MINESTRONE
MINESTRONE IS A CLASSIC ITALIAN ALL-SEASON COMFORT SOUP THAT CAN EASILY BE MADE VEGAN! IT’S A GREAT WAY TO USE UP OLD VEG IN YOUR FRIDGE, ODD BITS OF BROKEN PASTA AND CHEESE RINDS (SAVE THEM FOR THIS SOUP)! SERVE WITH A PIECE OF CHEESE TOAST FOR DIPPING!
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CHEESE TOAST
Cheese toast!
Ingredients
Scale
- bread (1 piece per person)
- 1 clove of garlic
- butter
- mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Toast pieces of bread.
- Cut garlic in half and rub the toast with the cut side.
- Butter and top with sliced or grated mozzarella.
- Broil in oven with the rack in the highest position at 500˚ for about 3 minutes.
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MINESTRONE
EVK’s take on the classic Italian all-season comfort soup- a tasty way to clear out your fridge and pantry!
Ingredients
Scale
- handful of basil
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 red pepper
- seasonal veg like: cauliflower, corn, kale, leeks, peas, zucchini, etc!
- 4–5 cloves of garlic
- 1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- water
- olive oil
- dried oregano
- salt
- pepper
- 1 can of kidney beans (red beans) and/or a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- veg or chicken broth: 2 bouillon cubes or 2 cans of prepared broth (watch out for MSG!)
- parmesan rinds
- Bragg’s (or soy sauce)
- Worcestershire sauce (or Chinese black vinegar-a great vegan alternative to Worcestershire!)
- Cholula (or Louisiana-style) hot sauce
- shell, macaroni, or broken short ends of pasta
Instructions
PREP
- Tear basil.
- Slice onion in half.
- Chop carrots, celery, red pepper and any seasonal veg that seem to fit.
- Dice garlic.
- Purée chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in a mini food processor, with a submersion blender, or by chopping as finely as you can. You’ll only need a tablespoon or 2!
COOK
- Boil a kettle of water and let it cool a little.
- Burn the onion halves cut side down directly on the element or burner until they’re nicely singed. Let them cool then dice them.
- Fry onions and garlic in a good splash of olive oil, in a deep pot on medium-low heat.
- Add dashes of oregano, salt and pepper.
- When onions soften, add carrots, celery, basil and seasonal veg (except leafy greens like kale, add them close to the end so they don’t turn to mush!).
- When carrots start to soften, add beans and diced tomatoes (liquids too), bouillon cubes or cans of broth.
- Add parmesan rinds.
- Add hot water ’til you’ve got about the right amount of soup.
- Add splashes of chipotle purée, Bragg’s, Worcestershire, and Cholula to taste.
- Add pasta and simmer until noodles are cooked al dente (cooked but still firm).
- Remove parmesan rinds.
- Serve with CHEESE TOAST.
