Monday, September 20, 2010

Minestrone Soup

Since being back at work off of my mat leave, my slowcooker has also been working full time. I love coming home to a house that smells great, and having little to no prep work for getting dinner on the table. This recipe is amazingly good! The red wine makes the broth so full of flavour, and with all the beans, it is very filling.

If you have a cold day coming up in the forecast (which is almost everyday for us with all the rain we are getting), put this into the slowcooker. There is no better way to warm up on a cold day than a hot bowl of soup.

1 litre vegetable stock
1 19oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 14oz can lima beans, rinsed and drained
3 small zucchini, 2 medium carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, all finely diced
1 24oz can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
2/3 cup red wine
3 tbsp freshly chopped basil
½ cup whole wheat macaroni
Parmesan Cheese

Add all ingredients up to salt and pepper to slowcooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add red wine, basil and macaroni. Continue to cook for another hour. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.