Good soup for people who don't make soup

[knapplc]

This is a seriously, seriously easy soup to make, and it tastes fantastic. I hate minestrone soup, and only had this because a chef friend made it for me. I immediately asked for the recipe. This is super easy, healthy, and very, very good:

Minestrone Soup

2 Tbl Olive Oil

1 Yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled & chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

2 Bay leaves

8 oz crushed tomatoes

2 quarts chicken stock

2 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbl mixed Italian herbs (basil, oregano & thyme)

2/3 cup kidney beans, drained & rinsed

8 oz spaghetti broken into small pieces

Heat oil in large pot. Saute carrot & celery, about three minutes. Add onion and saute until it begins to become clear, then add garlic and saute for another three minutes. Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then add kidney beans. Bring back to a simmer, then add pasta, mixed herbs and parsley. When pasta is al dente correct seasoning and serve with shaved parmesan.

 

[zoogs]

knapplc to the rescue! I may have to try this.

I do a lot of stir-frying, and the sauteeing here looks similar...except the order is different. In stir frying we'd heat the oil, and then add the garlic and onions first, to caramelize. Then throw in any veggies / meats to sautee. How come they're added at the end here? Is this a typical practice and what are the differences? as you can see, I know very little about cooking, period

 

[knapplc]

This is just copypasta'd from my recipe files. I guess I don't really make it in this order anymore.

The veggies go in first. I get my pot heated (about medium-ish/low-ish), add my olive oil and let it heat a bit until it becomes fragrant, then add the carrots and let them saute for a bit. Next goes the celery, saute some more, then the onions, and I saute everything until the onions become translucent. The smell should be ridiculous about now. Then add in your dry spices including the bay leaf (although sometimes I skip the bay leaf, so if you don't have it, don't worry about it), then the garlic for just a short time, then the tomato. I generally use a whole can of crushed tomato - it's hard to find 8oz of crushed tomato, and the flavor difference is minimal. Simmer that for a while, maybe turning the heat up to medium since you have more liquid in there, and then add your kidney beans and finally your chicken stock. Let that simmer for a while and make sure your veggies are just barely crisp, then bring it to a boil and add your pasta, cooking until the pasta is done, and boom - there you go.

I've made this so many times I just do it on autopilot now. And I can't stress enough that I do not like minestrone soup, but this is fantastic.