Even though the weather is warming up in SoCal-- 80's all week, what happened to Spring?!-- most of the country is slowly defrosting from ridiculous amounts of snow.
So why not heat things up with a Paleo friendly Minestrone Soup?
That's a rhetorical question.
It's jammed packed with veggies and a pound of super lean ground beef. Vegetarians, feel free to add quinoa or tempeh or soy something or other instead.
I adapted this from my mom's recipe which includes bacon and pasta, but Michael's system doesn't handle greasy food well and I
Soup is so great because you can just throw sh*t in a pot and it'll turn out pretty good.
Yum.
Minestrone Soup
1# ground beef
2 large onions (or 4 medium), diced
2 cups celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
16-20oz. fresh spinach
3-4 carrots, chopped
8 cups water
12oz. can tomato paste
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
4 large zucchini, diced (I used Mexican squash)
In large soup pot, brown ground beef with onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Drain any fat. Add water, tomato paste, parsley, thyme, salt, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and zucchini. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Serve with grated parmesan.
Substitutions/Add-ons
If you love bacon-- and most men people do-- add 4oz diced bacon. Fry the bacon first then add in the beef & veggies.
If you love carbs-- and most people do-- add 1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked al dente when the soup is finished.
Substitute 15oz kidney beans for the carrots (or add them in as well), add when you add the spinach & zucchini.
Substitute 8 cups beef broth instead of water for a heartier flavor.
Even though I used sirloin ground beef for a lean soup, if you don't like red meat, substitute 1# ground pork or turkey.
Thank you! If only you saw how many times I mess up in the kitchen!
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