v8 based broth makes a vegetarian friendly minestrone

V8 based broth makes a vegetarian-friendly minestrone

04:33 PM CDT on Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Even vegetable soups aren't always safe for vegetarians. Although minestrone doesn't usually have any actual meat in it, it is classically made with beef and chicken broth.
The answer? V8, the ultimate vegetable juice. A classic minestrone recipe tastes delicious made with V8 juice.

TRULY VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces already sliced fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped 1 cup thinly sliced carrots 2 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 2 cups low-sodium V8 juice 4 ½ cups water ½ cup uncooked ditalini or orzo pasta 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 (21/4-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste 1 cup frozen green peas 10 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Alicia Ross/United Feature Syndicate

Maintain your vegetarian cred by supping on minestrone made with V8.

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Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a soup pot. Add mushrooms and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are crisp-tender and the mushrooms begin to lose their liquid, about two to three more minutes.
Add the garlic, vegetable juice, water and pasta to the pot, and raise heat to high. Cover the pot and bring the broth to a boil. While the soup is heating, lift the lid to stir from time to time because the pasta will begin to stick to the pot bottom.
Rinse and drain the chickpeas, kidney beans and olives, and set aside.
When the soup boils, reduce heat to medium-high. Uncover the pot, and add the tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas, kidney beans, olives, Italian seasoning, sugar and black pepper. Stir frequently, adjusting heat if necessary, to make sure that the soup maintains a vigorous boil. Cook until the pasta is just tender, about five more minutes. In the last two minutes of cooking, stir in the still-frozen green peas. Serve at once, garnishing each bowl with 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese or more to taste. Serves 10.
PER SERVING: Calories 180 Fat 3 g (1 g sat)
Cholesterol 1 mg Sodium 444 mg
Fiber 7 g Carbohydrates 31 g Protein 8 g