Delicious Food that Happens to be Gluten Free - Olive Garden Minestrone

It seems as though having an adult that eats GF in your home is complicated enough, but trying to feed kids with celiac takes it to another level. Feeding my kids lunch is hard enough as it is, I never know what to do. We used to eat either macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles or cheese sandwiches every day of the week and now... we have to get a little more "creative."

We eat a lot of hot dogs around here. Correction. THEY eat a lot of hot dogs around here. Bun-less hot dogs, that is.

Another favorite of ours is what my daughter calls a roll-up, which is basically lunch meat with cream cheese spread on top and rolled up.

Today, I lucked out because my sister made minestrone last night and I got to bring home some leftovers. It kinda surprises me that my kids like minestrone, but they really do. It's so easy to make and tastes even better the next day.

Our lunch today. Strawberries, a ham roll-up and a bit-o minestrone soup.

Here's the "recipe" that I use. I mean, it's soup, so you always fudge it, right?

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely minced celery
• 1 cup finely minced onion
• 1 cup finely minced carrot
• 1/4 cup butter

• can of cut green beans
• can of light kidney beans
• can of dark kidney beans
• can of chick peas
• 3/4 cup sliced carrot
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup sliced celery
• 3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 cans of italian style tomatoes
• 3 quarts of vegetable broth

• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp thyme

• some frozen spinach (however much you like)
• 1 cup GF macaroni noodles (or just omit the noodles, you know)
• pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to top

Directions

1. Saute the minced onion, celery and carrots in a VERY large soup pot with the butter until very brown.

2. Add the vegetable broth (we use bouillon and water)

3. throw in all the cans of everything - drain everything but the tomatoes - and the seasonings (that is add, everything but the GF pasta and the spinach)

4. Cook for at least an hour. About 20 minutes before you are ready to serve it, add the spinach and GF pasta.

Serve it with fresh Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

And here are my happy campers. Notice that they both went for the strawberries first? I can't blame them. As much as I like soup, it's spring and the the time for strawberries has finally arrived.