Recipe: Not Quite Minestrone Soup

This hunting & gathering within my own kitchen continued until I had a hodgepodge of tasty ingredients simmering gently on the stovetop.  My nano-apartment smelled incredible, the aromas of garlic, tomatoes, and herbs tickling my nose as I racked my brain to figure out what the hell to call this new soup.

About a half-hour later, my mom, who was visiting me at the time, peeked into the soup kettle and declared I’d just made minestrone.  Really?  With Israeli couscous?  Is that even allowed?  I hopped online and did some quick research, only to find that my mother, as always, was right (*le sigh*  Moms are always right, aren’t they?).

I’ve eaten plenty of minestrone soup over the years, but I’d never tried my hand at making it.  Like some of my other irrational kitchen fears, I always thought it was way out of my league.  In my mind, minestrone was some grand, complicated Italian concoction best made by a tiny Italian grandmother who tells crazy stories and feeds you amazing food (sorta like my own Sophia Petrillo).  Fortunately, that’s not the case.

The beauty of minestrone soup is that there’s no set recipe to abide by.  It’s literally one of those everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soups (or SOPA de retazos as my mom likes to call it).  As long as the basic components of broth, pasta, beans, tomatoes & other veggies are there, you pretty much have minestrone.

In my accidental version, I used homemade chicken stock and leftover chicken to go along with my veggies and cannellini beans.  The addition of Israeli couscous (also known as pearl couscous), is a fun departure from the standard shell or orzo pasta that’s traditionally found in most minestrone recipes, and chunks of zucchini and carrots give the soup some nice texture.  This is rich & flavorful without being too heavy, and perfect for the cooler weather that’s approaching.

The best part?  This accidental, not-quite-but-still-feels-right minestrone feeds a small army for less than $1 per serving.  How is that even possible?  By shopping carefully and making the most of what I already had on hand, even if it wasn’t exactly what the standard recipe calls for.

Sure, I could have bought shell pasta, swapped out the zucchini for the standard celery, and made other changes to make this more “traditional” (if I’d even known I was making minestrone, lol).  But I’d already done my big grocery shopping run for the month, so why buy extra ingredients when I had plenty of stuff that would make a great soup on its own?

Shop from your kitchen first and you’ll be surprised at how much great food you can make with what you already have.  Now, let’s check out the recipe!