Minestrone Soup
This delicious & versatile Minestrone soup is easy to make and perfect for this or any time of the year. Recipe includes options for vegetarian and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Cup Onions (Chopped)
- 2-3 Stalks Celery (Chopped)
- 1 Cup Carrots (Sliced or Chopped)
- 4 Cloves garlic (Minced)
- 4 Cups Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock
- 1,1/2-2 Cups water
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Can Kidney Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
- 1 Can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
- 1 Can Green Beans
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1/3 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2,1/2 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach Or Kale (remove stems from kale)
- 1 Cup Small Shell Pasta (Optional)
- 1,1/2 Cups Cooked Chicken (Optional)
Instructions
- Cut up onion, celery and carrots (otherwise known as a mirepoix). Heat dutch oven or soup pot on medium high. Add olive oil. Sauté onion, celery and carrots until slightly tender (about 8 minutes), add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. (Don’t cook garlic too long or it will taste bitter). Add broth, water, tomatoes, beans and spices and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add spinach or kale and cook for 5 minutes. Add pasta and cook pasta until al dente – about 8 minutes (see cooking time on pasta instructions). If adding cooked meat, add it in the last 5 minutes of total cooking time just to heat it up. You can also cook pasta in a separate pan and just add it to your bowl of soup right before serving.
Notes
I’ve modified this recipe several times and I hope you feel free to do the same. I used to add pasta, but don’t prefer to anymore because not only is it not necessary, the pasta gets mushy the longer it sits, so leftover soup will have soggy pasta. The original called for zucchini, but It also gets mushy and I feel it has better uses than in a soup. If you like either of those items, then by all means, put them in your soup. I’ve tried cheese filled tortellini and it’s great, just soggy the next day. If you eat it right away, then you don’t have to worry. I tend to cook large portions and like leftovers. You can also cook pasta in a separate pan and just add it to your bowl of soup right before serving. I've also added meatballs or turkey instead of chicken or no meat at all.
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