Veggie Packed Minestrone

Good afternoon!! I made this awesome minestrone the other night!! SO good! It's vegetarian, and would be vegan if you omit the parm at the end. It's very filling and flavorful, so great for omnivores and herbavores alike! I made this in my slow cooker, but you can definitely make it on top of your stove.

This is D. Licious!

To get this in some of your bowls;

This recipe takes about 10 minutes to prep and 6 to 8 hours to cook!

6 cups vegetable stock

2 carrots, chopped

1 large red onion (By large, I mean enormous!) or 2 medium

3 ribs celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, cubed

2 red potatoes, cubed

3 handfulls kale, slightly chopped

1 cup dry barley

1 can white northern beans, rinsed or drained (Or a thawed bag, liquid and all if you make your own.)

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 28 oz can Italian crushed tomatoes

salt

pepper

2 sprigs fresh oregano

4 or 5 big basil leaves

freshly grated parmesan

Combine all ingredients besides oregano, basil, and parmesan in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Aim for 8, you get better flavor the longer you let it simmer. Ladel into bowls. Grate some Parmesan over the soup. Tear the oregano with your hands, chiffonade the basil, and sprinkle both atop the cheese. Enjoy!!

This recipe serves 12!

Because the barley will suck up the liquid, when you heat up your leftovers, you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water or stock and stir it in prior to reheating.

If you wish, serve it up with the Roasted Garlic and Grilled Scallion Buttermilk Biscuits I made with the Florentine soup!! I also served this for lunch with a pannini made with spicy brown mustard, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and deli ham on whole wheat bread, grilled and pressed until the bread was crisp and cheese melty! It's amazing with both, as well as on it's own!!

 

If you don't want to wait all day, or don't have a slow cooker, you can make the soup this way;

This method would take 1 hour and 15 minutes to prep and cook!

Saute onions and garlic in a large pot sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add in the rest of the vegetables, except the beans and kale, and saute 5 minutes. Add in the kale, broth, barley, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 50 minutes. Add the beans and parsley and simmer 10 more minutes. Ladel into bowls and top with freshly grated Parm, torn oregano, and chiffonaded basil.