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Oh My My Minestrone

Updated: Nov 18, 2018

Such a hearty soup! And great for freezing in single-serve freezer bags, so you have a quick lunch to defrost another day.


“You know what would make this even better? Italian sausage. Good 'n' spicy.” - me, last time I made this

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage (slice up one side of the "skin" or "casing" and remove)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 cup chopped kale

1/2 cup white or brown rice, uncooked

1 can (15 oz.) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Shredded parmesan cheese

Fresh rosemary (one twig will do - see picture)

Black pepper


Preparation:

Measure and chop ingredients as instructed above. Chop up uncased sausages on a cutting board.


Cook & Serve:

- Put sausage into a large soup pan or Dutch oven, over medium heat. While sausage cooks, break it into tiny pieces with a spoon or spatula. Cook until no longer pink. Remove from pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

- Empty grease from pan, except for a teaspoon or so. Add onion, celery and carrot and saute until soft.

- Stir in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

- Stir in broth, kale, uncooked rice, water, beans, herbs and crushed red pepper. Add cooked sausage and rosemary.

- Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove rosemary.

- When you serve the soup, sprinkle with black pepper and parmesan.

- TIP: Use your leftover fresh rosemary in your soup's side dish! Bake a crusty loaf of French bread and serve with rosemary butter. Just mince up your rosemary leaves and mix it into softened butter.


A Little Backstory:

Cooking for one, I plan my meals to either include ingredients I can use for multiple meals -- or to make several freezable servings. (I'm not a big fan of eating the same damn meal for several days in a row.) Soups and stews are perfect for freezing and eating later. Here's the easy trick:

- Let the soup cool, then ladle a single serving into a freezer bag.

- Seal the bag, then lay it flat in the freezer (open the bag just a tiny bit to release air, but not spill the contents -- then reseal). Stack your other soup bags flat on top.

- When the bags freeze, they take up very little space. You can do the same with pre-made smoothies and sauces.

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