Winter Minestrone Soup
Mark Boughton Mark Boughton
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 45 mins
You can use almost any vegetable lingering in your fridge to make this soup (although we might skip broccoli and cauliflower). It’s great with a can of white beans thrown in, too. The hearty kale stands up to the wheatberries, but you can use almost any green. You also can use barley in place of the wheatberries. Look for wheatberries next to the grains in the supermarket. Makes 16 cups.
Ingredients
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-- green onions, chopped
- 1/2-- red or white onion, chopped
- 1-- celery stalk, chopped
- 3-- large carrots, chopped
- 4ounces finely chopped shaved deli ham
- 3cups water
- 3cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1cup wheatberries, rinsed
- 1-- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind (optional)
- 2-- bay leaves
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- -- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1-- (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil
- 1-- (1-pound) bag kale, chopped
- 4-- toasted pita breads
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onions, celery, carrots and ham. Sauté 10 minutes. Add water and next 6 ingredients (water through pepper).
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until wheatberries are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and kale; cook until thoroughly heated. The longer the soup sits with the cheese rind, the more intense the flavor.
- Serve with toasted pita bread
Nutritional Info *per serving
- Calories 230
- Glycemic Load 5.13
- Fat 4.5g
- Saturated Fat 1g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
- Monounsaturated Fat 2.5g
- Cholesterol 10mg
- Sodium 590mg
- Potassium 600mg
- Carbohydrate 38g
- Fiber 7g
- Sugars 4g
- Protein 11g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Vitamin A 270%
- Vitamin C 130%
- Calcium 15%
- Iron 15%
