My Favorite Minestrone
By: Gina Marie Barone
Published: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - 8:18am

Ingredients




2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Bacon Grease (optional)
1 medium Onion, cut into a small dice
1 large  Carrot, small dice
2 mediums Celery Stalks with leaves, small diced
1/2 Head of Green Cabbage, chopped
4 Swiss Chard Leaves, woody stems discarded and chopped
1 small Sprig of fresh Rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh Italian Parsley Leaves, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
14 ounces can Diced, Organic Tomatoes with no salt added, Drained
15 ounces can Organic White Beans with no salt added, half of them mashed
10 cups Homemade Chicken Stock
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Rind of Parmesean Reggiano Cheese, about 2 inches square
4 ounces Orzo (½ cup), uncooked
Extra Virgin for drizzling
Salt & Cracked Black Pepper to taste

Preparation

1 Take a large soup pot, heat to medium and add olive oil and bacon drippings Add all above veggies and herbs, except tomatoes and white beans 2 Cook and stir until chard and cabbage begins to wilt, about 5-10 minutes 3 Cover and cook until veggies ar tender, about 10 minutes 4 Add drained tomatoes 5 Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring 6 Stir in chicken stock, white beans, salt and parmesean rind 7 Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes 8 Remove parmesean rind 9 Stir in Orzo 10 Continue to simmer for 15 minutes 11 Taste! 12 Drizzle each serving with extra virgin olive oil 13 Add cracked black pepper if desired

About


This soup freezes well. You can add garbanzo, kidney, or pinto beans in place of the white beans. By mashing half of the beans, you create a nice, full bodied soup.