Sundays are all about routine in our house.
I wake up early, around 8am or so if I’m feeling particularly indulgent, then spend a couple hours prepping dinners for the week in the kitchen. Chopping and simmering with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a spatula in the other, enjoying a couple hours of quiet time in the morning before Ben gets up.
Ben’s a sleeper. He’d snooze until 3pm everyday if it were PC, but if he wants to go to bed on time that night and not throw his whole week off, his requested wake up call comes at 10am on Sunday mornings.
I tiptoe into the bedroom, interrupt dreamland with a few back scratches, and 15 minutes later when he’s still not up, holler empty threats from the living room where I’m now stationed, catching up on emails and freelance projects. Eventually he’ll appear at the top of the stairs, hair a mess, eyes half shut – but awake – and announce his plans for the day.
These usually consist of catching up on the honey-do list he’s put off all weekend or, in the summertime, deciding on what meat to smoke that afternoon.
We’ll come together a few hours later for a trip to the gym if we’re feeling motivated, then to Costco for a new microwave since the current one sparks if we heat butter or anything with butter in it, or take a nice long walk in the warmer months.
Back in 2008-2009, Ben would head to Wok in Motion around 5pm to get us Vegetarian Fried Rice for supper, which we’d eat until nearly exploding and vow to never do again…until the next Sunday. In 2010-2011, he was most likely heading to Chipotle, where it was pretty much the same story, different dinner.
Here in the present, though, we’ve gotten into the routine of making our Sunday night supper every week. Something grilled in the summer, roasted in the Fall, stir fried in the Spring, and simmered in the winter – usually a hearty, flavorful soup that we’ll enjoy curled up on the couch, waiting for our shows to come on.
Well, today was absolutely no different, and after a trip to the gym, Target, and Costco – seriously, why butter? – we just finished dining on Minestrone with Baked Garlic Bread for dinner.
The recipe for this “kitchen sink” type soup was sent to me from a reader, and combines oodles of veggies with a savory broth, tiny noodles and spicy Italian sausage. It is absolutely delish!
Start the soup by browning Italian sausage. If there’s a lot of fat that cooks out, drain it and return to the pot. Then add in spicy marinara sauce. I used Gino’s obviously!
Next add water and a beef bullion cube, followed by 3 cups of vegetables.
You could used any mix of veggies you want – mushrooms, carrots, celery, etc. – but I used frozen peas (Ben’s fave), golden corn, and fresh zucchini. Top the veggies with Italian seasoning, dried parsley, salt and pepper.
Sprinkle in a bit of parmesan cheese, and simmer until the veggies are soft.
Finally, add in just 1/2 cup (it’s amazing how much these expand) of any kind of tiny pasta – regular or gluten-free.
Cook until the pasta is soft, and you’re set.
Ultra quick, uber healthy, and bursting with flavor!
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Minestrone Soup
Description
Minestrone Soup combines vegetables with a savory broth, noodles and Italian sausage. Delicious and hearty!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 beef bullion cube
- 3 cups vegetables (I used 1 cup each zucchini, corn and frozen peas)
- 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- couple grinds black pepper
- 1/2 cup small dried pasta, regular or gluten-free
Directions
- Brown and crumble sausage in a large soup pot until cooked through. Drain if a lot of fat remains in the pot. Stir in water, marinara sauce, beef bullion, parmesan cheese and seasonings. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through. Add in pasta and simmer, uncovered, until done.
Notes
- The pasta will soak up some of the liquid as it cools, so you may need to add more water or beef broth when reheating.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
The spicy marinara sauce and sausage gave this soup substance, while the veggies keep it light. I could have eaten BOWLS of this stuff. Luckily it made a ton – plenty of leftovers for lunches this week!
I love Sunday routines!! I get up around 7 am, go for my weekly long run of between 9-20 miles depending on what I’m training for, come home to make a bowl of oats, and spend the rest of the day doing grad school reading and writing. I usually spend a little time in the kitchen getting things in order for the week too!
This is definitely a tasty tradition :)
I usually use Sundays in the winter for the same kind of cooking but first I spend 2-3 hours after breakfast on the couch with couch and/or book/computer just being lazy. :)
That soup looks so good! I have never cooked with zucchini but I really like that idea! Did you peel the zucchini first? Do you dispose of the center with the seeds?
Sunday = Church in the morning, coffee house in the afternoon and ‘Soup Sunday’. LOVE SUNDAYS!
Growing up we always had a nice dinner after church, but then all afternoon it was a free for all (since sometimes dinner was not exactly at noon). Since we kind of snacked all afternoon, supper was homemade popcorn on the stove! YUM! I have tried for the past 6 years to implemint this now with my family, but my husband complained that it wasn’t filling enough and we have now switched to soup sundays. How did your new microwave turn out? Our microwave always sparks with carrots.
I love your Sunday routine! I would kill for a day with my boo like this. We rarely have days off together, so when we do it’s always made scrambling to get things done that require both of us, and then some sort of date-like activity.
P.s. I could be slow, and just not seeing it, but you need a plug-in so readers can easily e-mail posts to other people. I mean, I could copy and paste the url in an e-mail, but I’m lazy, and I am sure you have nothing better to do with your time than figure out how to install yet ANOTHER plug-in that you absolutely NEED…. ;-)
Love this post! My boyfriend is the same Sundays. I will eventually yell that I’m going to a favorite coffee shop or the local market, that does the trick ;)
I love the sound of a normal Sunday routine! my weekends never have structure but this sounds like a way to get things done!
Looks amazing! I’ll be trying that this week (along with my further enrollment into the diet coke wing of the Betty Ford Clinic!)
I gave up my daily 2 liter of Diet Pepsi addiction 6 months ago, and had terrible headaches for a week or so, but it was the BEST thing I have ever done for my health. So glad your giving up your Diet Soda addiction! Just plain scary whats in those fizzy drinks.
Wow that looks amazing! Definitely going on my list for dinner this week. Thanks for sharing!
I too am an early riser, wait for the husband to wake up, then we usually get lunch out and relax at home until its time to make dinner. In the summer we will go for walks or hikes in the afternoon. This winter, Sundays also include puppy class with our little guy!
This soup looks so delicious! Our Sunday’s always consist of sleeping in and waking up to enjoy a wonderful breakfast together. The only day of the week that we get to do this and it’s so much enjoyed.
My fav thing to do on Sundays is to curl up on the couch with the bf and watch HGTV and DIY channels.
oh MAN that buttery bread and soup look so good! We too are creatures of habit with our Sunday meals. For a long time it was homemade pizza. Lately it’s been something easier, such as frozen pizzas with our own toppings. Breakfast though is where it’s at, where we usually have huge breakfasts with eggs, pancakes, coffee, and bacon. Love these mornings so much.
What article did you read about the diet soda? I need to stop drinking diet soda, maybe I need to read this article! :) Also, soup looks awesome! Another to add to my list to try! Have a great week!
:(
Love Sunday mornings in our house! A morning gym trip about 9am, then come home, make brunch, relax with a filling brunch and coffee for 30-60 minutes before doing house chores. Best time of the week hands down.
Please share the horrifying article re: diet soda. I need to kick my crack-in-a-can addiction (diet coke)!
Blerg!!
I love minestrone soup! That soup looks delicious. Here’s one of my favorite recipes. It’s so so good. http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/12/minestrone-pot-pie-with-whole-wheat-parmesan-biscuits/
With 4 kids, it’s hard for me to even remember what Sundays like that were like! This soup looks delicious…my husband will love it:-) Can’t wait to try it!