Olive Garden Minestrone Soup and Breadsticks Hack

Dear Turkey,

I swear to God you

Will think you're at the Olive

Garden restaurant

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup and Breadsticks Hack

(serves 6-8, adapted from here and here -- I also recommend the following 5 Cheese Ziti al Forno Hack and Olive Garden Salad Hack)

For the soup:

Ingredients:

- 4 T olive oil

- 1 large white onion, diced (I normally am too lazy to dice or mince things, but for this recipe I would go for it)

- 1 small zucchini, cut up small

- 1/2 c green beans, cut up (frozen is fine)

- 1/2 c diced celery

- 1 large carrot, diced 

- 4 t minced garlic (jarred is fine)

- 2 T fresh parsley, cut up

- 1 T dried oregano

- 1 t salt

- 1 t black pepper

- 1 T dried basil

- 1 T dried thyme

- 4 c veggie broth (I used Better than Bouillon) + 3 c water

- 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

- 2 cans small white beans, rinsed and drained

- 1 can diced tomatoes (pour a bit of the liquid off)

- 4 c baby spinach (I used fresh but frozen would work)

- 2/3 c small shell pasta

Instructions:

- In a big pot, heat the first 13 ingredients and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent.

- Add the next 4 ingredients and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

- Add the spinach and pasta (I know it seems wrong to add the spinach now, not to mention the parsley 20 minutes ago -- just do it), and simmer, covered, for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste.

- Serve with grated parm or romano cheese. 

For the breadsticks:

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 1.5 c warm water

- 1 packet dry yeast

- 2 T sugar

- 3.5 - 4 c flour

- 2 T butter, melted

- 1/2 T salt

For the topping:

- 1/2 stick butter

- 2 t garlic powder

- 1/2 t salt

Instructions:

- Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the flour and butter and pour the salt on top of the flour -- try to avoid direct contact between the salt and the yeast.

- Knead with your hands for about 5 minutes. The dough should be pretty soft and stretchy - kind of like pizza dough. If you're in doubt, work the dough a little more.

- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush a little oil on the paper. Make 8 logs/flattened logs/rectangles/whatever and arrange them on the baking sheet. It might be a tight fit. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes (if you don't have 45 minutes, try to give them at least 10).

- Uncover them and bake at 400 F for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the topping ingredients in the microwave (I found that really melting the butter to the point of just starting to brown and separate made these taste more like the Olive Garden for some reason). Take them out of the oven and brush with half of the topping mixture.

- Bake for another 8 minutes, brush with remaining topping mixture, and serve immediately. 

Enjoy,

Tofu