One reason I don’t mind winters in New England: Soup season. And now that I am budgeting my meals, veggie soups are the perfect meal for my wallet and nutritious.
I prepped this Simple Minestrone soup over the weekend. I personally like to make my soups ahead of time and let them sit overnight to enjoy the next couple of days. They always taste better when the flavors have time to marinate.
If you are making this soup during the week, I find that having the veggies chopped and prepped ahead is a huge time saver. You can customize this soup to your liking depending on what veggies you have on hand. Leeks are great instead of onion, white potatoes are great in replace of pasta or beans, and kale instead of spinach.
Simple Minestrone Soup Recipe:
- 6 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 carrots, scrubbed and diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup of cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups of dry pasta. Any type of small pasta works (gluten-free as needed)
- 2 cups of spinach
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- 2 dry bay leaves
- Avocado oil for sautéing
- Salt and pepper to taste
1. Start by adding your carrots, onions and garlic with a tablespoon of avocado oil and a pinch of sea salt to a stock pot and heat on medium heat. Let it sauté until fragrant for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Next add in your veggie stock and herbs to the pot and turn heat on high until it boils. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
3. While your soup cooks, cook your pasta according to directions in a separate, salted pot of water.
4. Add your tomatoes and zucchini to the stock pot and simmer for another 15 minutes.
5. Add beans and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
6. Turn off heat, remove from heat and stir in spinach and pasta. Add more seasoning to your taste. Remove bay leaves and any other stems from the thyme and serve immediately or store in the fridge (once slightly cooled) for up to 4 days.
Enjoy!
Xoxo
Marisa
