Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup

I have a confession to make… We ate steak on Saturday night. And you know what? I didn’t enjoy it at all. For one thing Jason overcooked it on the BBQ (sorry to call you out, J!). And it was just kind of… boring. Plus after being essentially meat-free for almost two weeks, both Jason and I found it didn’t really agree with our stomachs. Enough said, right? But since we had steaks in our freezer, it seemed like a waste not to eat them. The whole experience taught me that I don’t actually miss meat at all, so I guess it’s a win!

Feeling fully committed to a meatless lifestyle, I pulled together this kitchen sink minestrone soup last night and it turned about amazing. And the best part about a big batch of soup is that it’s always better on the second day, right?

Here’s the recipe, if you’re interested. Also, you don’t actually need these specific ingredients, use this as a guideline and just add whatever is in your fridge.

1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 medium sized carrots, thinly sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup of frozen peas
several mini potatoes, quartered
1 796 mL can of diced tomatoes (I used Kirkland Organic)
4 cups of vegetable stock
1 can 540 mL red kidney beans
1 and 1/2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven (or heavy bottom soup pot), add evoo over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots and sautée about three minutes until onions are translucent. Add bell pepper and potatoes, sautée five more minutes and add salt and pepper. Add canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, oregano and chili flakes, stir altogether and let simmer over medium for 15-20 minutes, stirring reguarly. Add kidney beans and frozen peas and reduce heat to medium/low until veggies are soft throughout. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast if you want to go fully plant-based.

Enjoy! Thanks for popping in, friends.