Blue Zones Minestrone- Dan’s version

The world’s longest-lived family, (9 siblings, collective age 851) ate this soup every day of their lives. Now it’s your family’s turn:

In Sardinia, I had the good fortune of meeting the Melis family who holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest family in history. They are nine siblings whose collective age was 851 years (the oldest was 109). They ate the same lunch every day: sourdough bread, a glass of Blue Zones Cannonau wine, and a very special minestrone.

Minestrone is simply a soup made from available garden vegetables, beans, and grain (usually a type of pasta). The combination yields a delicious one-bowl meal that is high in protein and most importantly, a potpourri of fibers and fuel your microbiome. Here’s the recipe, with just a couple modifications to make it even MORE delicious:

Blue Zones Minestrone- Dan’s version Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 lbs dry garbanzo beans
1/3 lbs dry white beans
1/3 lbs dry pinto or red beans
1.5 cups 1-2” cubed potatoes
6-8 cups of water or veg stock if you like it richer. I use 1 Tbs “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stalks celery chopped
5 carrots, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped,
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp red or black pepper (red makes it hotter)
1 – 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes or 5 Roma tomatoes
Salt to taste

Tip: Add other fresh vegetables from the garden or market, such as zucchini, cabbage, green beans, and cauliflower or broccoli florets.

Directions

I like to soak beans overnight or if you forget, Microwave dry beans in a bowl of water as you chop the other ingredients.
Sauté all vegetables in olive oil over low heat until onions are clear.
Add beans and a can of tomatoes, potatoes, oregano, bay leaf and slow cook until beans are tender.
I let it cook on extremely low heat all day, adjusting water so it’s thicker than a soup and thinner than a stew. (For quicker soup
pressure cook or use an instapot for 5 minutes and let cooker cool naturally)
Finish with avocado when serving.
Freeze leftovers in single-serving glass Tupperware.

Blue Zones Minestrone- Dan’s version