Another Foodie Friday submission from The Erractic Cook, a chef in her own mind from right here in Okotoks.

She is revealing a scrupmtious secret ingredient in this one.

Mmm-Mmm-Minestrone

Get out your best chopping knife and the stoneware pan, it’s time to roast some vegetables!

I get a craving for vegetable minestrone when it rains or the weather is cooler.

I love really good homemade soups and most aren’t that hard to make.

One thing I like about minestrone is you can add just about any vegetable that you have on hand.

Farmers market season is a great time to look for super fresh produce and make this soup.

I usually add cabbage, but didn’t have any this day. You can add beans too if you like. If you prefer a meat version, you can add diced cooked chicken or even cooked hamburger.

This is what I did …this time…each soup I make comes with its own personality.

Here is what I had on hand.

1 Onion – chopped

2 carrots – sliced fancy with a crinkle knife

2 stalks of celery – chopped

1 red bell pepper – chopped

1 zucchini – chopped

1 summer squash – chopped

2 cloves garlic – pressed

10 fresh large cherry tomatoes – sliced in half

Scatter it all on the stoneware pan drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano, pepper and sea salt, then into the oven at 350 for about ½ hour.

Other stuff you will need

4 cups of chicken broth, or vegetable broth if you want it to be truly all veg.

1 can of diced tomatoes

Rind from a Parmesan block, chopped into large chunks (secret ingredient)

A good sprinkling of oregano, dry or fresh, your preference.

Fresh ground pepper

A fresh rosemary sprig

Meanwhile, I heated up the broth with the can of diced tomatoes. I added some oregano, pepper, a sprig of fresh rosemary and the chunks of rind

I keep these rinds in my freezer for just this purpose.

Once they have been simmering in the soup they become nice and soft and gooey and yummy.

Get the broth nice and hot and once the vegetables are roasted, add them to the broth and let it simmer away for an hour or so.

This can be done in a big pot on your stove top too, but I had to run some errands so I used my slow cooker on this occasion.

Then for serving

Cooked pasta – optional – I used spaghetti this time

Pesto sauce – optional, but I love it in this soup.

Shaved parmesan cheese – gotta have!

Bread on the side.

Ladle the soup over the pasta, add a dab of pesto and some shaved parmesan on top, a nice bread on the side and enjoy! Yum!

Til next time.

The Erratic Cook.

I was looking at recipes and because of our crazy cooler weather this week, this one appealed to me.

I'm heading to the farmers market and making this tonight!

~ Tracy