MBP – Minestrone Soup

I had come across Sia’s Minestrone Soup and had immediately bookmarked it, with the hope of trying it when it was my turn to ‘spring clean’ the refrigerator. Well, that time never came and I had forgotten the soup.

With this month’s Monthly Blog Patrol(MBP) theme being “Soups/Salads”, the first soup that came to mind almost instantly was this very Minestrone Soup. I always have this soup when we eat at Olive Garden, and it felt like a trip to OG while digging into this bowl of soup!

The original recipe may be found here. The following is with the modifications I made to the recipe.

You will need:

1 small Onion, finely chopped
1-2 pods of Garlic, finely chopped
2-3 large Tomatoes, cubed
1 Green Pepper, cubed
1 Red Pepper, cubed
1 cup Shells pasta (small shells)
1 can cooked Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed.
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
5-6 cups Vegetable Stock
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Now add dried herbs and crushed chilli flakes. Mix in chopped tomatoes and sauté till it becomes pulpy, approx 1-2 mins. Add vegetable stock or water, , red kidney beans, peppers and pasta.Continue to cook on medium heat till pasta is cooked well for about 5-10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmering boil.

Serve hot with toasted bread slices and enjoy this nutritious bowl of soup.
I added a little bit of Parmesan on top, just the way I like it!

This steaming bowl of soup is off to dear Raaga of the Singing Chef, who is hosting this edition of the MBP. This event was originally started by Coffee of The Spice Cafe.