Minestrone soup is a hearty Italian vegetable soup made with a lovely tomato based chicken broth, pasta, and Italian Sausage. It's quick and easy to make. It is healthy, and tastes absolutely incredible. Top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh sprigs of parsley!
There is no set recipe with minestrone soup. This classic Italian soup is traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use any in season vegetables you have on hand. You can also add a hand full of spinach, or kale. Tip: Try adding the rind from a parmesan wedge while the soup simmers for delicious flavor!
Here, I used fresh vegetables like, carrots, celery, green beens, potato, and yellow zucchini. To cut the cooking time down considerably, I used canned red kidney and cannellini beans (white kidney beans), instead of cooking them myself. Which makes this soup a perfect weeknight option. Other ingredients are basic pantry items you may already have, such as pasta, canned tomatoes, and spices.
This soup is great to make ahead for meal prep, and tastes even better the next day. Freeze leftovers in batches, for quick lunches or dinners.
Recipe
MINESTRONE SOUP
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion , chopped
- 2 clove garlic , minced
- 1 stalk celery , large
- 1 carrot , large
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Yukon potato , medium size
- 1 cup green beans
- 15 oz kidney beans , canned or 1 ½ cup home cooked
- 15 oz cannelli beans , canned or 1 ½ cup home cooked
- 1 cup zucchini , yellow
- 15 oz tomatoes , canned, fine diced San Marzano
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup noodles
- ½ lbs Italian sausage , seasoned (Turkey or Pork Sausage)
- salt and pepper to taste
- rind of parmesan cheese (optional - for extra flavor)
Instructions
- 1. Wash and dice all vegetables into small bite sized pieces.2. In a large pot on medium heat, warm 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the chopped onion, garlic, cellery, and carrot, and diced potato. Sauté until vegetables are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir, and continue to cook another 2 minutes.3. Add the green beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, zucchini, and canned diced tomato with their juices.4. Pour in the chicken stock and water. Add the bouillon, and oregano. Season with freshly ground pepper. Adjust salt to your liking. (The bouillon alone should be fine)5. Add pasta. Stir. Then raise the heat to medium/high. Cover the pot partially with the lid, so steam can escape. After about 5 minutes, add the seasoned meat balls. (About ¾ inch in size) If you have a parmesan wedge on hand, give it a try and add the rind to the broth for extra yummy flavor. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to simmer until pasta is al dente, about another 18 minutes.Garnish fininished soup with grated parmesan, and fresh parsley, if you would like. Enjoy!Soup will yield 6 to 8 servings.
Nutrition
Lastly, if you make this recipe and would like to share a photo of your beautiful creation, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and Facebook @helloani + #helloani.
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