Easy Minestrone Soup
I love cooking and I love what I eat, I love how my body feels after eating. Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup made with fresh organic ingredients. It is usually made with a combination of pasta, beans, and rice, or sometimes all three.
The great thing with minestrone is that since it can usually be made out of whatever vegetables are at one’s disposal it is so quick & easy to make. Other soups I make with beans are my Asian Bok Choy & Bean Soup and my Azuki Bean Stew.
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✅3 garlic cloves chopped finely
✅1 large onion chopped finely
✅1 leek finely chopped
✅2 fresh bay leaves
✅1 carrot peeled, quartered & chopped
✅1-2 celery sticks with leaves chopped
✅1 organic vegetable stock cube
✅1 litre of water
✅1/2 jar of quality tomatoes( I had some freshly baked cherry tomatoes that I added)
✅250g of kidney beans from Cal Valls
✅100g dried shell pasta (ecological artisan pasta)
✅1/2 of zucchini chopped
✅1/2 tsp turmeric powder with black pepper
✅250g natural tomato sauce
✅Salt & pepper to taste
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- After washing and chopping up all of the vegetables, heat the oil on low heat in a saucepan.
- Lightly fry the onion, garlic, leek, celery, zucchini, and carrots in the pot and cook them until they are soft and tender, which is approximately 4-5 minutes.
- When the vegetables feel soft to the touch sprinkle them with salt and turmeric with black pepper powder.
- Throw in the tomato sauce and give it a good stir.
- Top the pot with water and once it`s heated add the vegetable stock cube and lower the soup to a simmer, add the pasta shells and leave it simmering for about 10 minutes.
- Drain the beans and stir them into the soup with the baked or jarred tomatoes.
- Finally, turn off the heat and let the soup sit for a few minutes before serving.
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients to use in a vegan minestrone?
Minestrone is a hearty, traditional Italian soup typically made with beans, pasta, rice, and lots of vegetables. The beauty of this soup is that you can make it a hundred times and have it taste different every time you make it. Depending on the season, and personal taste, your vegetable selection will be different each time you make minestrone.
Likewise, there is no set recipe for minestrone since it can usually be made out of whatever vegetables are at one’s disposal. Many times I make minestrone when I want to defrost the freezer as I have often stocked up on leftover veggies that I wasn`t able to use while they were fresh, so you can add any vegetable, fresh or frozen.
Furthermore, you can add any legumes: kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) split peas, lentils, or edamame (green soybeans).
Legumes
Legumes are extremely nutritious and give added texture and flavor to the soup.
Pasta and rice or any other grains are the last ingredients you want to add to minestrone. Also, if you’re not going to consume all the soup in one go, it`s best to either partially cook the pasta or rice or cook it completely in a separate pot and add it just to the part you’re going to consume. Rice and pasta will soak up all the liquid in the soup.
Herbs & Spices:
Why not spice it up by adding fresh or dried sage, rosemary, bay leaf, basil, thyme, parsley, sweet paprika or oregano.
Here I have pointed out a few minestrone cooking tips
What you can eat with minestrone?
Delicious fresh crunchy bread especially sourdough, crackers, or croutons.
The difference between vegetable soup and minestrone soup.
Minestrone in general is a heartier soup as it usually contains beans, rice pasta or even a combination of all three, while the vegetable soup is prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients.
Thickening minestrone soup
Often minestrone will thicken just by adding rice or pasta, alternatively by adding 1-2 teaspoons of corn flour will thicken it up.
Adding cooked beans or rice
If you prefer to purchase cooked beans or have previously cooked the rice, you will only need to add the cooked item in the last few minutes of simmering the soup.
Freezing Minestrone
Once the soup has completely cooled down you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
Want more bean dishes?
Take a look at our other bean dishes below:
Spicy Jackfruit and Red Kidney Bean Burgers
Easy Azuki Bean Burgers
Clay pots
The unglazed clay pots have been used for cooking for thousands of years, and this type of pot is still used and loved today. I first discovered these in Menorca, and I still own several. The clay pot is often covered, creating an environment that allows the heat and moisture to circulate, basically steaming the food and resulting in an evenly cooked dish that is tender and juicy.
Furthermore, the clay material retains heat well, keeping the food warm after it comes out of the oven, and eliminating the need for reheating. It is also the perfect serving dish and great for use to take vintage pictures.
Some benefits of minestrone
Minestrone is rich in fiber, therefore, It prolongs the feeling of fullness and curbs sudden hunger attacks,” it also purifies the body by promoting intestinal regularity and eliminating toxins and waste substances. Plenty of fiber will also provide you with plenty of energy.
Minestrone often has a large number of greens and beans and you will receive plenty of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and other nutrients that will help keep you strong and healthy. Magnesium and potassium will help drain excess fluid from the body which is responsible for fluid retention and swelling.
