Mama's Hearty Minestrone

I concocted this dish using my family's recipe and another recipe I found online as guidelines, while also putting my own spin on it. What it turned into was the best minestrone my family has had yet! My husband likes his soups with hardly any broth; thus, 'hearty minestrone!' Enjoy!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 237 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• ½ cup elbow macaroni
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or more to taste
• 1 cup finely chopped broccoli
• ½ cup water, more if needed
• 1 zucchini, sliced and quartered

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ground beef; cook and stir until beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.

Step 2

Transfer ground beef mixture to an 8-quart stockpot; add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and carrots. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until carrots are partially cooked, 10 minutes. Add zucchini, bell pepper, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper; simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 more minutes.

Step 3

Stir broccoli and macaroni into soup; simmer until macaroni is cooked through but firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese to serve.