Southern Minestrone is a fun twist on the classic Italian recipe. Serve with some crusty Italian bread and a salad for a filling cold weather meal.
What Is Different About Southern Minestrone?
Minestrone is full of seasonal vegetables, beans, and pasta cooked in a falvorful broth. Instead of using cannellini, kidney, or garbanzo beans, I used lima beans. I also used collard greens instead of spinach, plus I added some ground beef. Just a little TABASCO sauce gives it a little heat.
How To Serve
Serve topped with fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I like to go heavy on the Parmesan cheese. I also love to serve this minestrone with some fresh Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins and a garden salad with Creamy Italian Dressing.
Make Ahead
If you want to make-ahead or freeze this winter soup recipe, I recommend making the soup without the pasta. The pasta-less soup can be frozen for up to 2 months. When you are ready to serve, cook the pasta separately and add it into the minestrone.
Storage
Leftovers will keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep in mind the pasta will soak up a lot of liquid overtime and get a little mushy in texture.
No better meal for frigid temps than minestrone. And why not do it southern style with ground beef, lima beans, and collard greens? Southern Minestrone is a filling and satisfying meal.
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Southern Minestrone
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups dried small pasta
- 1 cup frozen lima beans, defrosted
- 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped collard greens
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until mostly browned, using a wooden spoon to break ground beef up as it cooks. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add broth and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. During the last 6-8 minutes, add pasta, lima beans, collard greens, oregano, and tabasco sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
