Mexican Minestrone Filed under ( Frugal Food, Soup )

My mom says:

"Made a good Mediterranean veggie soup yesterday that your family might enjoy. It consists of: Water, canned tomatoes, fresh carrots, celery, onions, garlic, spinach, and I put in potatoes instead of macaroni. Add 1 bay leaf, 4 vegetable bouillon cubes, 2tbs. of olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Then put some Brie cheese inside some wheat-free rolls, wrap in alum. foil and heat in oven for 2-3 minutes. It's a very hearty combo and warms you up in a jiffy.

Sounded good. My mom is the Queen of Soups, although my brother, sister and I did not appreciate such talents when we were younger. She used to throw in the perpetually-growing collards into the soup pot all the time and we would hate the arrival of the dreaded "Garbage Soup" on the dinner table.

At any rate, here's my version of mom's recipe above based on what I had in the cupboards:

Mexican Minestrone

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. frozen spinach
1 (14 oz.) can hominy, drained
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Handful chopped cilantro

Saute onions, garlic, celery and carrots in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until soft. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Throw in spinach and hominy. Bring to a boil again, then turn down to a simmer and cook, covered about 20-30 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese and cilantro. The hominy is nice and chewy in this soup.

As with most soups, this is better the second day.

Adios!