Soup for the Soul

I don't know about you all, but I've been exhausted lately.  Do you ever have those weeks that never seems to slow down and then have jam packed weekends to boot?  That's how I've been for going on 3 weeks now.  And to top it off I had "one of those days" at work where nothing was going the way I had planned and I felt completely out of control.  I've been so tired after school that I've nearly been falling asleep as my husband drives me home, but I seem to quickly perk up once I start my evening cooking.  When pondering what we were going to do for dinner, my husband requested something light.  In his mind, that equals sushi, but I wasn't feeling it.  Instead, we opted for some homemade Minestrone soup.  And that's what we had!

As I eat it, I feel revived after a long and tiresome day with my ever-energetic Kindergartners.  It's as though soups heals and warms the soul, maybe that's why we go for it whenever we're feeling under the weather!

So here's what I did if you feel like trying it!  Again, feel free to improvise as you go, using things you like and discarding those you don't!

Ingredients

A drizzle of EVOO for the pot

1/2 of an onion, chopped

1C. of peeled and diced carrots

1 small zucchini/squash diced

1 celery stalk diced

1 can of diced tomatoes (28oz.)

2 handfuls of spinach or kale (I used kale b/c I had it on hand)

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed 

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 handful of chopped parsley.  I used italian parsley

1 handful dried whole wheat pasta

5 cups Veggie Broth

A nice hunk of some GOOD parmesan cheese

A dash or rosemary

A dash of crushed red pepper flakes

1 or 2 bay leaves

S&P

Directions

Line a deep pot with a hefty drizzling of EVOO.  When warm, add onions and garlic and sauté until soft.  Add diced carrots, celery, squash spinach/kale, parsley, and season with S&P, crushed red pepper, and rosemary.  Sauté, stirring for about 2 minutes.

When veggies are soft, add the veggie broth, can of tomatoes,  rinsed beans, and your parmesan cheese.  YUM!  Warm over medium/high heat until lightly simmering.  Add the handful of pasta and the bay leaves.  Let simmer on the stove for about 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is soft.

Ladle the soup into a bowl.  Be sure to discard the bay leaves.  Grate some more parmesan cheese over the top and serve warm with some delicious bread.

And there you go.... DINNER-

 For 

Your 

Soul!

On a side note, I LOVE making soup!  It's a great way to clean out your fridge and to just really experiment with ingredients you love.  Taste as you go and season as you like.  I find it's better to use low sodium broth and add salt as you see needed.

What kind of soup do you love to make?

Peace,

Love,

And yummy veggies :)