Minestrone Soup

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 32 ounces canned navy beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cabbage, thinly shredded
• 10 ounces spinach (frozen, if fresh a little more lightly chopped)
• 2 red potatoes, diced (about 8 ounces)
• 28 ounces tomatoes, crushed
• 18 cups chicken stock
• 1 3/4 cups mastaccioli pasta, dry (6 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons parsley (5 times as much if fresh-better)
• 2 teaspoons basil (5 times as much if fresh-better)

Recipe

• 1 open and drain beans.
• 2 chop all that needs chopping.
• 3 heat oil in a large pot & saute the onions and garlic in the oil until soft.
• 4 add stock. i make it from better than bouillon chicken base, you can use a prepared stock or make it from scratch. do not use regular bouillon.
• 5 add all the remaining ingredients except spinach and bring to boil.
• 6 let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes.
• 7 add spinach and simmer 5 more minutes.
• 8 bring to room temp or refrigerate. remove bay leaf. fill containers to 1/2" below the very top. to leave room for expansion if freezing. approximately 8 ounces in small and 32 ounces in large.
• 9 refrigerate or freeze, depending on how long it is before delivery date.