Easily make Classic Minestrone Soup (Delicious and Healthy)

• Food: Classic Minestrone Soup
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Minestrone is an Italian vegetable soup cooked with a tomato-based broth with either pasta or rice. I’ve spent a long time perfecting this recipe, and I’m thrilled to finally share it with you.

Use any seasonal veggies and greens you have on hand to make minestrone, which was historically cooked to use up leftover vegetables. The soup you see here was made with potatoes and spinach, and it was fantastic.

Yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans, and peas are some of the alternatives given in the recipe. That means you can prepare seasonal minestrone on cool autumn and spring days!

Instead of preparing my own beans, I used canned beans, which reduced the cooking time to a manageable weekday level. The rest of the components are cupboard staples like tinned tomatoes, pasta, seasonings, and onions.

What makes this minestrone soup the best?

• This filling minestrone is simple to prepare and well worth the effort.
• Seasonal vegetables and cupboard staples are called for in this dish.
• The soup keeps well in the refrigerator and tastes even better the second day.
• It also freezes and defrosts nicely.
• This handmade minestrone is far superior to Olive Garden or store-bought minestrone!

This dish was developed from my cookbook’s lentil minestrone, which was based on my lentil soup. I left out the lentils, added white beans, increased the tomato paste, and saved the last tablespoon of olive oil to stir in at the end of this classic minestrone.

Minestrone Soup

This vegetarian minestrone soup will keep you warm! This classic minestrone soup dish is nutritious, simple to prepare, and delicious. If you don’t add the cheese, it’s also vegan. This recipe makes enough soup for 6 bowls or 8 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium ribs celery, chopped
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 large can (28 ounces) of diced tomatoes, with their liquid (or 2 small 15-ounce cans)
• 4 cups (32 ounces) of vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup whole grain orecchiette, elbow or small shell pasta
• 1 can (15 ounces) Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked beans
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped kale, or chopped collard greens
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing (optional)

Instructions For Minestrone Soup

1. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste, and a bit of salt once the oil is shimmering. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and the onions have turned translucent.
2. Combine the seasonal veggies, garlic, oregano, and thyme in a large mixing bowl. Cook, stirring regularly, until aromatic, approximately 2 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, their juices, broth, and water. Combine the salt, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1″ space for steam to escape. Reduce the heat as needed to keep the sauce at a gentle simmer
5. Remove the lid after 15 minutes and add the pasta, beans, and greens. Cook, uncovered, for another 20 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the greens are soft.
6. Remove the bay leaves after removing the saucepan from the heat. Combine the lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a mixing bowl. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper (I generally use about a 1/4 tsp more) until the flavors are vibrant. If desired, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of soup bowls.

NOTES

• TO MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE/VEGAN: If you don’t want to use Parmesan, make your own vegan Parmesan.
• MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Use your favorite gluten-free noodle instead. I used DeLallo’s Whole-Grain Rice Shells, which were excellent.
• PARMESAN: While most Parmesans are not vegetarian (they contain animal rennet), Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands provide vegetarian Parmesan cheese.