Minestrone Soup

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup diced celery

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 cup Yukon gold potatoes (1/2 inch-diced)

1 medium zucchini (1/2 inch-diced)

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon thyme (roughly chopped)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

6 cups vegetable broth

15 ounces can diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 cup water

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup dry ditalini pasta

15 ounces canned kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

2 cups chopped kale (or spinach)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

fresh chopped parsley (, for serving (optional)

grated parmesan ( , for serving (optional)

Dutch oven bread (, for serving (optional)

Directions

Warm the olive oil in a large dutch oven pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery; sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Add the potatoes and zucchini; mix everything together.

Add the tomato paste, thyme, and oregano; mix together.

Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very light simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the pasta, kidney beans, and kale. Bring to a gentle bubble and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked, but not mushy.

Add the butter and mix until melted.

Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley, freshly grated parmesan, and some rustic bread to mop up the broth!

Nutrition

• Calories: 255 kcal
• Total Fat: 7 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 8 mg
• Sodium: 1163 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 41 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 8 g