Cheesy Minestrone Pasta Food

SIMPLE ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, carrots and celery. Raise heat to medium-high, if you need to, and cook, tossing regularly, until the veggies soften a bit (about 5 minutes or so). Add the garlic and cook another minute, tossing regularly.
• Add the zucchini or yellow squash and green beans. Season with paprika, rosemary, and a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
• Now add the crushed tomatoes, broth, fresh thyme, bay leaf and Parmesan rind (if using.) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and partially cover the pot. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or so.
• Uncover the pot and add the kidney beans. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
• Finally, Stir in the parsley and fresh basil. And, if serving immediately, stir in the cooked pasta and simmer ever so briefly till the pasta is warmed through; do not overcook. (See Cook's Tip #2)
• Remove the cheese rind and bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Serve the minestrone hot in dinner bowls with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan (optional.)

ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic clove, and pancetta cubes. Sautee on medium heat for a few minutes stirring a couple of times in the process.
• Add potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, bay leaf, rosemary sprigs and a couple of pinches of salt.
• Give a nice stir and add enough water to cover all the veggies.Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.
• Past this time veggies will become super soft and will "melt" one into another creating delicious creamy texture.
• Once veggies are cooked add chopped savoy cabbage or other leafy greens and drained canned beans. Add more water if needed. Give a nice stir and cook for another 15 minutes.
• As a last step, add pasta or rice. Let cook for 5-15 more minutes depending on how long pasta or rice will take to cook.
• If you're not planning to serve minestrone right away, don't add pasta or rice immediately.Instead, bring the soup to a boil when you're ready to serve it and then add pasta or rice.
• Minestrone is ready to serve when pasta (rice) is cooked. I takes about 5-6 minutes for ditalini pasta and about 15 minutes for rice.
• Serve hot or warm generously topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

MINESTRONE SOUP WITH PASTA, BEANS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
• Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with basil, if desired.

MINESTRONE PASTA POT

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and gently fry the onion for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Stir in the tomato purée, then tip in the frozen vegetables and pour in the stock.
• Bring to the boil, add the pasta and stir. Cover and simmer for 12-14 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
• Stir in the beans and heat through, then taste for seasoning. Serve hot, with a bowl of grated cheddar for sprinkling over the top.

CHEESY MINESTRONE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook macaroni as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook and stir onions in Dutch oven or large deep skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 2 min. Stir in next 6 ingredients; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 7 min., stirring occasionally.
• Drain macaroni. Add to ingredients in Dutch oven along with the Singles pieces; cook and stir 3 min. or until Singles are melted.
• Serve topped with mozzarella and Parmesan.

CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce, beans and 2 1/2 cups water. Add broth, zucchini, pasta and pepper; bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and additional parsley, if desired.

11-CAN SOUP AND CHEESY TOAST

Steps:

• For the soup: Add the canned and jarred items, without draining, to a large pot: the roasted peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cannellini beans, great Northern beans, chickpeas, minestrone, green beans, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and pesto. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring to combine. Add the dried parsley and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the flavors are combined and the soup thickens slightly, about1 hour.
• For the cheesy toast: Preheat the broiler.
• Lay the ciabatta and sandwich bread slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella on each ciabatta slice, then sprinkle each with half the Parmesan and Italian seasoning. Top each ciabatta slice with a slice of provolone. Lay 2 slices of American cheese on top of each slice of sandwich bread. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and starting to get really brown around the edges. Slice the toast in half diagonally.
• Bowl up the soup, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve with a piece of the cheesy toast.

MINESTRONE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• Toss pasta and remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cold.