Here in Missouri it's a gloomy, rainy, yucky Tuesday. We do have a little snow on the ground but most of it is slushy because we're right at freezing. I decided to make a turkey minestrone soup which is total comfort food at my house. Serve with a big crusty loaf of garlic bread and everyone's happy! I thought I would share my recipe:
Turkey Minestrone
adapted from Cooking for Baby
-leek, 1
-carrot, 2 peeled
-zucchini or yellow squash, 2 peeled
-frozen green beans, 1 cup
-crushed tomatoes, 1 28 oz can
-cannellini beans, 1 15 oz can
-olive oil, 6 Tbsp
-ground turkey, 1 lb
-salt and pepper
-dried oregano, 2 tsp
-water, 2 qts (8 cups)
-chicken bullion cubes, 8
-tomato paste, 4 Tbsp
-elbow macaroni, 1/2 cup
1. Thinly slice leek, white and light green parts only. Place leeks in a large bowl and fill the bowl with cool water until the leeks are floating and no longer near the bottom. Swish them around the bowl until the dirt falls to the bottom. Remove them onto a paper towel to dry.
2. Chop carrot and zucchini and set aside. Remove beans from can and rinse until water runs clear. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add turkey, season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook until turkey is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Remove the turkey with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside. Add leek, carrot, zucchini, and green beans to the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in water, bullion cubes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste and increase heat to bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
5. Add cannellini beans and macaroni and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Stir in turkey and cook to heat through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve and enjoy!
To store: Refrigerate soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This soup makes great leftovers and heats up wonderfully!
I love this soup because it's great to throw in whatever you have left in the fridge or pantry. Change up the beans, veggies, sub ground beef for turkey, whatever you like! It pretty much tastes fabulous whatever you do to it! :) The Cooking for Baby book is available in the link online at Williams-Sonoma and probably other places like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
I got this book before my youngest was born and it has a lot of great recipes that the whole family can enjoy. It's definitely easy to make your own baby food and worth looking into! They offer the baby steamers and puree machines but I never had one and just used my steam basket in a pot at home and my blender and made delicious homemade food for my kids.
_______________________________________________________________
I also wanted to share this cutie pie photo from Jen Lavazza Photography. I've been making hats for this little one since she was almost brand new! Here is Miss S modeling one of my rompers in red, perfect for the holidays!
Happy Tuesday all, I hope you stay warm!
xoxo, Tri-Bec
