Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup is a great way to use up any leftovers you have hanging around to include vegetables, pasta, broth, beans... almost anything works! You can get creative and adapt this versatile soup for what you have!
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.
Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup Ingredients:
- Ground beef or italian sausage
- Italian Seasoning (or any seasoning you prefer)
- Better than Bouillon (or broth)
- About 8 cups of vegetable (I used zuchini, carrots, corn, and beans)
- Marinara sauce
- Parmesan
- Pasta
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 that 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, but the leftovers were just sitting there.
I also mention using Better than Bouillon. This wonderful substitute is a new discovery for me. Substitute it for bouillon cubes and it's amazing! I 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 them 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!
More Soup Recipes...
- Mac & Cheese Chicken Soup
- The Best Squash Soup Recipe
- Easy Taco Soup
- Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup
- 25 Amazing Soup Recipes You'll Love!
- Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Here's my recipe... enjoy!
PrintRecipe
Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup is a great way to use up any leftovers you have hanging around to include vegetables, pasta, broth, beans... almost anything works! You can get creative and adapt this versatile soup for what you have!
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!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Liz
Thanks so much for adding your recipe to the Delicious Dishes Recipe Party on Pocket Change Gourmet.
~Liz