There are many versions of minestrone soup. This is the one that I use for the leftover braised chuck roast and broth. The number of ingredients looks very long, but it is really simple since you are mainly just adding vegetables. This recipe makes a large recipe that you can serve for dinner, lunches for school or work, and afternoon snacks. The soup freezes well and you can keep it in the freezer for a few months. The secret to this recipe is the grated cheese and dried sweet basil leaves. Use as much, or as little of the cheese, as you prefer. Take the dried basil and pour a little of it onto your fingertips and crush it with your fingers before you sprinkle it over the soup.

Ingredients

11/2 lbs. leftover braised chuck roast, cut into medium pieces or 1½ lbs cooked shin beef with bone.
1 cup dried great white northern beans
5 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ cups diced celery
4 cups finely shredded cabbage
6 peeled and diced carrots
6-8 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 lb. ground hamburger
1 quart frozen loose-pack green beans or 2 cans drained
1 can corn drained
1 can peas drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained (optional)
1 1/2 cups broken-up uncooked spaghetti about one-inch long
Grated Parmesan cheese
Dried basil leaves
Seasoning salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

This recipe will require a very large pan or a stockpot like Farberware Classic Series 12-Quart Stainless-Steel Stockpot with Lid because this will make a lot of soup.

Preparation

Cut up or shred the leftover braised meat and add the meat and broth from the braised meat recipe to the pot. Add great white northern beans, onion, garlic, celery, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and parsley to the pot.  Add the water to the mixture.

Brown the ground hamburger in a skillet and add to mixture. Cover soup and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes until the great white northern beans and vegetables are tender. Add the rest of the vegetables and the spaghetti. Simmer until spaghetti is cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings; you may wish to add additional salt. You can let the soup simmer until you are ready to serve it.

Serve the soup with a sprinkle of cheese and a pinch of the dried basil leaves. Makes about 7 quarts.

Tip

If your family does not like one of the vegetables, change it to something else, or add more of one that is already in the soup. You may want to use zucchini, yellow squash, turnips, or rutabagas.

If you have any soup left, you may want to freeze some for a later time. After you fill the freezer bags, lay them flat on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until frozen. The soup will then stack easier in the freezer. Date and label the freezer bags so you will know what is in the bag.

For school or work lunches send a baggie, or other small container, with the cheese and dried basil leaves to top it off.

Alternative Method

If you are going to skip the braised beef roast and use the shin beef with the bone, you will need to place the shin beef, great white northern beans, water, and pepper in a large pan. Cover and simmer for 3 hours on the stove top or put it in the slow cooker for 8 hours. In the slow cooker bring the mixture to a boil and turn it down to low.  You can do this the day before.

Remove the meat from the mixture and cut off the meat from the bones. Add the meat back into the mixture. Add onion, garlic, celery cabbage carrots, potato, and parsley. Brown the ground hamburger and add to mixture. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender about 30 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and the spaghetti. Simmer until spaghetti is cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings; you may wish to add additional salt.

Enjoy!