Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is a hearty Italian classic that is perfect for chilly days or whenever you're craving a comforting meal. Packed with a variety of vegetables and beans, this wholesome soup is not ony delicious, but also incredibly nutritious due to it’s wholesome ingredients. It's a perfect dish for gatherings, cozy nights in, or for a warming lunch. Feel free to customize the recipe by adding your favorite vegetables or adjusting the seasoning to suit your taste buds.
Ingredients
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 medium organic carrots, peeled and chopped
3 organic celery stalks, chopped
1 medium organic yellow onion, chopped
2 cups chopped organic seasonal vegetables (I used russet potato, frozen peas, frozen cut green beans)
2 1/2 cups organic chopped kale (I used frozen)
1/4 cup organic tomato paste
4 cloves organic garlic, minced
1/2 tsp organic thyme
1/2 tsp organic oregano
2 – 18.3 oz jars organic diced tomatoes
4 cups organic vegetable broth
2 cups filtered water
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 organic bay leaves
1 box organic borlotti beans (can substitute cannellini beans)
1 can organic great northern beans
Juice of 1 lemon
Warm olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped carrots, celery, onion, tomato paste, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables have softened, about 7-10 minutes.
Add the seasonal vegetables, oregano, thyme, and garlic to the Dutch oven. Stir frequently and cook for about 2 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the kale and beans and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, discard the bay leaves and squeeze the juice of the lemon over the top. I add an extra drizzle of olive oil and mix again before serving or storing. Feel free to season with more salt and/or pepper. You can also top it with a pinch of red pepper flakes or grated parmesan cheese.
Notes & Options:
I love to keep frozen veggies on hand to be able to pull this soup together in a pinch or when I haven’t had time to go to the grocery store.
I like to make or purchase a rotisserie chicken to eat along with the soup for added protein.
You could add in pasta or lentils to make this more filling on its own, just be sure to adjust the liquids.
This recipe provides 3 days of lunch for our family of 3 (2 adults, 1 kid).
My go to brands for this recipe:
Jovial Organic Italian Crushed Tomatoes
Kettle & Fire Organic Vegetable Broth
Jack’s Quality Organic Borlotti Beans (from Thrive Market)
