Winter Minestrone Soup

It doesn’t appear to be lease up and I’m not talking regarding snow. Here in Virginia we’ve having a fairly delicate winter overall, however that hasn’t calmed our looking for healthy soups with various flavor. this can be a awfully exciting soup formula on behalf of me to share these days as a result of we’re introducing a replacement, amazing, good carb food that‘s currently out there within the US!

Chickapea food is created with solely a pair of ingredients – organic chickpeas and lentils. It’s loaded with twenty seven grams of supermolecule per serving, eight grams of dietary fiber, and it’s conjointly wealthy in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. These smart-carbs ar lower on the glycemic index (GI) than rice or corn based mostly product that is very important if you wish to avoid spikes in your glucose.

Not solely is Chickapea food made of organic ingredients, it’s protein free, non GMO, vegan, and kosher. With no preservatives, nothing artificial and no else sugar, that creates this food a stand out on the super market shelves! you'll be able to feel smart regarding serving this food to your family while not having to decide on between fast or alimental, it’s both. currently this can be one thing to urge excited about!

We were terribly excited, however honestly a bit skeptical, regarding what food made of chickpeas and lentils would style like. It’s not a straightforward factor to require a favourite family ingredient like food and substitute one thing new and completely different. to mention we tend to were pleasantly stunned is an underestimation. we tend to love each the flavour and texture of Chickapea food therefore we tend to ar excited it to feature our storeroom. These very little food shells soaked up the wealthy flavor within the soup, they didn’t disintegrate nor do they need a weird afterimage. they're a touch chewier than “regular” food however that’s not a foul thing!

For this formula I borrowed 2 very little tricks from cook Giada Delaware Laurentis that add a lot of flavor and quality. whereas the soup is cooking, add a Parmesan rind to the broth. I conjointly pureed half the cannellini beans with a bit water before adding to the soup, reworking the broth to a thicker, satisfying slurp-able spoon. each good, straightforward ways that to line this soup except for different broth based mostly soups.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small zucchini, thick sliced and quartered
• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 bunch of swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves rough chopped
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt, more or less to taste
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon (2.5 mL) Italian Seasoning
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (407 mL) (low salt), do not drain
• 1 (32-ounce) container of vegetable broth (960 mL) (low salt)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans (407 ml) rinsed and drained
• 1 cup (250 mL) water
• 1 Parmesan rind
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups (280 g) Chickapea Shell Pasta (cooked 5 minutes and drained)
• Fresh grated or sliced Parmesan for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottom soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the zucchini, potato and Swiss chard, season with pepper, salt, thyme and Italian Seasoning and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the canned tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chard is wilted and tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.  
3. Add the vegetable broth, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind to the tomato and vegetable mixture. Combine 1/2 of the drained and rinsed cannellini beans with 1 cup of water and puree with a stick or immersion blender until almost smooth. (A regular blender or food processor are fine too.) Add the pureed beans to the soup and simmer, stirring occasionally until the potato is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. While the soup is simmering, cook the Chickapea Pasta in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. For the shell shaped pasta, be sure to add it slowly to the boiling water, stirring to ensure the pasta does not stick together. Drain before adding to the soup.
5. Add the remaining beans, parsley, basil and cooked Chickapea Pasta shells. Simmer until the soup thickens and is heated through.  Discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  
6. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with additional fresh basil or parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Recipe From : Saving Room For Dessert