My Italian Minestrone Soup recipe is packed with delicious flavors: cabbage, carrots and onions with beans, macaroni noodles and optional sausage or ground beef. Serve this hearty soup with crusty artisan bread and butter.
1cupcooked elbow macaronidrained (cook 1/2 cup dry noodles to equal 1 cup cooked)
¼cupgrated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
5shakes of cayenne
optional: 1 lb. browned sweet Italian sausage or ground beef
garnish: additional grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the celery, onion and garlic until tender. Add cabbage and carrots; cook and stir until crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, sauce, paste and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; stir in beans, parsley, basil and oregano. If using meat, add the already cooked and browned sausage or beef now. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Just before serving, stir in cooked macaroni noodles and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add five shakes of cayenne pepper. Top each serving with additional Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutritional information does not include optional sausage or ground beef.