A hearty vegetable soup is a wonderful thing on a cool winter night. Last night I tried a new recipe from Ina Garten's latest cookbook Barefoot Contessa Foolproof - Recipes You Can Trust. A blend of delicious vegetables like butternut squash, carrots, onion, spinach and tomatoes makes this a satisfying and creamy soup. Trust me (and Ina) - this is a great soup!
Historically, I have not used a lot of butternut squash in vegetable soups, and will now reconsider this. The squash helps thicken the broth, and gives it a creamy richness you would not have otherwise.
WINTER MINESTRONE (courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, p.53)
Ingredients
Good olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, 1/2 inch diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups diced celery (3 stalks)
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
4 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked small pasta, such as tubetti (1 cup uncooked pasta)
8 to 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons store-bought pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese - for serving
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or dutch oven. Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick, but if it's too thick, add more chicken stock. Just before serving, add the spinach and toss with two spoons (like tossing a salad). Cook until the leaves are just wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. As needed, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Serve large shallow bowls of soup. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.
When making a recipe for the first time, I generally stick with the recipe as is so I can taste the food as the author intended. I made one slight modification to this recipe. I had Canadian bacon from the corn chowder I made last week, and substituted that for the pancetta. I am sure the pancetta would have been a little more flavorful, but the Canadian bacon worked well and is more calorie friendly. After making this, I believe you could omit the pork entirely and use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock to keep this a strictly vegetarian dish.
Pot meals are great, as we usually have enough left for another dinner during the week. Tonight we plan to enjoy the leftovers coupled with either a salad or grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!
Historically, I have not used a lot of butternut squash in vegetable soups, and will now reconsider this. The squash helps thicken the broth, and gives it a creamy richness you would not have otherwise.
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Sautéing beautiful winter vegetables
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WINTER MINESTRONE (courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, p.53)
Ingredients
Good olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, 1/2 inch diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups diced celery (3 stalks)
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
4 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked small pasta, such as tubetti (1 cup uncooked pasta)
8 to 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons store-bought pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese - for serving
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or dutch oven. Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick, but if it's too thick, add more chicken stock. Just before serving, add the spinach and toss with two spoons (like tossing a salad). Cook until the leaves are just wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. As needed, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Serve large shallow bowls of soup. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.
When making a recipe for the first time, I generally stick with the recipe as is so I can taste the food as the author intended. I made one slight modification to this recipe. I had Canadian bacon from the corn chowder I made last week, and substituted that for the pancetta. I am sure the pancetta would have been a little more flavorful, but the Canadian bacon worked well and is more calorie friendly. After making this, I believe you could omit the pork entirely and use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock to keep this a strictly vegetarian dish.
Pot meals are great, as we usually have enough left for another dinner during the week. Tonight we plan to enjoy the leftovers coupled with either a salad or grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!
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| Dinner is served! |
Missy-- This is terrific soup. Only added a little Worcestershire and white pepper. Added another can of beans and left out the pasta to make it wheat-free for Webb. We both loved it! Thanks!,
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