minestrone soup: a perfect snowy day lunch

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Was it just a couple of weeks ago that I blogged about spring like weather? Well, as expected, it was short lived. It snowed here on Saturday. We had lots of fun playing in the snow (for about ten minutes and then I was done). When it is cold all I want to eat is soup. Using what I had on hand I made this recipe up and it was DELICIOUS and easy!


erin's minestrone soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small to medium onion, diced
4 carrots, cut into half moon shapes
2 zucchini, diced
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (puree half the beans before adding to the soup, this is a great way to thicken the soup. it is cheap, easy and healthy)
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes, not drained
4 cups water
1/2 cup tiny pasta (orzo, acini di pepe or similar)
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
parmesan cheese for garnishing

1. saute garlic and onion and butter and oil, 2 minutes. add zucchini and carrotts. continue to saute until vegetable are just starting to get tender about 10 minutes.
2. add seasonings, tomatoes, beans, water and pasta. bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

serve, topped with parmesan cheese.

I made this bread recipe to go along with the soup. It was easy, quick and yummy!

***The book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was a gift from a dear friend. It is a fantastic book, I highly recommend it.