A Family That Eats Together: Minestrone Soup

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Here's her meal plan for this week.

Minestrone in America takes on many different meanings. Its origin comes from "Minestra Maritata" meaning "Italian Wedding Soup," which is traditionally made of beans, vegetables and meat. Every region and every family in Italy has their own take on this soup. My version is a meld of what my family handed down to me as well as my own translation of it. I have a fond appreciation of adding meat but I have found when we have an illness in our family a simple vegetarian combination is perfect for combating the cold and leaves us the next day able to tackle the new day better than the one before.

To make this extra filling and fun for kids, I love to add dried mini ravioli.

Servings: 10–12
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

for the croutons

• sliced baguette
• extra virgin olive oil

for the soup

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery sticks, peeled and chopped
• 1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 48 ounces vegetable stock
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 2 cups dried mini ravioli
• 1 can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

for the pesto

• 3 cups fresh basil
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. To make the Croutons: Toss the sliced bread in a bowl with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
3. To make the Minestrone: Heat, 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrot and celery. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Pour in the tomatoes and their juices along with the stock. Bring the soup to a low simmer. Add the spinach and ravioli. Cook for 15 minutes. If the ravioli absorb too much liquid and another cup or two of stock depending on how "soupy" you like your soup. Stir in the beans and white wine and continue to simmer for 1–2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
4. To make the Pesto: In a food processor, add the basil, pine nuts, garlic and cheese. Continue to pulse the mixture until it is finely chopped. While the processor is on, slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture is well emulsified. Pulse in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve the minestrone with a few croutons and pesto drizzled over top.