Minestrone Soup

Growing up, Olive Garden was the place to be.  I remember it vividly.  Going to Olive Garden with my family and friends was common for weekend dinners and birthdays.  With my baby blue pager attached to my purse (you know I am not the only one), mom would drop us off to the local hangout which was walking distance of an Olive Garden and movie theater.  I loved (and still love) their soup and salad combo.  The minestrone soup there is my favorite.  With pasta, beans, and loads of  vegetables this soup is rich and filling.  It is lighter than most soups being that it is broth based.

With Vegas and it’s still chilly temps, I have been doing soup after soup.  They are easy, filling, and warm you up!  I decided to try my hand at minestrone soup.  It is funny  to me that I have cheap car insurance quotes never tried making it until now seeing as it is one of my favorites to order when eating out.

I used my crockpot (yes, I know) and after chopping up the vegetables, realized that space would be tight.  I did modify the original recipe along with adding in a can

of kidney beans.  I would have added in more beans had I had the room.  That is what makes minestrone, isn’t it?

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup (loosely based from about.com)

serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 yellow crookneck squash, chopped
• 1 cup green beans, chopped
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup macaroni pasta

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pasta in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

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Add the pasta and cook on high for 20-30 minutes, or until pasta is done cooking. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Serve and enjoy!

It brings me back to those Olive Garden days.  If I only knew where that baby blue pager was.

Although I loved the soup, swanky boyfriend only had a bowl and seems to have avoided it since if you catch my drift.  Perhaps he is too nice to tell me he isn’t a fan.  But don’t let his opinion discourage you.  This soup is fabulous and easily one of my favorites!

*I had to add a bit more broth when reheating the soup since the pasta started to soak it up, fyi.

Other Swanky Scoop:

I couldn’t wait to share this darling drawer organizer I got on Amazon!  I saw it on a blog (surprising! ) and knew it would be a great tool to stay organized.  I go through my utensil drawers every so often and they still manage to get cluttered.  This way everything is in sight!  I love just opening up the drawer to see how pretty it is.  And even better…you can move around the dividers!  I can’t wait to purchase more for other drawers!

Thanks for reading friends! Have a fabulous weekend!

What is your favorite restaurant soup and have you tried to recreate it?  How do you stay organized in the kitchen?

Tagged as: crockpot, drawer organizer, minestrone soup, recipe, soup