Classic Minestrone Soup

🥘 Ingredients

• baby spinach (chopped kale or chopped collard greens)
  2 cups
• bay leaves
  2
• beans (great northern beans or cannellini, 15 ounces, rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans)
  1 can
• broth (vegetable, 32 ounces)
  4 cups
• carrot (medium, peeled and chopped)
  2
• celery (ribs, medium, chopped)
  2
• diced tomatoes (can, large, 28 ounces, or 2 small 15-ounce cans, with their liquid)
  1
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (for garnishing) (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper
• garlic (pressed or minced)
  4 cloves
• lemon juice
  2 teaspoons
• olive oil (extra-virgin, divided)
  4 tablespoons
• onions (yellow, medium, chopped)
  1
• oregano (dried)
  1/2 teaspoon
• red pepper flakes (pinch of)
• salt (fine sea)
  1 teaspoon
• seasonal vegetables (chopped, potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work)
  2 cups
• thyme (dried)
  1/2 teaspoon
• tomato paste
  1/4 cup
• water
  2 cups
• whole grain orecchiette (elbow or small shell pasta)
  1 cup

🍳 Cookware

• dutch oven
• stockpot
• pot

1. 1

   Gather freshly grated parmesan cheese , whole grain orecchiette , baby spinach .

   freshly grated parmesan cheese (for garnishing), whole grain orecchiette: 1 cup (elbow or small shell pasta), baby spinach: 2 cups (chopped kale or chopped collard greens)
2. 2

   Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot , celery , tomato paste and a pinch of salt . Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about ⏱️ 7-10 minutes .

   olive oil: 4 tablespoons (extra-virgin, divided), carrot: 2 (medium, peeled and chopped), celery: 2 (ribs, medium, chopped), tomato paste: 1/4 cup, salt: 1 teaspoon (fine sea), onions: 1 (yellow, medium, chopped)
3. 3

   Add the seasonal vegetables , garlic , oregano and thyme . Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about ⏱️ 2 minutes .

   seasonal vegetables: 2 cups (chopped, potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work), garlic: 4 cloves (pressed or minced), oregano: 1/2 teaspoon (dried), thyme: 1/2 teaspoon (dried)
4. 4

   Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices, broth and water . Add the salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes . Season generously with freshly ground black pepper .

   diced tomatoes: 1 (can, large, 28 ounces, or 2 small 15-ounce cans, with their liquid), broth: 4 cups (vegetable, 32 ounces), water: 2 cups, bay leaves: 2, red pepper flakes (pinch of), freshly ground black pepper
5. 5

   Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1” gap for steam to escape. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
6. 6

   Cook for ⏱️ 15 minutes , then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens. Continue simmering, uncovered, for ⏱️ 20 minutes or until the the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.

   beans: 1 can (great northern beans or cannellini, 15 ounces, rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans)
7. 7

   Remove the pot from the heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add about 1/4 teaspoon more) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan, if you’d like.

   lemon juice: 2 teaspoons
8. 📝

   Nutrition: Fat: 10.5 g Calories: 298 calories Saturated Fat: 1.6 g Sodium: 924.2 mg Fiber: 10.4 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Carbohydrate: 45.6 g Sugar: 9.7 g Serving Size: 1 bowl (made with potatoes and no Parmesan) Trans Fat: 0 g Protein: 9.8 g