Week Day Lunch - Part 2: Yam Man Minestrone Soup

This is Part 2 of me and my search for meatless lunch ideas. I dedicate this recipe to the one who inspired it - my yam man. Yup, my honeydew (aka: husband) absolutely loves yams. If he could, he'd eat yams for lunch and dinner every single day. Maybe even breakfast. Ok, probably taking it too far. Needless to say, we have had a plethora of yams in the house. In combination with the random tid bits of veggies that needed to get cooked up into something yummy. What do ya do when you have random stuff to use up? Make minestrone of course! 

Week Day Lunch - Part 2: Yam-Man-Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1/2 Sweet Onion, chopped

4 large Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

2 small Carrot, peeled & chopped

2 small Garnet Yams, peeled & chopped

1 can of Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, with juice

1 can of Organic Cannellini Beans, rinsed

2 boxes of Organic, GF Chicken or Veggie Stock

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Dash of ground Thyme

Dash of Red Cayenne

Salt

Pepper

2 cups Frozen Harriott Green Beans

3-4 cups of Green Swiss Chard or Spinach

*Box of GF Quinoa Pasta Shells, cooked al dente

Directions:

1. Get a large stew or soup pot prepped and set on a large burner. Add about 3 large tablespoons of olive oil (I don't measure and rather drizzle 5 ribbons, back and forth). Turn on the heat to medium.

2. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and a decent few shakes of salt & pepper. Saute for a few minutes and occasionally stir. Add the yams and continue to saute for another 5 minutes or so. The vegetables should get gently softened. They will continue to cook with the soup. 

3. Next add the fire roasted tomatoes with the juice, broth and herbs. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook covered for 10 min.

4. Add the beans, green beans and chard/spinach. Continue to simmer covered for another 5-8 minutes. 

5. Last, add the al dente cooked quinoa pasta shells. Heat through. Taste test to see if the soup needs more salt or pepper. Sometimes I even add more olive oil. By now the soup should be golden, red-orange and the veggies perfectly cooked. Serve with Glutino Multi-Grain Crackers.

Chef's Notes: Products not listed in the ingredients list - Eden Organic Cannellini White Kidney Beans No Salt Added, Whole Foods Frozen Harriott Green Beans (Trader Joe's makes these too), Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth, Ancient Harvest GF Quinoa Pasta Shells. *You can substitute the shells for GF Trader Joe's or Tinkyada Spiral or Tube Shaped Rice Pasta.