Italian minestrone soup - with coke

12 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2½ pounds Blade chuck roast, or meaty soup bones
2½ quart Water
2 teaspoons Salt
1 small Onion
½ cup Celery leaves
1 medium Bay leaf
2 slices Bacon, diced
1½ cup Kidney beans, cooked or canned
½ cup Green beans, fresh and chopped
½ cup Celery, diced
½ cup Green peas, fresh or frozen
½ cup Zucchini, thinly sliced
½ cup Carrots, thinly sliced
¼ cup Onion, diced
¼ cup Parsley, chopped
1 medium Clove garlic, minced
½ cup Elbow macaroni, (2 oz)
6 ounces Tomato paste, (1-6 oz can)
1 cup COCA-COLA
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated, optional

Directions

In a large pan, place the meat, water, salt, small onion, celery leaves, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer about 2-½ hours until the meat is tender. Remove the meat. Strain the broth (should measure 2 quarts). Add ice cubes to the broth to harden the fat and remove the fat. Discard the fat. Finely dice the meat, discarding any fat and bones (should be about 2 cups). In a 5 to 6 quart kettle or Dutch oven, combine the beef broth and the meat. Place over low heat while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Pan-fry the bacon until crisp.

Add the bacon and the drippings and all the remaining ingredients, except Parmesan cheese, to the broth. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, until the vegetables and macaroni are tender. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Makes about 3 quarts, or 12 servings.

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