Hearty Minestrone

~Easy Minestrone Supper this Week~

When the seasons change and the temperatures drop, I make sure I have a couple of soup starter mix packets from my favorite online site, Soups Online.  They offer over 2,000 items and shipping is quick.  Cugino's Mama's minestrone is a great starter.  Below is an easy recipe to follow for a delicious hearty minestrone.  If you aren't a fan of the vegetables below, you can substitute with your own favorites.  That's the magic of minestrone.  ~
Stop by my blog next week for a sweet Italian turkey sausage minestrone recipe that I think you will love.

You need the following:

-1 package Cugino's Mama's Minestrone Soup Mix

small package uncooked pasta shells or any shape thats your favorite

-2 pounds ground beef
-1/2 fresh green beans rinsed

-4 (14 1/2 ounce) cans beef broth OR 4 (17 oz.) cartons beef broth (I love Nature's Promise) They also offer low sodium if you are on a low salt diet.

-1 -2  (16 ounce) bags frozen mixed vegetables

-2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

-1  (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

-1 tube Amore tomato paste or can of tomato paste

-3 teaspoons Italian seasoning

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

-1/4 teaspoon dried basil

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1/2 cup chopped onion

In your dutch oven or soup kettle, brown ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat no longer pink and drain.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered for 3-4 hours. Add 3/4 cup uncooked pasta to pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking and add water to the soup if too thick after the pasta is added.  You can sub out leftover ham instead of the ground beef too. So good!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by Lakehouselyn♡

                
                              

Soup Makes a Welcome Gift

I love "soup days" at our house for so many reasons.  It's a hearty meal to serve, easy to make and smells great as it cooks.  Soupsonline is a website designed to sell speciality soup mixes, as well as breads and dips.  They have dozens to choose from.  I always keep a few in the house for a quick meal.  I often use these as my base, and customize with my own meats, vegetables, canned tomatoes, etc. to make it "my own".  

In the past I have given "soup and corn bread gifts" .  I like to think of them as a "little gift of comfort" .  In each one, I put a soup mix, bread mix, and a package of pretty holiday napkins, topping it off with pretty red and gold confetti I easily shredded from tissue paper.   

I placed it all in gift bags with a snowflake print I found at my local craft store.  And if the bag is large enough, you can put a soup mug inside too.  

A couple of my favorites are bearcreekcountrykitchens Chicken Noodle Soup and cuginos Mama's Minestrone, that are staples in my pantry.  

Check out the bread mixes too.   Makes a great side for any of these soups.

Special birthday wishes to our son in law Mike🎂

Corn Chowder from a Dry Mix Base

It's Soup Tuesday and many of my soups are made from scratch with as many natural and organic ingredients as I can find. However,  I have written in the past about my love for the online site, Soups Online and their delicious dried soup mixes that you can use alone or use them as a base and add your own ingredients to customize your meals.  This past summer I husked fresh ears of corn and put them in my freezer in Ziploc bags. It makes the perfect addition for recipes like this and gives tasty touch of summer when the skies are gray and the temperatures are chilly.  This particular soup mix comes from Illinois Prairie and is pictures below.  I simply peeled and diced white potatoes, added chicken broth, the soup base, half and half or heavy cream and let it simmer for 1 hour on the stove.  To add body and texture, I added cooked shredded chicken I had frozen from an earlier dinner and it was the perfect touch.  Check out Soups Online extensive selection today.  They have more than 2,000 items including soups, bases, and seasonings with many Gluten Free options as well.  Bon Appetit and Happy Tuesday.