Minestrone Salad

Soup turned salad……..Minestrone Salad.

Minestrone Salad

Thick Italian minestrone is a combination of vegetables, pasta, beans, and tomatoes. Perfect for a snowy winter warm up.

But, it’s summer….and, its hot. I really don’t want soup. But the flavors of Minestrone sound really good…..lets try a salad!!

Minestrone Salad

Since there is no set recipe for minestrone…..according to Wikipedia. so add what you like. It’s usually made from in season vegetables. But, to be true minestrone according to cookbook author Angelo Pellegrini,minestrone must have beans.

Minestrone Salad

Well far be it from me to make an untrue minestrone, so we have beans. Two kinds…..dark red kidney, and white kidney or cannellini, as they are commonly referred too.

Fingerling potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and carrot, celery, and onions, are added to al dente gemelli pasta and the beans. Any small pasta will do, I just like the twisted look of the gemelli.

Minestrone Salad

Instead of a “salad dressing” I used sundries tomato pesto. It has the right flavor for minestrone and it gives the Minestrone Salad the tomatoey look of the soup.

Minestrone Salad
Top with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley. Cool minestrone……

Minestrone Salad can be a main dish salad, served with a crusty loaf of bread, or as a side dish for your favorite meat.

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Minestrone Salad

Minestrone Salad

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  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 fingerling or baby red potatoes
  • 2 cups green beans, cut in half
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup celery, sliced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
  • 1 can 15 1/2-ounce kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can 15 1/2-ounce cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 pound gemelli, cooked al dente and cooled
  • 1small jar sun dried tomato pesto
  • Parmesan cheese for serving
  • Chopped Parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Slice fingerling potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. add green beans and blanch the vegetables just until they’re bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse them with cold water, and set aside.
  3. Toss all ingredients until the pesto coats the veggies, pasta, and beans. Top with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley if desired.

 

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

Just a quick little post for a quick little salad……. Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato
Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

It’s Saturday and after my favorite thing in the world……almost……..buying groceries, I needed little lunch. I bought some beautiful tomatoes, even though they aren’t in season….yet! Of course if the weather doesn’t start to cooperate, we will not have tomatoes, it’s freezing!

I am un-deterred and I made myself a spring-ish salad for lunch. So simple really……I have stuffed tomatoes frequently in the summer, egg salad, tuna, salad, chicken salad…….. so why not with a salad???

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

I used baby spinach that I shredded and stuffed inside the tomato. At first I was thinking, just a tossed salad inside of a tomato, then Caprese crossed my mind.

Caprese salad, meaning “Salad of Capri” is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and green basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. It’s made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green.

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

I love, love, love the combination of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. So, the spinach was in the tomato, and I topped it with cubes of fresh mozzarella….pretty!

For the basil, I made it into a dressing, a pesto dressing. Basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil with a touch of water to make it easy to pour.

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

For my money, the pesto dressing made this dish. Basil is extremely aromatic, with the initial scent of pepper, anise, and mint. The taste is sweet, but savory. Perfect for Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato.

This salad is a great light lunch and would be a side side salad for any grilled meat……steak sounds good!

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

It’s so quick and easy you can make it in a flash for those unexpected guests, or if you just need a quick lunch……like I did today!

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Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • Pesto Dressing
  • 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 
Salad
  • 
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 2 large vine ripened tomatoes
  • 1 cup baby spinach leaves, shredded
  • Additional fresh basil, sliced for garnish if desired

Instructions

  1. For pesto dressing, in a food processor combine basil, garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese. Cover and pulse until combined. Add vinegar, water and oil. Cover and process until thoroughly combined.
  2. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice each tomato into 6 wedges, leaving the bottoms of the tomato intact. Spread open the wedges of the tomatoes slightly and evenly divide the spinach and mozzarella between the tomatoes. Drizzle each tomato with the dressing and finish with fresh cracked pepper and salt if desired.

 

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

You can’t please everyone…….but sometimes you find someone who appreciates the out of the ordinary recipe. I made a Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza for Tim and I. It was incredibly tasty and we both really enjoyed it. Beets are not everyone’s cup of tea and the color can be off putting to some…….unless they know how great beets are!

I went for my routine Mammogram and was talking to the tech about food. I told her about writing the blog and gave her one of our cards. She mentioned the fact that she liked simple things without odd ingredients. I told her about the pizza and although she didn’t turn up her nose, I could tell it might not be her thing. She proceeded to tell me one of her co-workers really liked beets and she would tell her about the blog.

After I was finished, as I was leaving the co-worker ask if I was the blog lady…..too cute. I said I was and she in a pleading voice said “Please tell me there is goat cheese on your pizza”. She said she had been to a restaurant that had a beet pizza and it had goat cheese……guess what….. mine does!!

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Mine also has spinach, and mozzarella cheese. I bought a crust……way easier if you are in a time crunch like I am so much these days. I made the beets into a pesto……….walnuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. Whatever you do with beets, roast them first, it makes them sweeter, and a breeze to peel.

I plant them every year in my garden, and when I harvest them, I roast them all. I line a sheet pan with foil, wash the beets leaving about an inch of the top and the tap root……that long mouse tail looking part………I put them on the lined sheet and cover them with foil, into a 400* oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the beets. Let them cool slightly, peel them, cutting off the stem and tap root. Then I freeze them. They freeze beautifully, so when you need them for a recipe….. boom…..you have them, roasted and ready to go.

So, for this recipe I smeared the beet pesto on the crust, topped it with baby spinach and the cheeses, and into the oven for 15-20 minutes………Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza.
If no one but the tech at the hospital tries this, I will have made one person happy…….wait three as I said, Tim and I really liked it, so don’t be put off by the color or the idea of beets, roast them and give Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza a try……..

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza Collage

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Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Roasted Beet Pesto

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Blend
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup red beets, roasted
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup walnuts, roasted
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except for the olive oil to a food processor or blender and blend briefly
  2. Leaving the food processor (or blender) running, slowly add the olive oil until all ingredients are well combined. If the pesto is too thick try adding a small amount of water until pesto is smooth.

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Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Pizza
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pre- made pizza crust such as Boboli
  • 1 cup beet pesto
  • 2 cups spinach, thinly sliced
  • 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400*
  2. Spread 1 cup Beet Pesto on pre- made pizza crust. Top with spinach, mozzarella cheese, and goat cheese
  3. Bake pizza for 20 to 25 minutes or to desired crisp.
  4. Allow pizza to cool 5 minutes before serving.