The Recipe For Living Forever?

To date, the longest-lived family on Earth lives in Sardinia, and eats this traditional minestrone soup for lunch every .. single .. day. Crazy right?

The Melis family holds the Guinness World Record title for the highest combined age for nine living siblings:

• their collective age is 861 years. The oldest of the siblings is 109.

This soup isn’t some kind of magic fountain of youth, or the elixir vitae, but it is associated with excellent health into your triple digits! So, the bottom line for me is to do what healthy people do, to have the best chance of getting their results.

And what they’re doing with this soup is

1. eating beans (which have huge levels of antioxidants and fiber), and
2. adding in local fresh veg, which is like getting a multivitamin in a bowl! 

Don’t Forget The Sides!

For those who live this healthfully, this long, what are they eating with their Minestrone?

The Melis clan dunk a little sourdough bread into their deliciousness and enjoy a glass of wine along the way.

Every … single … day.  

Traditional Italian Minestrone Soup

What You Need

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work)
• 1 cup each of white beans, pinto beans, and garbanzo beans
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup small pasta, elbows, shells, or orecchiette
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Pinches of red pepper flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving

What To Do

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and several grinds of black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, beans, veg, broth, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the pasta and cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked through.
4. Season to taste and serve with parsley, red pepper flakes, and parmesan, if desired.