One day last week, I wanted some comfort food for supper… something hot and simple… something I could preferably prepare in one pot and be done. That’s when I came up with this recipe: “Kitchen Sink” Minestrone Soup.
I have a real love for Italian food so after reading the recipe for “Classic Minestrone” in Italian Home Cooking (a great cookbook recommend by my BFF who lives in Italy!), I decided to come up with a less authentic version that would use up some stuff in my freezer and frig!
You’ve heard that saying… “everything but the kitchen sink”… yeah, I wanted to use up lots of stuff in my kitchen… everything but….
My “Kitchen Sink” Minestrone is actually nothing like the original recipe… well, maybe a little. Sort of. Not.
So, let me go over a few of my ingredients.
I had zucchini in my freezer from our garden last summer… and leftover beans from a few weeks ago that I had frozen. Honestly, you could use 6-8 cups of any fresh or frozen veggies in this soup and I think it would work! It’s very versatile.
I also had carrots that were looking a little sad needed using up… and a half a jar of Paul Newman’s marinara sauce in the frig that really needed a purpose (we had used a little of it for homemade tortilla pizzas).
I also mention using Better than Bouillon. I discovered this wonderful substitute for bouillon cubes ages ago (and use it in my potato soup now too!). I absolutely love this product – but you could use bouillon cubes if that’s what you have on hand!
For the pasta, Ditalini or Conchigliette was was suggested in this soup, but I had these tiny stars… Stelline on hand. The hubby and I bought because they were cute (okay, maybe I thought they were cute..he thought the kids would like them!) … and I thought they’d be perfect for my soup!
If you want a warm bowl of soup anytime soon… give this recipe a try!
Here’s my recipe… enjoy!
Print“Kitchen Sink” Minestrone Soup
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground beef or italian sausage
- 6 cups water
- 4 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 heaping teaspoon of Better than Bouillon
- 2 cups cubed zucchini
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup beans (I had baby lima)
- 2 cups corn
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 12–16 ounces of small pasta
Instructions
- Brown your meat in large pot, drain any excess fat.
- Add in 6 cups of water, Italian seasoning, Better than Bouillon and Marinara Sauce.
- Stir, then add vegetables.
- Bring to a boil, turn down, and then allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add in your pasta and cook until done.
- Stir in the Parmesan just before serving!
Notes
I had to add more water when serving the leftovers the next day – the pasta soaked up alot of the liquid!
Thanks so much for adding your recipe to the Delicious Dishes Recipe Party on Pocket Change Gourmet.
~Liz
★★★★★