I’m going to be 100% honest here…
I never cared for minestrone.
That’s probably due to the fact that the varieties I tried in the past were mostly (if not all) from a can, so that judgement isn’t fair, I’ll admit.
I don’t know what exactly led me to whipping up a pot at home.
But boy (girl, human, dinosaur, etc.) let me tell you!
It’s quite tasty andd satisfying.
I mean, that’s not surprising really.
We have noodley carbs (and vegetable carbs), protein in the form of beans, fresh herbs x3 and citrus!
As in flavor enhancer yellow onion softened in olive oil, diced carrot, yukon gold potato, a generous plop of tomato paste, crushed red pepper flakes for a lil kick, low sodium vegetable broth to bring everyone together, fresh bay leaf, your fave short-cut pasta (I forgot what mine’s called, sorry bout that), zucchini, frozen sweet peas, baby spinach, dark red kidney beans, savory nutritional yeast, zesty lemon juice, herbaceous basil + oregano, and good ole S&P!
You’ll be happy about these leftovers, so double the recipe if you’re feeding several mouths.
(Or just your mouth for big batch meal prep.)
P.S. As always, taste and adjust the flavors to suit your needs. This minestrone variety uses a combo of winter and spring vegetables because the blooms and birds are on the verge of busting out over here and I couldn’t be happier. Oh and seasonal cooking is my jam. Feel free to mix and match, switch and swap though! Green beans are nice, for example. If you absolutely must use up a lone stalk of celery that’s been loitering in your fridge for too long, go ahead and chop that guy up and throw him in with the potatoes + carrots. But please. Do not bother purchasing celery for this recipe because there are better veg out there.
P.P.S. Be sure to keep an eye on your pasta, you don’t want it to turn to mush! It will continue to soften in the hot liquid, so keep that in mind as well.
P.P.P.S. Don’t have fresh herbs? You can use dried bay leaf, oregano and basil in a pinch (no pun intended hehe), if you must, adjusting the amounts accordingly. 1/3 cup of dried basil might be kind of gross ha.
P.P.P.P.S. Wait wait!! My pasta might be called fiorelli… but don’t quote me on that one. She pretty regardless.
Vegan Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup small dice yellow onion (1/2 medium onion)
- 3/4 cup medium dice carrot (peel only if skin is tough)
- 3/4 cup medium dice yukon gold potato (leave skin intact)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 4 cups high quality low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or 2 dried bay leaves)
- 1 cup short-cut pasta (use gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free recipe)
- 3/4 cup medium dice zucchini
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used dark red kidney beans)
- 5 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup fresh basil chiffonade (sliced thinly)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Pink sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium-large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, then lower the heat to medium-low, cooking while stirring occasionally until very soft—about 10 minutes.
- Increase the heat back to medium, then add the carrot and potato. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have started to soften.
- Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, then cook one more minute.
- Stir in the broth, then add the bay leaf. Cover the pot with a lid, then increase the heat and bring to a low boil. Gently boil for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are mostly tender.
- Add the pasta and cook 1 minute shy of the package instructions / al dente. My pasta took about 11 minutes total to cook. Keep the pot covered.
- When the pasta has about 5 minutes left, add the zucchini. Keep the pot covered.
- Once the pasta is 1 minute from being done, stir in the frozen peas, spinach and kidney beans. Cover and raise the heat if necessary. Gently boil for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat, then stir in the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, basil, oregano, plus salt and pepper to taste. Carefully taste, then adjust ingredient amounts if you'd like. Serve in bowls with hearty slices of wholegrain bread.