Minestrone Soup

MINESTRONE SOUP😍

The first thing my body craves when I’m back from vacation is a big ole pot of soup, chock full of veggies. I LOVE a good minestrone - hearty, filling, freezer and meal prep friendly, and a great way to load your body up with veggies. And you know this one is gonna pack on the flavor - perfect for cold nights or meal prepped lunches, you will love!

My two biggest pet peeves with Minestrone Soup are when it’s under seasoned and when the veggies and/or pasta are overcooked and mushy. By cooking the pasta separately, we end up with perfectly cooked pasta and veggies, making it even better as a meal prep and freezer friendly dinner! For freezer friendly: freeze the soup with the pasta separately, and cook the macaroni when ready to serve. For meal prep: cook the pasta separately and keep separate until just before serving.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

For the Minestrone Soup:

• 1 container mirepoix (or 1 onion chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 2 celery stalks chopped)

• 1 large zucchini, diced

• 4-6 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tbsps tomato paste

• ½ tsp dried basil

• ½ tsp oregano

• 2 bay leaves

• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 14oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (or regular crushed tomatoes)

• 1 14oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 14oz can great northern white beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup ditalini, macaroni, or preferred pasta shape

• 2 cups baby spinach

• 2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley (or ½ tsp dried)

• Juice from ½ lemon

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• Parmesan rind

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Freshly grated parmesan and garlic bread for serving (optional)

Directions:

For the Minestrone Soup:

• Add olive oil to a large soup pot on medium heat. Add in the onion, celery, and carrot and season with salt and pepper.

• After 3-5 minutes, add in the zucchini. After 1-2 minutes, add in the garlic, tomato paste, dried basil, and dried oregano. If you don’t have fresh parsley to add in at the end, add in ½ tsp dried parsley here. Cook, stirring until tomato paste is dispersed for about 1 minute.

• Add in the crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, white beans, broth, and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat to medium low and add in the parmesan rind, then cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

• Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse to stop the cooking process.

• Once vegetables are tender, discard the bay leaves and parmesan rind and stir in the fresh spinach. Cook for about 1 minute or until wilted. 

• Season the soup with salt and pepper and taste to adjust any seasonings. Shut off heat and stir in the fresh parsley and lemon juice.

• Ladle the soup into serving bowls and add in desired pasta. Keep the pasta separate when storing. Top with freshly grated parmesan and serve with garlic bread. Enjoy!