Friday, August 24, 2012

Italian-Style Vegetable Soup


When you ponder the fate of the literal fruits of your labor, a.k.a. the summer vegetable garden harvest, my guess is that soup isn’t the first thing to come to mind.  However, if you are one of the lucky people able to grow zucchini and reap its bounteous reward, then give this some thought.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have absolutely no luck growing zucchini, so I use Melissa’s, but my lack of zucchini growing skills doesn’t stop me from making this delicious soup recipe that my mother has been serving us for as long as I can remember.  It makes a large pot so there is plenty to share, takes a mere 45 minutes from start to finish, and freezes quite nicely so you can enjoy it in the winter months as well.

Italian Style Vegetable Soup

1 or 2 large onions totaling 1 pound
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup diced carrots
¾ cup diced celery
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups cubed zucchini
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced garlic (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups cooked navy beans (or 1 15-oz. can)
6 cups beef broth
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Peel and coarsely chop onions.  Heat oil in a large stock pot, add onions, carrots, and celery and sautĂ© for five minutes.  Add tomatoes.  Stir in zucchini, basil, oregano, garlic, beans and broth.  Cover.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Serve topped with ample gratings of fresh Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Looking for more soup recipes?  This book is my absolute favorite!

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4 comments:

Mich Piece of Cake said...

I'd love a bowl of this hearty soup, and the cheese makes it even better! Your mother must be a great cook.

Athena at Minerva's Garden said...

Hi Pattie: I love vegetable soups, and this one looks wonderful. I love hearing about recipes that your family has enjoyed through the years. Thank you for stopping by my blog today for a visit--nice to hear from you!

~~louise~~ said...

I'm so ready for soup Pattie! And yours looks delicious. I only wish those cantaloupe that are taking over my garden were zucchini. Luv them!!!

Thank goodness there is a farm stand a few doors down that's still selling them:) (peaches, corn and apples too:)

Thanks for sharing...

cathy@my1929charmer said...

It's cooled off a tad, and I love soup. Reading over the recipe I realized I have all the ingredients in the pantry. This will be a great way for me to also use some of my zucchini in the frig. Sound so good and I'm making for tomorrow's lunch. Thanks for sharing your creative inspiration with Sunday’s Best – you helped make the party a success!