Minestrone Soup

Yield: About 6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, sliced thin (you can substitute any onion and dice small)

2 carrots, peeled and diced small

2 stalks celery, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 medium zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 cup chopped string beans (cut into bite-size pieces)

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth/stock

1 cup water

Parmesan rind (optional)

1 cup small pasta of your choice (elbows, ditalini, orzo)

1 15 oz. can cannellini or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped greens (kale, spinach, swiss chard, collard greens all work well)

Grated parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add leeks and sauté until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute, then add salt, oregano, basil, thyme, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Add tomato paste and stir to coat the veggies.

2. Add zucchini and string beans and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes (with the juice), bay leaf, broth/stock, and water. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat with the lid on, then lower temperature, remove lid, add parmesan rind if using, and allow soup to simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, until pasta is al dente.

4. Gently stir in the beans and the greens and continue to simmer just until the greens are wilted.

5. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Recommend serving with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Some Recipe Notes:

The soup will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so I recommend adding more broth or stock when reheating.
You can substitute oregano, basil, and thyme with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning if you have on hand for a shortcut
You can sub other seasonal veggies in for the string beans and zucchini. Some others that work well are peas, butternut squash, yellow squash, & potatoes. You can also use frozen veggies and just toss them into the soup from frozen and the veggies will cook as the soup simmers.
This soup will also freeze very well, so you can make a double batch and put half of it right into the freezer to have on hand!