Giada’s Winter Minestrone – Cold Weather Comfort

I don't know about you, but the cooler weather has been making me crave comfort food like mad, so the other day, I searched foodnetwork.com for a great soup recipe.

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When I found Giada's Winter Minestrone recipe (click here for link), which had 181 reviews and five stars, I knew I'd found a winner.  It probably helps that I'm a big fan of Giada and have had success with several of her other recipes.  Anywho, her recipe starts with lots of fresh veggies (see above).

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The veggies are cooked with pancetta.  And while we're talking about pancetta, can I tell you that hubby found a cute little container of pancetta all nicely cubed up into itsy-bitsy pieces?  What a time saver?  He found it at Trader Joe's.

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Add some tomatoes, potatoes, and some fresh herbs…smelling good now!  Then add broth and a parmesan cheese rind (and some other stuff…check out the recipe link above).  The parmesan cheese rind isn't exactly a staple in most people's kitchens, but luckily for me, I've been watching Giada's shows for a couple years now and noticed how she often mentions saving her parmesan rinds in the freezer so she can toss them in soups, so I had one in stock.  Save those parmesan rinds, people! 🙂  They add a lot of flavor to soups.

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I like to serve soup with big pieces of crusty bread.  We're big fans of Rachael Ray's Garlic Bread recipe – it's a staple in our house and super easy.  I like to add a pinch of salt to the oil/butter mixture used in the recipe whenever I make it.  Yum!  If you're looking to make a big pot of comfort soup, these two recipes are sure to fit the bill!

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