Minestrone soup is the all-around perfect lunch when paired with some crusty bread or a side salad. This recipe is so easy and SO delicious!
I love healthy comfort food. It's satisfying, filling, delicious...and you still feel great afterward! This minestrone soup recipe definitely falls into that category. So soothing, warm and also filled with great nutrition from all of the healthy veggies involved.
As a bonus, it's easy enough that you can pull it together in a hurry for a quick lunch, and it saves well for make-ahead meals.
The ingredients
I tried to add as many vegetables as I could to make this recipe super healthy, but the great thing about minestrone soup is that it's amazingly adaptable to whatever veggies you currently have on hand. So substitute away if you'd like!
Here are the ingredients I used:
- onion, carrots, celery, potato, zucchini, kale and garlic
- olive oil
- dried parsley, oregano, thyme and bay leaf
- diced tomatoes and tomato paste
- low-sodium chicken broth (or substitute veggie broth for vegan minestrone soup)
- cannellini beans
- small shell pasta
- coconut sugar or brown sugar (optional; see pro tip below)
- sea salt and pepper
Pro tip: If you have picky eaters at home, the optional coconut sugar (or brown sugar) in this recipe provides just enough subtle sweetness to change minds about eating veggies and is highly recommended (but feel free to leave out if you're avoiding sugar.)
Cooking minestrone soup
I like to start by prepping all the vegetables ahead of time; you can even keep chopped veggies in the fridge to make impromptu soup-making a breeze. Chop the onion, carrots, celery, potato, zucchini and kale all into bite-sized pieces, and then and mince the garlic.
Grab a large soup pot and heat some olive oil over medium-low heat, then add the chopped onions and sauté them until they appear translucent. Next, add the chopped carrots, celery, potato and zucchini and sauté for another several minutes until everything starts to soften. Lastly, add the minced garlic and sauté one minute more.
Then, add the dried spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, beans, pasta and sugar (if using) and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and leave it to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until the pasta is just cooked.
Finally, stir in the chopped kale, let it cook for a minute or so, and then season your minestrone with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove your soup pot from the heat, let it cool just a bit, and serve it with some crusty bread or a side salad if desired. Enjoy! 🙂
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🍳 Recipe
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 potato any kind
- 1 zucchini
- 2 large leaves kale or 3 small leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with their liquid
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or low-sodium vegetable broth for vegan/vegetarian
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans drained
- 1 cup small shell pasta or gluten-free pasta
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar, optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep: Trim and chop the onion, carrots, celery, potato, zucchini and kale, and mince the garlic; set aside.
- Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat and sauté the chopped onions until translucent. Add the chopped carrots, celery, potato and zucchini and sauté for another several minutes until they start to soften. Add the minced garlic and sauté one minute more.
- Simmer: Add the dried spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, beans, pasta and sugar (if desired) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
- Season: Stir in the chopped kale, letting it cook for a minute or so, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy: Let the soup cool just a bit and serve with crusty bread or a side salad if desired. Enjoy!
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