Fall is the time for soup! I don’t know where we first came across the recipe but have been making and enjoying it for at least 18 years.
Autumn Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:
1C Dried white beans(Navy great Northern)
1C Wheat berries
2T olive oil
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1T chopped fresh sage
1T chopped fresh rosemary
1 14oz diced tomatoes undrained
6C Chicken broth
½ Small head cabbage coarsely chopped
2 carrots cut into ½” slices
1/2lb green beans cut into ½” pieces
2C diced cooked chicken
1/4C chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1/4C grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Place wheat berries and beans in separate bowls and cover with water by one inch. Soak overnight or 8 hours.
2. Drain wheat berries and set aside.
3. Drain beans and place in large sauce pan. Add cold water to cover1 inch. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until just tender, 45-60 mins. Set aside to cool.
4. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 4-5mins. Add garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook 1 min. more.
5. Add wheat berries, tomatoes and broth. Cover and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until wheat berries are al dente, 1-11/2 hours.
6. Add cabbage, carrots, green beans, chicken and white beans(with liquid). Simmer 25-30 mins.
7. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.
8. Serve with grated Parmesan and crusty French bread.
Note: This is a hearty soup and we often use it as a main dish. With a green salad and French bread it is a great meal on a cool Fall or cold Winter day. Wheat berries are whole-wheat grains that are sold in some health food stores and are the one ingredient which has no substitute.
We prefer chicken over beef in this soup but have never tried it with pork.
I like that, especially the idea of the wheat berries!
This is a great recipe. I have one for Minestrone, but it doesn’t have the wheat berries. Since I have several #10 coffee cans of wheat berries that I grew, a recipe to use them for something other that breakfast or bread was on my list of things to look for. This is a definite good fit.
Make Minestrone every fall.
I leave out the beans, green beans and chicken and throw in zucchini and cooked sausage. Also ditch the rosemary and use basil, oregano and bay
Never heard of wheat berries. Need to do some research!