Sun-Dried Tomato & Rosemary Minestrone Soup
Alright, dudes! Welcome to healthy time! To counteract the amazing and resolution-murdering bacon pie our very own beloved BS debuted yesterday, I’m contributing one of my favorite—and yes, New Year’s friendly—soup ideas. It’s salty, spicy, tomato-y, chock full of vegetables and protein, and it tastes bomb.com. (I decided I’m bringing back bomb.com in 2013, just let it happen.)
Okay, so my soup trick: instead of just normal crushed tomatoes in your minestrone soup, add sun-dried tomatoes. Instead of just olive oil in your minestrone soup, use the sun-dried tomato oil! It packs that salty, intense taste we all know and love, but the sun-dried tomatoes themselves reconstitute in the broth and swell up into juicy, soft balloons of savory goodness in the soup. You’re welcome.
Sun-Dried Tomato & Rosemary Minestrone Soup
28oz can whole plum tomatoes
14.5oz can diced tomatoes
8.5oz jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
19oz can cannellini beans, drained
32oz box of vegetable broth
1/2c red wine
1/2c uncooked farro
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped into coins and halved
4c fresh spinach
1 bunch rainbow chard, roughly chopped
3tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
Cayenne & red pepper flakes
Get a large soup pot and put it on medium-high heat. Dump your sun-dried tomatoes, oil and all, into the bottom. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the carrots and farro, then add the beans, both cans of tomatoes (undrained! You want those juices), red wine, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and put the lid on.
Let the soup hang out until the farro cooks most of the way through, it should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Once the farro is al dente, turn the stove to medium-low, add the spinach and chard, and let it cook until softened, just a few more minutes. Stir in the rosemary and add salt, pepper and spice to taste. (I add a lot of all of them, because, duh.)
Garnish with extra rosemary and serve with a loaf of crusty bread. This should serve 4 to 6 hungry, healthy eaters.
