This Minestrone is not your typical minestrone – in that it has been muscled up for my carnivore menfolk.
To begin, cut up 5 slices of bacon into half inch pieces.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven and toss the bacon in. Allow this to begin cooking over medium heat.
Mince 3 cloves of garlic and dice up a onion, and toss them in with the bacon.
While those get comfy, cut up some meat. I used just over a pound of beef chuck boneless ribs.
Toss the beef in with the rest, and let it begin to brown a little.
While those are doing their thing, cut up 4 stalks of celery with the tops, and 4 carrots.
Once your onions are tender and the meat has a little color, add the veggies into the Dutch oven, along with 28 ounces of diced tomatoes.
Rinse a cup and a half of chopped spinach, and press the water out.
Stir it in.
Pour in 4 cups of beef broth.
And for the seasoning…add in 1 Tb parsley, 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary, 2 bay leaves, a teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and a teaspoon of salt.
Finally stir in 1/2 cup of barley.
Bring this all to a gentle boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer on low for an hour.
After an hour, peel and cut up 2 russet or gold potatoes. Add them in.
Then take a 14 ounce can of great northern beans, drain and rinse them. Put half of the beans in the pot, and the other half in a bowl. Ladle in some of the liquid from the soup.
Mash the beans with a fork until they are a pasty consistency.
Stir it all in and let it cook about 20-30 more minutes on low, until the potatoes are done.
Top with a little shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Not-So-Mini-Strone - Hearty Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tb olive oil
- 5 slices of bacon
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 lb beef chuck boneless ribs
- 4 carrots
- 4 stalks of celery with tops
- 1 1/2 c frozen, chopped spinach
- 2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1/2 c barley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 Tb dry parsley
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 white potatoes, peeled & cubed
- 14 oz can great northern beans
- parmesan for topping
Instructions
- To begin, cut the bacon into half inch pieces.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add in the bacon.
- Mince the garlic and dice the onion and add them to the pot.
- Cut up the beef into in inch pieces, and add them in.
- While they are cooking, chop your carrots and celery.
- When the onions are soft and the meat has some color, add in the carrots, celery, tomatoes, beef broth, herbs, salt, pepper and barley.
- Rinse and drain the spinach. Press out the water and add it to the soup.
- Bring this all to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- After an hour, peel and cut up the potatoes.
- Rinse and drain the beans and add half of them to the soup, along with the potatoes.
- Place the remaining beans in a bowl and ladle in some of the broth from the soup. Mash them with a fork until they are a pasty consistency. Stir the mash into the soup.
- Continue to simmer this on low for another half hour, covered, until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Serve with some shredded parmesan on top.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is auto-generated and the accuracy is not guaranteed.
How delicious is this thick and chunky soup! It would be a real winner in our family!
The soup looks so delicious. I know my family will like it. I love that you put the different types of meats into categories, that’s so helpful.
I love your beefed up mini strone soup. Gotta add the extra beef for the men in my family also!
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yum! i love the "beefed" up version!
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Oh wow this sounds like the most amazing version of Minestrone I have ever seen
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OMG, this minestrone looks soooooo good! This is one of my favorite soups. . love your recipe!
This looks like my kind of minestrone and I want that gorgeous blue pot!
I've never been a big minestrone fan, but this, this I could eat!
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Wait a minute…carnivore menfolk? What about carnivore womenfolk? I think this soup was made for me. I'm sure of it.
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This is DEFINITELY a stick to your ribs soup! Love it!
Constance, this soup is amazing!!! I will have to make it soon and am sure that everyone in the family will love it. It just has everything in it – as you said it is not a mini "minestrone" ~ Bea
Thank you!
Oh, yeah! This is one good lookin' soup. My carnivore is going to love this soup. Yum!
I had to giggle when I saw the name of your soup! This is the kind of minestrone my hubby and sons would like, too! Well done, my friend!!!
I like the play on words in your post/recipe titles. And I wish I could cut vegetables as well as you do. Great knife skills! Barley is always a good addition to a soup as it ups the heartiness factor. Thanks for sharing.
Oh, thank you so much! :)
This soup looks so hearty. I would love to make a huge pot of this and freeze all the leftovers for easy dinner if it ever gets cold again.
Love the addition of the beef ribs.
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Fabulous looking soup! Stick to the ribs…love it!
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I want a huge bowl of this right this very second…yummy! Love the addition of barley…
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So thick and hearty! It looks so comforting on a cold day
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I love the addition of the barley! It's such a perfect soup for a cold winter day!
I love a soup that is packed with so many great ingredients. This looks wonderful!!
I think that even my "Soup Is Not A Meal" hubby could get into this one!
That is exactly the kind of menfolk I have…particularly if there isn't meat in the dinner, LOL. That's exactly why I "heartied" it up.
Soup! I like soup so much that I usually give a soup pot as a wedding gift.
This looks so good! Right up my family's alley. Yum!
I love this soup – really wonderful combination of flavors. I have the same round cutting board you have – love it!!!
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Thanks Amanda! I just got the cutting board this week…and my new Dutch oven :)
I am loving your soup! What a great combo of flavors and the bacon! This would sure be a crowd pleaser in my family!
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Minestrone with barley and meat, that´s a fantastic twist Constance! I bet this kind of soup is normal fare in Alaska.
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I am totally drooling right now…and it's barely past breakfast!
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Your soup is a winner, Constance! Love that you are using spinach and barley in your recipe along with all the the other lovely spices and tomatoes of a classic minestrone.