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!
yum! i love the "beefed" up version!
Oh wow this sounds like the most amazing version of Minestrone I have ever seen
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!
Wait a minute…carnivore menfolk? What about carnivore womenfolk? I think this soup was made for me. I'm sure of it.
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!!!
Love the addition of the beef ribs.
My recent post Miso Soup for #SundaySupper
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.
Fabulous looking soup! Stick to the ribs…love it!
I want a huge bowl of this right this very second…yummy! Love the addition of barley…
So thick and hearty! It looks so comforting on a cold day
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.
I love this soup – really wonderful combination of flavors. I have the same round cutting board you have – love it!!!
Thanks Amanda! I just got the cutting board this week…and my new Dutch oven :)
Minestrone with barley and meat, that´s a fantastic twist Constance! I bet this kind of soup is normal fare in Alaska.
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 am loving your soup! What a great combo of flavors and the bacon! This would sure be a crowd pleaser in my family!
I am totally drooling right now…and it's barely past breakfast!
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.