Minestrone soup is a cozy classic. This recipe can be made gluten-free or vegan with a couple of swaps. This Italian delicacy only uses one pot. Heelllooo less dishes to clean!
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Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 3 shallots or 1 medium onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled, sliced, and halved
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cartons chicken broth (900ml each)
- 1 can strained tomatos (670ml)
- 2 cups macaroni, dry
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 can kidney beans
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat.
- Add in the onion or shallots and cook for around 5 minutes, or until transparent. Stir often.
- Add in the garlic and stir frequently for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the carrots and celery. Stir until everything is mixed together nicely. Sauté everything for a few minutes, and then add the Italian seasoning as well as any salt and pepper you'd like to add.
- Pour in the chicken broth and the can of strained tomatoes. Stir and bring everything to a boil.
- Add in the macaroni and the zucchini, then turn the heat down to low.
- Let everything simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. The longer, the better, as it'll give it time for all the flavours to set in. Stir occasionally.
- Add in the kidney beans for the last few minutes of cooking time. Stir to make sure everything is mixed together nicely.If you'd prefer, you can also bring up the heat to medium if you want your soup to be hot. Enjoy!
Notes
I rarely talk about myself in my posts, as I try to keep the main focus on food, lifestyle, and whatever topic I’m currently writing about. So here’s a little tidbit about myself. My dream life would be to live in Italy, sipping lattes, indulging in desserts, and eating pasta 24/7. I don’t think that’s plausible right now, but a girl can dream, right? I’d also settle for a life in Southern California, though. That place is a dream. I went in 2016, and I’ve been itching to go back ever since. Anyway, since I can’t go to Italy, I can bring the taste of Italy to my Canadian home.
Tips and Tricks for Minestrone Soup
Throw It All in if You’re Pressed for Time
If you’re pressed for time or are just feeling lazy (no judgement, by the way), you can throw in the onions or shallot, garlic, carrots, celery, and spices all at once. Sautee for 10–15 minutes, then throw in the chicken broth and strained tomatoes, and follow the rest of the recipe as is.
Don’t Get Salty
I usually use low-sodium broth, but if you’re using regular broth, it can contain a lot of sodium. You’ll want to go easy on the salt or even omit it completely if you’re planning to season your vegetables.
Soups = Great Meal Prep
Soups are awesome because they usually come in large quantities. Unless you’re planning on eating the entire pot in one sitting, soups can easily be portioned and separated into containers for a future meal. Soups are also awesome for freezing and reheating for a healthier convenience meal.
For a quick guide to meal prepping and batch cooking, you can check out my other post here: A Guaranteed Game Changer for a Peace of Mind – (canuckkitchen.com)
Make It All From Scratch
If you prefer making everything from scratch, you can also make your own homemade strained tomatoes and chicken broth instead of purchasing them. There’s tons of recipes out there, but I’ve added links for your convenience.
Recipe for Strained Tomatoes: Tomato Passata Recipe | Passata di Pomodoro – Recipes from Italy
Recipe for Homemade Chicken Broth: How to Make Chicken Broth – Culinary Hill
Fresh Is Best for Minestrone Soup
Use the freshest ingredients possible. Use fresh vegetables and herbs as opposed to their frozen or dried counterparts. That being said, if you don’t have anything available, don’t feel guilty about it either. Do what’s best and easiest for you.
Prep All Your Ingredients Before You Start
This is the golden rule for cooking and baking. It’s much easier to just throw and go than it is to run around your kitchen looking for ingredients while your food burns.
Keep Your Veggies Small
When chopping your vegetables and herbs, try to keep them on the smaller side. Keep in mind that everything has to sit nicely on your spoon before consumption. You’ll want to indulge in all of the flavours without having to worry about cutting them down later on.
Throw in More Veggies
Don’t feel limited to the recipe. You can mix and match veggies to your heart’s desire. Add in some of the following for a different take on Minestrone.
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Corn
- Green beans
- Kale
- Peas
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
The Side Pieces for Minestrone Soup
- Baguette (either plain for dipping, topped with butter, or another spread of your choice)
- Biscuits
- Breadsticks
- Crackers
- Cornbread
- Garlic bread… an absolute classic
- Grilled cheese
- Salad (garden, Caesar, etc.)
- Sandwiches (The soup is already pretty filling as is, so keep the sandwich simple.)
Tip: You can also omit the pasta in the recipe itself and serve your “pasta free minestrone” alongside a pasta dish like Cacio e Pepe.
Vegan Corner
For a vegan version, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Lucky you, the rest of the recipe is already vegan!
Variations on Minestrone Soup
For a gluten-free version, use either gluten-free noodles or swap out the noodles for rice or potatoes.
If you’d like to add more protein, shredded chicken or turkey goes really well with the flavours of minestrone.
Feeling cheesy? You can top with Parmesan or any other cheese of choice.
You can experiment with different herbs as well. Try adding fresh thyme, basil, a bay leaf, oregano, or parsley.
Another great swap is switching up the beans as well. Try it with white beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, black-eyed peas, or even chickpeas.