Minestrone soup. This particular recipe brings back memories of my early days in culinary school. This was the dish were we got judged by our newly acquired knife skills. All those vegetable components just had to be precisely cut into identical sizes for the purpose of even cooking. Even worse, the chef in charge back then was someone who grew up on this particular soup as a home staple. Yes, he was Italian! Other than getting those vegetables cut up perfectly, this recipe is basically a one-pot-wonder. Just tip everything in the cooker and you’ll be rewarded by a very hearty and comforting soup.