savory sunday // Mediterranean minnestrone
Hopefully, this is my last soup to show you guys in a while, eh? I would love to move on to salads and other summer fare... (like tacos!). But for now, we'll settle for this amazingly delicious, fast and easy spring-time soup that my buddy Sharon taught me to make. We make this a LOT around our house because it's super fast and easy (are we seeing a theme here?). But this one is great for spring because the zest of the spinach and the feta taste so fresh -- especially for soup.
To start, here's what you'll need:• 1 Tbsp olive oil• 1 small onion, diced• 1 stalk of celery, chopped• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced• 2 cans or one box of chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you're a vegetarian)• 1 14.5 oz can "Italian style" diced tomatoes, undrained. People! Buy these organic. Seriously, tomatoes (especially canned) are worth the price.• 1/2 cup water• 1 tsp sugar• salt & pepper to taste• 1/2 cup uncooked rosamarina pasta (I can never find this, so I use tiny shells)• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped• optional! I sometimes add a can of white beans for a little protein• lots of feta
Heat the olive oil in your soup pan while you dice the onion and chop the celery. Then add these and the garlic to the pan and cook on medium or med-low until soft (5-7 minutes).
While this is cooking, measure out your sugar and water.
Then add the tomatoes, broth, sugar, water and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add your pasta and cook according to package directions for "al dente" -- usually 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then add your spinach and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Enjoy the smell!
And then you're done! I told you it was fast and easy! Just make sure to be generous with the feta when serving, mmmkay?
About like so.I serve this soup in larger bowls than shown because the pasta gets so big and soggy if kept too long for leftovers. So a regular cereal-bowl of this soup is 184 calories. Pretty awesome, right? Oh! But that's without the beans. It's a touch more with those, but not bad at all.For your internet share today, I'm sending you to these fantastic Italian phrases and their American counterparts. What's awesome is that the Italian's are all based on food. Love those people! My favorite is their equivalent for "And apple a day keeps the doctor away." It's: "A little wine kicks the doctor out the door." MUCH BETTER.