I'm not going to lie. There's not a lot that I love about winter. The days are short and frigid and the snow turns into a dirty gray layer of ice covering everything I once appreciated about this city. My children can't spend the days outside like they do during the summer and instead of hanging out in their very comfortable and private bedrooms, they feel an irrational gravitational pull towards their mother and somehow can't fight the age-old winter compulsion to whine at my feet for hours on end.
But there are two things I really, truly do love about winter. I love sledding. And I love that soup is ALWAYS okay for dinner. Every year I'm determined to be more adventurous with soups. And every year...I make the same three favorites over and over and over again. And then of course, wonder why my children are whining about dinner over and over and over again. Sometimes **I** don't even like the soup I make. See... my husband and I have a very different idea of what "potato soup" means. His version is basically mashed potatoes watered down with milk. But it's his favorite. And who I am I to judge someone's favorite soup?
But this soup. YOU GUYS. This soup is a full meal. And I don't even mind that my kids hate it. I haven't even encouraged them to try it more than once. I want to keep it all to myself and eat it every meal while staring out the window at the frozen tundra that was once my front yard.
Minestrone Ravioli Soup
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30
Keywords: soup/stew vegetarian winter
Ingredients (8 servings)
- 1 Tbsp butter (Sometimes I go crazy and use 2 Tbsp butter - don't judge me.)
- 1/2 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 cups diced zucchini (about 1 medium)
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can (15.25 ounce) black beans, rinsed
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 3 cups mini ravioli (about 12 ounces)
Instructions
*Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add onion and saute until slightly translucent. (About 5 minutes.)
*Add carrots to the onions and cook for another 2 minutes.
*Pour in vegetable broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
*Add zucchini, black beans, and spices and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes.
*Reduce heat to a simmer and add cream cheese and mini ravioli. Cook another 5 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted. Stir to blend completely. Serve immediately.
*** The ravioli gets weird when it sits in the soup for a couple of days. If you want to make this soup ahead of time, keep the ravioli out until you are ready to serve.
*** SUBSTITUTIONS: Chicken broth can be substituted for the vegetable broth. Tortellini can be substituted for the ravioli.
Powered by Recipage
