Classic Gluten Free Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup dry red, kidney, or northern beans, soaked overnight (or lentils, unsoaked) (or 1 15-oz canned beans)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/16 teaspoon ground thyme
• 4 cups gluten-free beef broth (See Gluten Free Products List for Brands) (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
• 1 16-0z can whole tomatoes, chopped, and the juice
• 1 cup diced potatoes (or additional pasta)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch) (optional)
• 1 1/1 Tablespoons water (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master (optional)
• 2 cups gluten free pasta (or Homemade Gluten Free Pasta)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Kraft), for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add oil and swirl until heated.
3. Lower heat, add onions, and saute until translucent, about 7 minutes.
4. Add celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
5. Add beans, bay leaf, and thyme; and stir until fragrant, about 30 - 60 seconds.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, and cook for about 90 minutes.
7. If using, add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (Otherwise allow to cook for a total of 1 hour 15 minutes.)
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. If you desire a thick broth, combine starch and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water in a small cup.
10. Add Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master to your desired color, if desired.
11. Bring soup to a boil, if using, add starch slurry, and stir. (Add additional slurry, if you desire a thicker soup.)
12. At this point, if desired, you may strain the soup and puree the sauce using a handheld immersion blender or leave the chunks of tomatoes and small pieces of onion whole. Then add the vegetables back to sauce.
13. If you use my homemade egg noodle recipe, or using package pasta and serving the soup immediately, add it to the soup and cook until tender. (You may store leftover soup made with my homemade egg noodles in the refrigerate without the pasta getting too soft.) However, if using packaged gluten-free pasta, and not serving immediately cook pasta separately and add to each bowl. (This prevents the pasta from overcooking and getting mushy, especially when storing leftovers and reheating.)
14. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese and slices of Homemade Crusty French Gluten Free Baguettes, Schar, or Udi's brand, if desired.

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