Beef-Bean Minestrone with Homemade Bone Broth

For instructions on making the BONE BROTH, type that into my search line in the upper left corner and scroll down to the Beef Bone Broth recipe.

The next day I chopped the vegetables, sautéed them in batches, according to time needed to become tender, always starting with celery and carrot.

After those begin to soften just a bit, I added the rest shown on the tray, either sliced or diced: Cabbage, peppers, zucchini and a large onion - not shown. Also a couple cloves of minced garlic.

Sauté this a while. When needed add a little water, bay leaves, fresh ground black pepper, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. In all, I think I added 6-8c of bone broth, water and the juice from the tomatoes. 

Let this simmer half an hour, then add the chopped stewed tomatoes, and 2#± of drained, rinsed canned beans. I used one can each of Cannelloni and black beans. Simmer once more until all the vegetables are crisp-tender.

This made around 6 quarts and is a great give-away for friends and family. It's another wonderful soup that seems to taste better each time it's reheated. . 😋 . .Lin

NOTE: In his amazing study, which resulted in his book The Blue Zones, Dan Beuttner mentions that in the Sardinia, Italy zone, many of the healthiest residents repeatedly make big pots of Minestrone, similar to mine, and eat it every day. Next time I make this, I'll go way heavier on the beans - using at least 3, maybe 4 cans.

Minestrone - Italian Vegetable Soup

4-6 ears of corn

1c black eyed peas

2 lg. ribs of celery

3 med.-lg. carrots

½ lg. purple onion

2T extra virgin olive oil

¾ red or yellow pepper

4 med. green zucchini

1 28oz. canned tomatoes

2T Better Than Bouillon

1t-1T ground rosemary

2-3 quarts cooking water
from the corn and beans

Simmer the corn for 12 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack, strain the cooking water into a 4 quart pot.  Cook the beans according to package directions, changing the water 2-3 times, replacing it with fresh cold water.  Save and strain the first water, adding it to the corn water.

In a 6-8 quart pot, saute' and stir the celery, carrots and onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes, seasonings, water and bring to a low boil.  Cover and simmer over low-medium heat for another 30-45 minutes.  Meanwhile cut the corn off the cobs.  Gently rinse the beans in cold water and drain into a colander.  Add the corn and beans when the other vegetables are almost cooked.  Simmer everything an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with croutons or crusty Italian garlic bread.  Soup. . .It's not just for winter anymore!  I almost always have a big pot of it in my 'fridge, year-round . . Lin

A BIG Pot Of Minestrone

5 ears of fresh corn

1 bunch of asparagus

6-8 oz. kale - chopped

3 carrots - cut in chunks

3 stalks celery - chopped

1 green pepper - chopped

⅓-½ green cabbage - cubed

¼c extra virgin olive oil

1 can black-eyed peas

1 can Great Northern beans

12oz. red pasta sauce

1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes

1c medium pasta cooked al dente'

Cook the corn, or if you'd rather, just leave it raw.  Cut it off the cobs and combine with the rest of the ingredients in the first group.  Saute' until everything's sizzling.  Add water 2 cups at a time.  You'll probably add a total of about 8 cups by the end.  Simmer the vegetables for about a half hour.  Add the drained-rinsed beans, the pasta sauce, tomatoes and another 2-4 cups of water.  Simmer another 15 minutes.  Add 1t sugar, salt, pepper, Italian, Mediterranean or Tuscan seasonings, and a good quality beef soup base with no MSG.  Stir until dissolved.

Check flavors and add anything else you think would go well with the flavor profile you're building.  I made this for a big group of hungry movers the other day.

I think this recipe made about 10 quarts and there was still quite a bit I was able to leave with the new homeowners.

Mmmm, Soup! . . . Lin 

Chicken Minestrone

1-1/2# chicken breast meat

Tuscan flavored extra-virgin olive oil

2T Italian seasoning

some good quality dark Balsamic vinegar

1/3 lg. chopped onion

1 to 1-1/2 c black beans
~ canned or dried-soaked-cooked

3 chopped-sliced scrubbed carrots

2c chopped celery and tops

2/3 lg. chopped onion

4 lg. cloves chopped garlic

32oz. vegetable or chicken broth

28oz. petite diced tomatoes

several handfuls of chopped kale

1 to 1-1/2c dry, chunky pasta - cooked, rinsed and drained

Combine the chicken with the next 4 ingredients.  Stir and marinate a couple hours.  Saute' together, until lightly browned.  Add the next group of ingredients, cover and saute' a little while until the scent starts to permeate your kitchen.  Add the next 3 ingredients and simmer a half hour or so.  Stir in the pasta, heat and serve. . .Lin

Minestrone

2 finely chopped carrots

2c thinly sliced celery

5 lg. sliced scallions (green onions)

4-5 lg. minced cloves garlic

2T extra virgin olive oil

ground red and black pepper

ground rosemary and sea salt

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1-2t sugar

½ head cubed green cabbage

5 lg. bay leaves

1 can drained-rinsed garbanzo beans

½c tiny Asian red beans

½c brown and wild rice

Combine the first 5 ingredients and seasonings in a 3 quart pan. Simmer and saute' until the vegetables are 'snapping,' for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the tomatoes, sugar, cabbage, bay leaves and garbanzos, then return to a light boil. Cover and simmer an hour. Meanwhile, in a small pan, combine the red beans with 1½ cups of water and simmer on medium heat for an hour.

Do the same with the rice and 1½c water. After an hour, add the beans and rice and whatever water is left in the little pans, to the soup pot. Simmer another half hour until beans and rice are cooked the way you like them. Check the flavors and add any additional seasonings needed. . .Lin