Minestrone

(From Wikipedia) Minestrone (Italian: minestra [soup] + -one hence "the big soup," the one with many ingredients) is the name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is almost as common as pasta on Italian tables.

Note from me.

I'm not huge into Minestrone. Maybe because no one seems to make it right, lol, I don't know, but my husband loves it and so I decided to make him some and surprise him for lunch and it came out soooooo good! I plan on making this over and over again throughout winters to come!

What you need:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 cups chopped celery

5 carrots, sliced

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

4 cups tomato sauce (or 2 cans tomato paste, fill with water twice, each can)

1/2 cup red wine or red wine vinegar

1 can Pinto beans, drained

1 can Black beans, drained

1 can Navy beans, drained

2 cups baby spinach, rinsed

3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup seashell pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

What you need to do:

1. In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine vinegar. Reduce heat to low and add all beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.

3. Add in pasta. Some people like to boil it separately then add it once al dante, if you'd like to do it that way. 

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This is supposed to be a copy cat of Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and I got it from HERE. But, personally it tasted bland and I added a bit more to it and again, "made it my own", which I encourage all of you to do so as well! :)

What you need:

• 1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 14 ounces can of chicken broth
• 1 cup carrots, finely shredded
• 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 package gnocchi, cooked  (you can find these in gourmet/pasta section of the grocery store, or make these home made, which HERE is a recipe)
• 1 cup of spinach coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional, but from the reviews, a lot of people said it gave it a nice flavor.)
• 2 Boullian Cubes, Chicken Flavored. 

What you need to do:

 Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent.

 Add the flour and make a roux.

 Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, and seasonings; simmer until soup is heated through.

 Once everything is cooked, add in the spinach and let warm.

 (I added just a pinch of Mozzarella/Provolone cheese)

Enjoy!