Minestrone
- Ingredients
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- 6 oz canned cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, and drained
- 8 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 2 medium uncooked onion(s), chopped
- 2 medium uncooked carrot(s), chopped
- 2 rib(s), medium uncooked celery, chopped
- 1 clove(s), medium garlic clove(s), minced
- 28 oz plum tomato(es), canned, drained and chopped (reserve 1 cup juice)
- 1 pound(s) uncooked cabbage (all varieties), cleaned and shredded
- 3 medium uncooked zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 cup(s) fresh parsley, falt-leaf, chopped
- 2 tsp dried sage, dried, or 2 tablespoons fresh
- 3 oz uncooked pasta, tubetti or other small pasta
- 1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, fresh
- Instructions
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Place the beans in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; add enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cover and let soak until the beans have swelled to at least twice their size, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
Place the saucepan over medium heat; add the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer; reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beans are barely tender, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet. Swirl in the oil, then add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until wilted.
Stir the vegetable mixture into the bean mixture; add the tomatoes and their reserved juice, the cabbage, zucchini, parsley, and sage. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the tubetti; continue cooking until they are barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese. Yields 1 1/2 cups per serving.
- Notes
- Vegetable soups have played an important role in the Weight Watchers Program right from the start: The first cookbook featured more than a dozen, and Garden Vegetable Soup continues to be one of the most requested and beloved Program recipes. Indeed, there’s no better way to get your veggies than in a tasty, filling bowlful. To honor that tradition, we’ve created the ultimate vegetable soup in this Italian improvisation—whose name means, in one translation, “vegetable soup,” and in another, “large bowl of soup.”