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As you probably know by now, my SOUP fundraiser with Studio 4 Art is quickly approaching.  Hopefully we have inspired you with lots of photos of kids cooking and making soup bowls – but just in case, here are a few more!  These were taken with my son’s second grade class, as we made a big batch of Minestrone Soup in my rice cooker.

If you enjoy the idea of cooking with kids and the concept that these kids are helping local families in crisis, please consider coming to our event.  Tickets for the November 15th event are only $10 in advance – c’mon, who is going to eat all of this fantastic soup?  Go HERE to get your ticket or make an online donation.  And then tell all of your friends and neighbors to do the same.  Go on.  I’ll be waiting…

And now, the recipe…

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 Tbs tomato paste *
1 bunch kale or spinach, stalks removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes, optional
2 cans (19 ounces each) white beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) organic diced tomatoes in juice
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup uncooked pasta, such as elbow macaroni
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium.
2. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until onion is coated, about 30 seconds.
5. Add kale or spinach, thyme, and red-pepper flakes, if using. Cook, stirring, until greens start to wilt, 2 to 4 minutes.
6. Place 1/4 of beans in a bowl, and mash them with the back of a spoon (this will help thicken soup).
7. Add all the beans to the pan, as well as tomatoes with juice and 4 cups broth.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add the pasta.
9. Simmer, until the pasta are just tender, per package directions.
10. Season with salt and pepper; serve with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Servings: 6

*  Tomato Paste can be purchased in a tube, like toothpaste, so that you can use only what you need for each recipe.  If you don’t have a tube like this, you can freeze leftover tomato paste from a can in 1 Tbs. blobs inside a freezer ziplock bag.

Call the Kids:

• Peel the paper skin from the garlic
• Chop onion with a food chopper
• Drain and rinse white beans
• Wash and dry kale or spinach
• Tear leaves of kale from the stalk and tear into bite sized pieces.