Minestrone with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

Cooking with Mamma C

Serves 8

Minestrone with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

A hearty soup loaded with veggies and seasoned with Romano cheese.

15 minPrep Time

45 minCook Time

1 hrTotal Time

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5 based on 3 review(s)

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow or white onion
• 1 pound carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (14.4-ounce) bag frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen cut green beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can great northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3-4 dashes Liquid Smoke (optional)
• 1 Romano cheese rind, plus grated Romano for serving
• 1 pound small pasta shells (or ditalini)

Directions

1. Peel and chop your onion and set it aside. Rinse your celery, trim off the ends, and dice the celery. Set it aside with the onions. Rinse your carrots, peel them, trim off the ends, and slice the carrots into coins about 1/3-inch thick.
2. In a tall soup pot, heat your olive oil on medium-high. Add the onions, celery and carrots, and stir to combine. Let the veggies cook for five minutes, or until the onions are starting to soften. Add the frozen cauliflower and green beans to the pot, give them a stir, and cook for another five minutes. Add your beans and fire-roasted tomatoes, then the stock, bay leaf, seasonings and Liquid Smoke. (The beans added early will cook down until almost invisible, so if you prefer them intact, add the beans to the soup later, during the last several minutes of cooking.)
3. Cut off the rind from a triangle of Romano cheese and add it to the pot. Stir the soup and let it cook on medium high, covered, until it boils, then lower it slightly. Let the soup cook for 30 minutes, with the lid propped open by a wooden spoon.
4. As soon as you add in your Romano rind, you can start getting your pasta ready. Fill a pasta pot just over half-way full with hot water, add salt, and cover the pot. Heat it on high until it comes to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook, uncovered, until it's al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander in the sink and return the pasta to your cooking pot. Ladle some soup broth into your pasta to prevent it from sticking. Turn off the soup when it's done.
5. To serve the minestrone, ladle some pasta into each bowl and add the soup over it. Sprinkle generously with grated Romano or Parmesan. Store the soup for four days in the refrigerator (separately from the pasta) or freeze it for later.