Easy Minestrone Soup with White Beans

This is what I like to call an “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of soup. Consider this recipe more of a guide rather than something set in stone- it’s meant to be played with so throw in whatever you have on hand. It can also be vegetarian OR a meat dish- if you’re using meat (I used 2 pork chops in this case) use bone in meat for more flavor, brown it off and throw it and all of it’s lovely browning juices in the pot and then right before serving just shred the meat, discard the bone and enjoy! I’ve also done this with white fish and prawns- just add them last minute so they don’t get over cooked and rubbery.

Once your white beans are ready (either soaked overnight or boiled) rinse them and set aside. In a large pot melt butter & oil and saute carrots onions and celery for a few minutes. Pour in stock or water, add spices and beans (and browned meat with pan juices if using) simmer for 1 hour. Serve with fresh bread.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings