Blue-Ribbon Minestrone Soup

Name: Blue-Ribbon Minestrone Soup
Prep time: 4 h 15 min
Cook time: 4 h 15 min
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth; 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes; 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained; 2 carrots, peeled and chopped; 1 celery stalk, chopped; 1 cup onion, chopped; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon dried sage; 2 bay leaves; salt, to taste; ground black pepper, to taste; 2 cups ditalini pasta, cooked; 1 medium zucchini, chopped; 2 cups fresh spinach or frozen spinach, coarsely chopped, defrosted if frozen; 4 tablespoons parmesan or Romano cheese, grated; basil sprigs, optional, to taste, grated, for garnish

Vegetarian Stove-Top Italian

Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

About

An award-winning, warm, and comforting bowl of Blue-Ribbon Minestrone Soup is just a few steps away from meeting your tastebuds! This blend of hearty vegetables, tender pasta, and creamy beans is slowly simmered to perfection in a savory tomato broth, with flavors that will certainly bring home the gold (or blue, we should say). This soup is bursting with textures that will tantalize your tastebuds thanks to the tender chunks of sweet carrots and fresh celery... your tastebuds won't know what touched them. Garnished with a sprinkle of rich parmesan cheese and herby basil, this spoon-sipper is truly a work of art that's sure to blow you away. Get the blue ribbons ready because Blue-Ribbon Minestrone Soup is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, and it's about to win in all categories!

Ingredients

3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups ditalini pasta, cooked
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach or frozen spinach, coarsely chopped, defrosted if frozen
4 tablespoons parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
basil sprigs, optional, to taste, grated, for garnish

Directions

Step 1 -In a slow cooker, combine the broth, the tomatoes, the beans, the carrots, the celery, the onion, the thyme, the sage, the bay leaves, the salt, and the black pepper.

Step 2 -Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.

Step 3 -With 30 minutes remaining in the cooking time, add the pasta, the zucchini, and the spinach to the soup mixture, then cover the slow cooker, and cook until the pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.

Step 4 -Discard the bay leaves from the soup.

Step 5 -Season the soup with the salt and the black pepper.

Step 6 -Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the cheese and the basil, and serve.

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