Minestrone Soup by Susan

Posted by carsimulator on Saturday, January 31, 2009

Ingredients:
3 14 oz cans beef broth
15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained (I forgot to buy diced so I cut them for the kids)
11 1/2 oz can vegetable juice (V8)
6oz can tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 1/2 cup loosely packed frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cooked pasta (I used small shell pasta, again easier for the smaller kids)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips (I thawed out frozen chopped spinach)
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Assembly:
In a 4-qt Dutch oven combine beef broth, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, undrained tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasonings. Bring to boiling; add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To serve right away:
Stir in spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

To freeze:
Stir in spinach and allow soup to cool. Stir in cooked pasta and place in freezer container.

Serving Day:
Allow soup to thaw completely. Heat and serve with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on each serving.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 75th Anniversary Edition, p. 505