There must be something with this freezing cold weather that is making me crave soup. I’m not sure what it is about soup that makes it more comforting, than let’s say, a hot ham and cheese. It just doesn’t have the same comforting vibe. This warm minestrone is perfect for a weeknight, weekday, or weekend and hey, if you like soup for breakfast, it’s good for that too.
It’s one of the easiest soups to make because it’s really hard to mess up. I guess you could add an obscene amount of salt, or no salt at all and that would pretty much destroy this soup, but my goodness, follow some easy instructions and you’ll have yourself some hearty soup in about 20 minutes.
One thing I’ve always loved about minestrone is the versatility of cleaning out the produce drawer. It’s not summer, so I don’t have any zucchini, but if you’ve got something you like, do a quick mental evaluation on whether or not you think it would work. There are a lot of veggies that work with this soup.
Minestrone also helps fulfill my veggie requirement for the day. Because I usually have two bowls of this, that is a lot of veggies and beans and a whole lot of fiber. Did you know that most people don’t get enough fiber everyday? It’s an epidemic really. You probably are wondering right now if you get enough. Time to start paying attention. Veggies, fruit, beans, seeds, nuts, and whole grains are your main sources of fiber. Load up.
Try making this to soothe your soul on a warm night…or day. Add some crusty bread to soak up the broth and some parmesan for the top – cheese is a soup necessity for me.
Enjoy!
Weeknight Minestrone
Author: Sarah Pflugradt
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-5 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3-4 cups vegetable stock (depending on how broth-y you like your soup)
- 1, 14 oz can fire roasted canned diced tomatoes
- 1, 14 oz can drained and rinsed cannellini beans
- 1/2 cup dried ditalini pasta
- 2 cups fresh chopped spinach
Instructions
- In a medium dutch oven, add olive oil, carrots, celery, and onions
- Saute for 5 minutes
- Add garlic and stir to coat the garlic
- Add salt, dried oregano, pepper, stock, diced tomatoes, beans
- Bring to a boil and add pasta
- Boil for 6-7 minutes
- Turn heat off and add chopped spinach
- Let cool before serving
