Old World Italian Minestrone soup

Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
Onions, raw, 1.5 cups, chopped
Garlic, 8+ cloves chopped finely
Carrots, raw, 2 cups, chopped coarse (1/2 inch pieces)
Celery, raw, 1.5 cups, diced (1/2 inch pieces)
Cabbage, fresh, ½-3/4 head, large cut- coarse into 1-1.5 inch chunks (approx. 4 cups).

Canned whole or chopped Tomatoes, 4 cups/28 oz can (puree one-half of this can, set aside)
Stewed Tomatoes, Italian style, 1.5 cup (1 can)
Tomato Paste, 2 tbsp

Beef broth, consommé, 1 can (14 oz), may use low sodium
Vegetable Broth, 1 can (14 oz), may use low sodium
Chicken Broth, 5-6 cups (4-14oz cans), may use low sodium
Water 2-3 cups as needed.

*Potato, raw, 1 medium peeled and cooked/mashed
Beans, white (Great northern), 1-1.5 cups:
(cooked, mash 1/2 the beans, leave 1/2 whole. If using canned can add liquid to soup if desired)

Worcestershire Sauce, 2 Tbsp
Basil, 1-2 tbsp
Oregano, ground, 1 tbsp
Thyme, ground, 1 tbsp
Rosemary, dried, 1 tbsp
Bay leaves, 2 whole

Parmesan Cheese rind, approx. 3 inch x 2 inch piece
Pepper, black, 1/2-1 tbsp (to taste)
Red pepper flake. 1/2-1 tbsp (to taste)
Salt, 1/2 tbsp (to taste. Likely won’t need due to chicken/beef broth)

Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Parmesan cheese grated for garnish
Ground Italian sausage (chicken) -optional
Pasta, pre-cooked, set aside - optional

This recipe makes a huge amount, but freezes well in airtight containers for up to 6 months. Just defrost and warm slowly. The cabbage won't be as toothsome, but it still holds up pretty well.

This soup makes enough for 20- 12oz (1.5 cups) servings (if not more).

Start with a large stock pot, add olive oil and heat pot to medium or medium-high.
Add onions, garlic and cook until onions softened (2 minutes).
Next add carrots, celery until slightly caramelized (5-7 minutes)

Add the dried herbs and bay leaves, stir.
(Note: if using fresh herbs add a few minutes prior to serving or they will brown)

Add the chopped cabbage & stir, cook for 2 minutes.
You may want to reserve half the cabbage for the last 30 minutes of cooking time if you prefer the cabbage with some crunch.

Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes and stir, then add the pureed half of the tomatoes, and the can of stewed tomatoes. All the tomatoes should be added now.

Next, add all the cans of broth. Stir until incorporated, then add the Worcestershire sauce (this gives the soup depth)

Now add the pre-cooked whole and mashed beans and *mashed potato for thickening. Can omit potato for lower carbs, but it does help thicken the soup.

Add the parmesan rind, this gives it a lot of flavor.

Fresh ground pepper as needed, Red pepper flakes to taste.

Caution: all the broth, parmesan cheese and canned tomatoes add a lot of salt. Therefore, I would taste at the end of cooking time prior to adding any salt.
Add enough water to cover all the vegetables, as needed.

Simmer for at least 3-4 hours on low setting, stirring every 20minutes. May add more water if starts to evaporate. It is done when the vegetables are softening to your preference.

Caution: If it becomes too thick, it may burn on bottom of pot if you aren't watching it. If the bottom does burn, do not stir the burnt soup into the pot, but poor off the non burnt soup into a clean pot to finish cooking.

Remove bay leaves and Parmesan rind prior to serving. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

Optional: serve with 1-2 Tbsp pre-cooked pasta (if you added the pasta to the soup, it will become overcooked)
Optional: add 2-3 Tbsp pre-cooked ground sausage for flavor, if meat is desired.
Optional: add any fresh seasonal vegetables you desire (zucchini, yellow summer squash, bell peppers, etc).