I was craving minestrone when I made this soup. It all started with the white beans. I bought a regular dry pack of white small beans and soaked them for over 24 hours to de-gas them. It works, it really does.

Pre-Soup:

• I package of white beans, soaked for 24 hours
• Herb blend (Rosemary, Sage, Oregano and Thyme)

Boil beans in a medium pot, covering with water and herbs for about 45 minutes on medium heat or until soft.

So a day later, I gathered up some ingredients for a yummy minestrone. Fresh Veggies, Meat from the Butcher, Pasta and Herbs from my family garden.

•  1/3 cup Butter
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup of parsley
• Blend of fresh herbs, about 1 cup mix of: Rosemary, Oregano, Sage and a sprig of Mint.
• 1-1/2 pounds of lean ground pork sausage
• 4-5 Quarts of water
• 1 bundle of chard leaves, diced small
• Large Can of Diced Tomatoes
• Small Pasta (Like Wheels or Macaroni)

Melt butter and add onions, cook for 2 minutes then add carrots, potatoes, celery, parsley and herbs. Cook veggies for about 5 minutes and add lean ground pork sausage. Stir everything together and cook until sausage starts to cook, about 7 minutes.

Add water to the pot and bring to a boil, add diced tomatoes and chard. The chard cooks quickly so it goes in last. Maintain the heat on medium boil until veggies are semi soft (poke with a fork, but don’t yet fall off).

Then add baby pasta, these will usually take about 6 minutes and cook while the pot and soup is still hot, so make sure to throw them in when you know the soup is almost done.