Minestrone

This is definitely my favorite soup to make in the winter. It’s the ultimate warm-you-up-on-a-cold-night soup. I've made it a number of times, originally following Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe from her Family Dinners cookbook to the letter. However, after a few times, I’ve since added my own variations (mostly for time saving purposes). I don’t think I’ve ever made it the same way twice. That being said, it is my go-to soup for a cold winter night when I have the time to invest in all the chopping and simmering. Definitely worth the effort, but probably best made as a Sunday night dinner. And that means you get to eat leftovers for lunch all week!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 small zucchini, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound swiss chard (I used kale), coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 14.5 oz. can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary and/or thyme leaves
6 cups chicken stock
1 piece of parmesan cheese rind (as Giada says, never throw away a parmesan cheese rind! We always stash ours in the freezer for this very reason)
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions and carrots. Saute until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add swiss chard (or kale), zucchini and potato and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans and chopped herbs and simmer about 10 minutes, until greens are wilted and tomatoes break down. Add broth and parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add grated parm to each bowl and serve with warm crusty bread.