Servings:

Blue Zones Minestrone- Dan’s version

The world’s longest-lived family, (9 siblings, collective age 851) ate this soup every day of their lives. Now it’s your family’s turn:

Servings:

1/3 lbs dry garbanzo beans
1/3 lbs dry white beans
1/3 lbs dry pinto or red beans
1.5 cups 1-2” cubed potatoes
6-8 cups of water or veg stock if you like it richer. I use 1 Tbs “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stalks celery chopped
5 carrots, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped,
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp red or black pepper (red makes it hotter)
1 – 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes or 5 Roma tomatoes
Salt to taste

Tip: Add other fresh vegetables from the garden or market, such as zucchini, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower or broccoli florets.

I like to soak beans overnight or if you forget, Microwave dry beans in a bowl of water as you chop the other ingredients.
Sauté all vegetables in olive oil over low heat until onions are clear.
Add beans and a can of tomatoes, potatoes, oregano, bay leaf and slow cook until beans are tender.
I let it cook on extremely low heat all day, adjusting water so it’s thicker than a soup and thinner than a stew. (For quicker soup
pressure cook or use an instapot for 5 minutes and let cooker cool naturally)
Finish with avocado when serving.
Freeze leftovers in single-serving glass Tupperware.