Big Pot Minestrone

Description

Good for meal prep for the week for 1 person or 4-6 people at once. Easy, tasty, minestrone soup that's good when it's cold.

You Need:

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
  • 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup elbow pasta
  • 1 lb of thick-cut bacon
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Equipment
  • 1 big ass pot with a lid. Big enough to fit a whole chicken in and cover with water.
  • Knife for choppin'
  • 3 small bowls
  • 2 medium bowls (cereal size) for veggies
  • Peeler
  • Can opener
  • Measuring spoons

Steps:

Prep
  1. Get the small bowls and the medium bowl out.
  2. Peel the carrot and dice. Wash and dice the celery. Put both in the medium bowl.
  3. Dice the onion. Place in small bowl.
  4. Chop up bacon strips into chunks. Place in small bowl.
  5. Mince garlic. Place in small bowl.
  6. Measure dried oregano and dried basil. Mix together in small bowl and set aside.
  7. Trim and cut green beans into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl.
  8. Chop fresh basil.
Cook
  1. Get the big pot and set on stove under medium heat. Put in olive oil and let it get hot for 1 minute.
  2. Add the onion. Cook for 4 minutes or until translucent.
  3. Add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Careful not to burn the garlic!
  4. Add the celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.
  5. Add the bacon and let the fat render. 2 minutes.
  6. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and dried basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.
  7. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes.
  8. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.