Here is my friend's recipe that I have tested and loved it. She is retired, but works in a private elementary school in Corpus Christi, Tx., widowed several years and cancer survivor of 18 years. She received a quilt from me and loved it. We have traded several recipes in the last seven years and she has made a stop-over here as she travelled through. Distance has not really affected our friendship.
Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 6:51 AM
Subject: Oven-Baked Minestrone Soup
1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced ( found that there is a jar of chopped up garlic in olive oil, that keeps best in my frig.)
2 Tablesp. olive oil
1 teasp. salt
1 teasp. ground black pepper
3 cans (14.5 ounces each)beef broth (I use Swanson's)
2 3/4 cups water
1can (16 ounce) kidney beans
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 can (6 ounces) whole pitted ripe olives (undrained)
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 cup uncooked small elbow macaroni
1/2 teasp. dried basil leaves
1/4 teasp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 teasp. dried oregano leaves
1/4 teasp. dried rosemary leaves
1/4 teasp. ground savory
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese to serve
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large oveproof Dutch oven, combine beef, onion, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Stirring occasionally, bake uncovered 45 minutes. (I stir it with a wooden spoon, about every 15 minutes.) Leave soup in oven. Combine beef broth and water in a 2-quart microwave-safe container. Microwave on high power (100%) 10 minutes or until broth mixture begins to boil; add to beef mixture. (I just add the beef broth and water, room temperature, without micro-waving it--I figure that it will get hot enough in the oven quick enough). Stir in undrained beans, undrained tomatoes, carrots, and undrained olives. Cover and bake about 2 hours or until meat is tender. Stir in zucchini, macaroni, and herbs; cover and bake 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. To serve, sprinkle each serving with cheese.
Yield: about 15 cups soup
I made this last weekend, and it lasted me all week. I just fixed some garlic bread, and that was my meal. It has meat, vegetetables, and pasta in it. I use a large oval enamel roasting pan with a lid for this. I did notice that for my pan, I can't add extra vegetables, as carrots, or zucchini, or the soup will cook over the side of the pan. If you have a larger pan, though, you probably could add extra veg. or maybe corn, or whatever else you want. Maybe you could make the recipe as is, the first time, then, at another time, make it adding other veggies, if you want.
I also found that the second day, the flavor of the spices goes through the soup, and it tastes to me better, that second day. It is so good to dome home from school, and heat a bowl of this in the micro-wave for dinner.
I would bet that it makes more than 15 cups of soup. Oh, I usually use one whole onion, even if it is more than a cup--why scrimp on the onion. I peel the zucchini, even though the picture shows it unpealed. I peal the carrots too.Added note--I use the black olives.
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