Minestrone

I think I am due for a recipe post.

Today it almost hit 100 in Tucson. Yikes! So, what better a topic to blog about than soup?! ;)

Many have the attitude that "soup is for cold weather". But, it's never reallly cold here. If I followed that rule, we'd never get to eat soup! That would be a very, very sad day.

Now, normally when you see Minestrone it is a vegetarian Italian soup. However, as I've stated previously - I have a carnivore of a husband. And a "Vegetarian-Meal" just wouldn't quite fly! So I serached around at Minestrone recipes - and concoted my own little "brew"!  Here it goes!

• 1/2 lb Ground Turkey
• 1 14.5 oz can Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 can Garbanzo beans
• 1.5 Beef Bullion Cube (you can do the low-sodium style, or can of beef broth, but I need my Na+) ;)
• 3 cups water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2-3 Bay leaves

And here is where it gets kinda murky, since I don't really do recipes......

• About 1/2 Red onion, chopped
• Chopped red, yellow, & green Bell peppers - about 1 cup?
• 2 carrot sticks, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 Basil Leaves, finely chopped
• A few pinches of Crushed Red Pepper to taste (how spicy are you feeling?)
• A couple shakes of Oregano, Majoram, Pepper (more than a couple), Cumin (more than a couple)
• A few swigs of Red Wine (wow, this recipe is getting about as sloppy as a soup sandwich...)
• Pasta noodles of choice - as needed

1. Brown the ground turkey, drain off any excess fat/nastiness.
2. Add in beef broth, stewed tomatoes, and seasonings (basil, oregano, garlic, bay leaves, etc)
3. Add in carrots, celery, onions, peppers, wine.
4. Lastly, add in the garbanzo beans (this should go in last, so they don't get mushy)
5. You can either let this simmer for a few hours (like I did), or you can serve immediately!

Now, for the pasta.....This is not a mandatory addition, but we tried it this time. And I did home-made. Which was a 1st!

My pasta was a general Betty Crocker cookbook recipe. Except I added in some basil & oregano to the flour to give a little extra "oomph"!

When serving the soup, serve with some pasta noodles. This soup makes excellent leftovers!

Just a little warning, if you combine the home-made pasta + soup for "left-overs", it will turn from "soup" to "pasta" because the noodles soak up the broth!

This soup is amazing and it truly warms thy soul! It's easy, too!

Here are some photos!

Soup a-simmering....

Rolling out my dough. I am not a baker-extraordinaire - so excuse the messiness lack-of-skill...

Noodles are hanging - the most fun part of all...

The finished product!!