Minestrone soup, a staple of Italian cuisine, is a perfect comfort food that’s both hearty and healthy. This vegetable-packed soup is a delightful blend of flavors and textures, and the best part is its flexibility. You can tweak it to your taste or use up whatever veggies you have on hand. Here’s an easy recipe to use as your base.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 zucchini
- 1 canned diced tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 can Cannellini beans or Great Northern beans
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup small pasta
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until soft, then add garlic for a minute.
- Pour in canned tomatoes and vegetable broth, bringing to a boil.
- Add kidney beans, cannellini beans, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add zucchini and pasta, simmering until tender, about 10 minutes. Finally, stir in fresh spinach until wilted.
- Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan cheese.
