ISO vegetarian minestrone soup

[BlueMoose]

Does anyone have a favorite minestrone soup recipe that they would care to share?

Thanks!
Chrisi :D

[funnybone]

www.allrecipes.com has a vegetarian soup section - you may find some there:

http://allrecipes.com/directory/1724.asp

Here is the Minestrone that was rated a 5 star:

Classic Minestrone

This famous Italian soup has been much imitated around
the world with very different results. The homemade
version is a delicious revelation and is also extremely
healthy, as it has pasta, beans and fresh vegetables. Try to
make the minestrone a day early and refrigerate as this
improves the flavors. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and
chopped fresh parsley.

Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes
Cook Time: approx. 1 Hour

Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Michelle Chen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 pound green beans, cut nto 1 inch pieces
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 pound chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, with liquid
1/4 cup elbow macaroni
salt and ground black pepper to taste


Directions
1 Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat.
Add leek, carrots, zucchini, green beans and celery.
Cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, shaking
the pan occasionally.
2 Stir in the stock, tomatoes and thyme. Bring to a
boil, then replace the lid, and reduce heat to low; simmer
gently for 30 minutes.
3 Stir in the cannellini beans with liquid and pasta.
Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until pasta is al
dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

[Ralph]

Well, Chrisi, good news and bad!

First, the bad: Dean Ornish had a great recipe for minestrone in his first book Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease : The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery. Unfortunately, I can't find my copy of that recipe - probably got thrown out when we moved two years ago since DW didn't like the recipes there! Nonetheless, you can probably find the book in your local library & get the recipe; I'd made it several times & it was wonderful! If you don't recognize him, he is the internist in California who champions reversal of coronary artery disease thru life-style changes alone, typified by a very low fat (<10%), vegetarian diet.

Now the good news: I found two others, one from another Ornish book, the other from Great Good Food by Julee Rosso. Sorry to say I haven't tried these specific recipes, but I know most of the authors' recipes in both books are good.


TUSCAN VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup each diced onion, carrots, celery, peeled baking potato
1 cup canned ground tomatoes or diced tomatoes diced finer by hand
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans or 2 cups home-cooked kidney beans with 3/4 cup liquid
1/4 cup dried elbow macaroni
1 tbsp minced fresh organo
Salt & pepper

In a large pot, combine cabbage, onion, carrots, celery, potato, tomatoes, & broth. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover, and simmer until vegetables are half done, about 15 minutes. Add zucchini, beans w/their juice, & macaroni. Cover & simmer until veggies are tender & pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes. Add oregano. Season to taste w/salt & pepper.
Serves 4.


MINESTRONE & WHEAT BERRIES

1 tsp olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
8 cups chopped cabbage
4 cups chopped spinach
1 tsp dried thyme
5 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Freshly ground pepper & salt to taste
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tbsp minced fresh sage
1 can (28-oz) plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 can (16-oz) chickpeas, with juice
2 cups wheat berries

1. In a 5 quart soup pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil & saute the onion & garlic until tender. Add the carrot & celery & saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the cabbage, spinach, thyme, & bay leaves, & cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add 3 quarts of water & the remaining ingredients, & bring to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer, covered, for 50-60 minutes. Taste & adjust seasonings. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
Serves 8

[sneezles]

Here's a recipe from The Complete Book of Pasta called
Minestrone Alla Contadina
(Countrywoman's Minestrone)

Note: it originally called for beef broth but during Lent one year I substituted vegetable broth and it was still delicious.

1/2 cup dried kidney beans
1/2 cup dried lentils
1 large white onion, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups (one 1-pound can) Italian plum tomatoes
Milled black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 small firm cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, cut into small bite-sized pieces
2 leeks, cut into half inch pieces
4 qts broth
2 tbs fresh peas
1 medium zucchini, cut into small bite size chunks
3 small potatoes, diced
1/2 cup ditali (thimbles)
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

Soak beans and lentil in water for 5 hours, drain. Saute onion in the oil until soft. Add tomatoes and break up with a wooden spoon; mill in black pepper. Place beans, lentils, cabbage, carrots and leeks in a large pot with broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are half done and beans and lentils are still firm, about 30-40 minutes. Stir in peas, zucchini, potatoes and mill in more pepper.; simmer until beans, lentils and veggies are tender. Add in tomato mixture and simmer 5 more minutes. While beans, lentils and veggies are cooking, cook ditali al dente, drain well, and stir into the bean pot with the tomato mixture. Serve in hot soup bowls with grated Asiago cheese.
Note: you may need to add water during the simmering but be sure to add hot water in small amounts.
Also depending on the amount of salt in the canned tomatoes, you may not need to add any additional salt, taste before serving and add if needed.