It’s a comforting MINESTRONE soup with equal parts of everything : an initial 18 cups of the 6 different chopped vegetables and beans and crushed tomatoes and pasta (before partly reducing in volume to 14 cups), all simmering in an equal amount of 12 cups of prepared broth made with extra vegetables and scraps and 2 cups of pasta water too.

I made everything with fresh products, but you can use frozen chopped vegetables too of course or adapt the recipe using canned goods, like canned mixed vegetables called “macedoine”, canned beans, canned spinach, maybe potatoes too but you’ll have to use fresh celery because I’ve never seen that in cans (and i had no green beans this time) but a few quick and easy modifications will be necessary to achieve the “brothy thickness and richness” of the minestrone soup. 

Canned goods are already partly cooked or softened so no pre-baking is necessary and the simmering time will be reduced by at least half or  three-quarters. The important thing is to use the liquid in the cans too, because they’re packed with flavor, especially the gooey thick liquid of the canned beans. Use it all. Add everything to a simmering broth whether home-made, store-bought or using broth cubes or powder, but don’t forget to add some crushed garlic, parmesan rind, olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and herbs to the broth for 15 minutes to flavor it, then add the beans to simmer for another 10 minutes, then add in the canned vegetables for another 5 minutes, then the canned spinach and just add the pasta at the end.

I find you have better control if you boil the pasta separately and add part of that starchy water to the broth, just in case you’ll only be eating half of the soup or less at one sitting because if all the pasta goes in, you’ll have to eat everything the same day or it will get mushy by the next day.

It’s an opportunity to get everybody involved in this preparation because direct implication and contribution to cooking chores leads to a better appreciation of almost everything you’ll eat as opposed to just one person dedicated to doing all the cooking, most of the time, especially in these times of confinement, and hoping they all like it or not ! Make them chop up everything into small pieces, it takes more time and it will start a conversation (or a fight) ! No worries. You’ll manage.

Take care, stay at home, stay safe and wash your hands but also remember to wash and disinfect all the bag handles, door handles, elevator buttons, knobs, switches, faucet taps, soap dispensers, keys and everything you touched before you washed your hands.

Don’t be DUMMIES and try not to get sick, because who has the time to take care of a “sick you” too ?! … :)