Recipe Monday: Easy Minestrone Soup + Cornbread

Happy Monday! I’m linking up with Cassandra from Powered by BLING and Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama for another awesome #MeatlessMonday link up.

Last week I posted a couple pictures of a super easy, super delicious minestrone soup I was making for my family for dinner. I got tons of comments and messages asking for the recipe. Unfortunately I can’t take any credit for the creation of this lovely soup, but I can’t find the original recipe for the life of me to give credit where credit is due. So to whomever concocted this hearty meal: thank you! And I apologize for not crediting you properly. If it’s your recipe, please let me know!

This soup is so simple to make — it’s essentially foolproof. It’s chock full of veggies so it’s extremely nutritious. And it’s a fun dish with pasta wheels so kids love it, too. (Who doesn’t love a pasta wheel?!) And because I can’t leave you hangin’ with just the soup and not the bread, I’m including an awesome recipe for cornbread, too. Also can’t take credit for this one either — I got the recipe from a CSA I was a part of a couple years ago. So yummy!

Enjoy!

Easy Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 C vegetable stock
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 oz frozen cut green beans
1 zucchini, diced
1 C spinach leaves
1 can cannellini beans
1 C pasta wheels
fresh grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil, onions, carrots and celery. Cook until softened, about five minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except for pasta. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add the pasta and cook per directions on the box (approx 10 minutes).

Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Serve with French baguette or cornbread.

Traditional Cornbread

Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 C cornmeal
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 C milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Put the butter in an 8×8 square pan. Place the pan in the oven while it’s preheating.

Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Measure out the milk, then mix the eggs in. Stir the egg/milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Combine with a few swift strokes. Be sure you mix thoroughly — scrape the bottom well to make sure all the flour has been incorporated.

Pour the batter into the hot pan and return to oven for 30 minutes. Bread is ready when the top is lightly browned and is pulling away from the sides of the pan.