YUMEEE SOUP

I made a variation of Giada DeLaurentis' beef and canelloni bean minestrone. I served it with salad and mini grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, finely diced
* 1 large carrot, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 rib celery, trimmed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 8 ounces lean (8 percent fat) ground beef
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 dried bay leaf
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and mix to combine. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan.



I also added al dente whole wheat elbows. I also added yellow squash and zucchini chucks. This was even better than I could have hoped for!

GRILLED CHEESE

I used munster, swiss and cooper cheese on mini slices of asiago bread and grilled them on the trusty George Foreman grill. YUMMM

SALAD

Salad is a bag of romaine mix, oranges, apples, about 4-5 turns of the bowl of olive oil, sprinkle garlic powder all over the top of the salad, sprinkle italian seasoning all over the top of the salad, add about a 1/4-1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, add enough to your taste I like more vinegar than oil. put lid on bowl and shake it all together. Chill in fridge until ready to use.