Minestrone (sort of...)
2 leeks- white and light green part, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
4 large carrots, scrubbed, peeled and sliced thick on the bias
4 stalks celery, sliced thick on the bias
1/4 head cabbage, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can navy beans (can sub kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 15oz can stewed tomatoes
10 new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 small zucchini, sliced into half moons
1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
10 cups vegan beef-style or chicken-style broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon parsley
3 or so bay leaves
fresh ground pepper to taste
1. Prep all your veggies ahead of time.
2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, pour a bit of olive oil in the bottom, and start to sauté the onion, garlic, leeks, carrots and celery over medium heat. Cook until the leeks wilt (about 5 minutes)
3. Add the remainder of the veggies and sauté for a bit longer. At this point add the herbs and seasonings. Throw in the beans and the tomatoes (including the tomato juice) as well as the barley.
4. Add your broth, and increase the heat up to medium high, and bring to a boil.
5. Cover and simmer until the barley is cooked - about an hour.
Enjoy with a nice fresh side salad and some warm crusty bread. I LOVE this soup!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
So I'm not much of a cook but I made this yesterday. Mainly because I had all the ingredients. WOW! It was fantastic. I made my own vegetable stock from scraps that I save and used that instead of the meat stock. I also had to add some vegetable juice from Trader Joes to make it more tomatoee and some salt. But I give this recipe 2 big thumbs up. It's so deli sh I can't wait to share it.