Beefed Up Minestrone Soup

This hearty minestrone soup has beans, pasta, veggies and ground beef. It is an old recipe of mine that kids will love. Serve it with fresh Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Hearty Minestrone Soup With Beans, Pasta, Beef and Loaded with Veggies

This soup calls for Worcestershire sauce. I’ve always had some in my refrigerator for when I make caesar salad, however I’ve never questioned its origins. I discovered that it’s a condiment that was created in 1835 in Worchester England, by two chemists Mr. Lee and Mr. Perins. It’s made from vinegar, molasses, red onions, garlic, anchovies, tamarind and some secret seasoning. Tamarind is essential to the unique flavour of Worcestershire sauce. It is a paste found in the bean-like pods of the Tamarin tree - a hardwood variety found only in tropical regions.

The method used to make the sauce starts by pickling red onions and garlic separately for several months, while the anchovies are also aged in salt for two years. After this process, all the ingredients are added together and fermented for a while longer. It is then pasteurized and bottled. This complex process results in a sauce with a unique flavour of tangy, savoury, sweet, and salty.

Beefed Up Minestrone Soup

Serves 6

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cooking onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb (454g) ground extra lean beef
1 small zucchini, diced small
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1 14-oz can whole tomatoes
6 cups water
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 14-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup dry rotini
½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft, about five minutes.

Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Drain off any fat.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the rotini and Parmesan cheese and simmer 45 minutes. Add rotini and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.