

Peel and chop 1 potato.

I like to send 2 carrots and 1/2 a head of cabbage through the coarse grating disc on my food processor.

Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and chop 1 medium onion. Then saute in the bacon grease for 1 minute with 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley. I’m using dried parsley today so I’ll add it later.

Turn heat down to medium. Add the celery, potatoes and saute for 10 minutes. Then add carrots and cabbage and saute for another 10 minutes. (If using chopped instead of grated carrots, add with potatoes and celery.)

Add 2 quarts soup stock or 2 quarts water plus 2 Tablespoons beef or chicken bouillon granules to a slow cooker. (Stovetop directions are at the end of the post.) Today I’m using bouillon cubes with water. Then add 1 teaspoon basil and 1 teaspoon salt. Here is when I add dried parsley, too.

Add 1 28-ounce can tomatoes. To make the tomatoes slightly blended, I use this little gadget. Next add 1 15-ounce can kidney, white, or pinto beans.

Add the vegetables to the slow cooker, stir, and cover. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or 6-8 hours on low. Add 1/2 cup noodles of your choice 1/2 hour before serving time.

I love how this smells. Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

3 slices bacon, chopped or 1-2 Tablespoons bacon grease
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced parsley or 2 T. dried minced parsley
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced or grated
1 large potato, diced
1/2 medium cabbage, finely sliced (or coarsely grated in food processor)
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, slightly blended
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can kidney, white, or pinto beans
2 quarts soup stock or 2 quarts water plus 2 Tablespoons beef or chicken bouillon granules
1/2 cup noodles of your choice

In a stock pot fry bacon but not until crisp. Or melt 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease in a stock pot and add garlic, onion, parsley, celery, carrots, potato, and cabbage. Saute for 20-25 minutes, stirring often until vegetables are tender but crunchy. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, beans, and stock. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add noodles and cook for 10-12 more minutes.

Kate is the author of The Guy Next Door and Seasons on the Farm: Fall.