Three Day Minestrone

Three Day Minestrone

Here’s what you’ll need:
A whole chicken
1 cup dried kidney beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
3 stalks celery
2 carrots
3 cloves garlic
1 lb pork
1 28 oz can diced (or crushed) tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 medium leek
4 big leaves kale
1 cup gluten free pasta
1 Tbsp Italian seasonings
Salt and pepper, to taste

And here’s what you’ll do:

Day 1
1. Eat some chicken. You can cook a whole chicken, or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store. Debone, then make chicken stock: put the bones and 10 cups of water in a crock pot on warm for 24 hours.


Day 2

2. Strain the stock, then refrigerate.
3. Place beans in a large bowl and cover with water. Leave soaking overnight.


Day 3

4. Place the beans and six cups of the chicken stock in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cook for two hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
5. Chop onion, celery, carrots. Mince garlic. Cut pork into bite sized pieces. Slice leeks. Remove stems from the kale leaves and tear into small pieces.
6. After the beans have absorbed all or nearly all of the stock, add leeks, bay leaves, and remaining four cups of chicken stock. Gently simmer.
7. In a saute pan, saute onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in olive oil until the veggies have softened. Push to the sides of the pan and add chopped pork to the center, cooking until the meat has cooked through.
8. Add tomatoes to veggie/pork mixture and heat through (about five minutes.)
9. Transfer veggie/pork/tomato mixture to bean mixture. Add kale, Italian seasonings, and pasta. Feel free to add a cup or two of water if it’s looking more stew-like than soup-like. Stir thoroughly to combine.
10. Cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.
11. Serve. Enjoy!