Garden-Fresh Late Summer Minestrone Soup

Our vegetable gardens are off to a great start thanks to the heirloom seeds we started this spring. One of the advantages of having a growing garden is the from scratch recipes we can make to utilize our garden harvests. And right now,  it’s got me dreaming of all the delicious recipes we will be making.

Clean eating is so easy in the summer because of all the vegetables we grow and one of my favorite late summer recipes is making homemade minestrone soup. Made from garden favorites like vine-ripened tomatoes, ears of corn, zucchini, green beans, and fresh herbs, this soup celebrates summer!

This is also a great soup you can freeze for later. My family loves this soup in the winter with crusty bread. The only change to the recipe is not adding the pasta to the recipe. To freeze for later, allow the freshly made soup to cool and ladle into freezer-safe containers. We like these.

Late Summer Minestrone Soup

(Yields 6-8 servings)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 1 cup celery, thinly chopped
• 2 spring fresh rosemary springs
• 2 small zucchini or squash, diced 1/2 inch
• 2 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut off the cob
• 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1-quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups of water
• 4 large vine ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves, loosely packed
• small pasta noodles
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons oil in a large pot and add onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, and zucchini. Cook mixture until they soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add fresh corn and beans and stir for 3 minutes. Add broth, water, and chopped tomatoes. Allow mixture to come to a boil, then lower heat so soup comes to an active simmer. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until vegetables soften and tomatoes are broken up.
3. Add 1/2 cup basil and pasta. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan, if desired.