This week’s CSA basket got a little bulkier: beets, radishes, garlic scapes, a salad mix, and some snow peas. The beets still had their greens, which are supposed to contain lots of iron, and I was determined to eat them (I usually throw em into the composter). Despite the hot weather I decided to make some soup! I never liked minestrone from a can, but figured that making my own was worth a shot.
Minestrone with beet greens
By Published: July 7, 2011
This is a pretty filling soup and, I'm told, it's very tasty. I humbly agree.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup radishes chopped
- 2 cups carrots diced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ cup red wine
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
- 1 can mixed beans drained
- 2 cups beet greens roughly chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh basil roughly chopped
- 2 thumb's worth spaghettini broken into 1
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat some vegetable oil and sauté the onion, garlic, radishes, and carrots for about 8 minutes.
- Mix in cayenne pepper and oregano. Keep stirring for another 4 minutes then add the wine. Simmer until it's mostly cooked down then pour in the stock, beans and diced tomatoes with liquid. Bring everything to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta, beet greens and basil and simmer until the spaghetti is al dente. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve!
It definitely looks great. I hope the beets from my farmer will still have the greens on. I like them even better than spinach.
Yum!
But if it’s too hot out for soup, I find that cold borscht (w/ beets & greens) is awesome summer food!
It looks yummy. Since I read this post, I’ve been humming the song “Life is a Minestrone’ by 10cc. if you are curious it is on youtube. Can’t get it out of my head!
Will try your recipe!