Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta

By cacelias

This is a delicious Minestrone Soup with excellent flavor! It is especially good with crusty french bread! Recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof

Ingredients

• Good Olive Oil, Butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 1/2 cups diced peeled butternut squash
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 26 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
• 6-8 cups vegetables stock
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 (15oz) cans Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cooked small pasta, such as tubetti
• 8-10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup good dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons store-bought pesto
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy pot or Dutch Oven. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Cook the small pasta al dente in salted boiling water; about 7 minutes, drain, set aside.

Add the tomatoes (with liquid), 6 cups of the stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to the pot Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and the cooked pasta and heat through, add more stock if the soup is too thick.

Just before serving, add the spinach and toss with 2 big spoons; cook until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto.

Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve large shallow bowls of soup with a bruschetta on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.

Garlic Bruschetta:

1 baguette
Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, cut in lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the baguette at a 45 degree angle in 1/2 inch thick slices. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.