From the Kitchen ~ Soup

Domesticity - devoted to home duties and pleasures

Soup 1865, William Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905
Wiki Commons public domain

The winter weather these past several days has called for soup, which has probably been a menu item for a lot of folks across the country lately. From the looks of things, there's more winter weather ahead, and more soup to be had. Sharing a recipe with you today to warm up those winter days. It was originally a minestrone recipe that I adapted, but at times I use tortellini. It's delicious either way. So, depending on what you add, it's either....
 

Minestrone or Tortillini Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. margarine or butter

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 zucchini, halved and sliced

4 cups vegetable juice (I used V8 lower sodium)

1 can cannillini beans, rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp dried basil

1.5 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp pepper

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (I use whole grain)

     or 20 oz package cheese tortellini

            (This time I used sweet Italian sausage tortellini. It was yummy!)

grated Parmesan cheese 

1.  In a large pan, sauté carrots and celery in oil and butter until tender. Add garlic and zucchini, cook 1 minute longer.

2.  Stir in vegetable juice, beans, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, cook macaroni or tortellini according to package directions, then add to soup.

4.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.