Classic Minestrone Soup

Name: Classic Minestrone Soup
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 quarts
Ingredients: 3 leeks (white and pale green parts), quartered and sliced; ¼ cup olive oil; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups sliced carrots; 3 stalks celery, sliced; 1 cup diced sweet bell peppers; ½ cup white wine; 12 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth; ¼ cup tomato paste; ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (drained, if in oil); ½ cup fresh basil, sliced (divided); ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped (divided); 2 - 3 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp dried marjoram; 1 tsp dried oregano; ¼ tsp ground black pepper; ⅛ - ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; 1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta, about 4½ oz (or other small pasta shape); 1 14 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 14 oz can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (or other white beans); 1 cup diced zucchini; 2 cups deveined and chopped kale; 3 oz finely grated Romano cheese, divided; juice of ½ lemon

Maureen Comments 3 comments

It’s hard to beat a hot bowl of Classic Minestrone Soup! From the colorful herbs and veggies to the creamy beans and tender pasta, each bite is full of robust Italian flavors. It’s hearty, satisfying, and the perfect addition to any menu! Loved by grown-ups and kiddos alike, it’s no wonder minestrone has long been a family favorite.

In my recipe for Classic Minestrone Soup, I’ve put together a delicious line-up of nature’s best and brightest flavors to bring you a soup worth remembering. Both satisfying and waistline friendly, this soup is the perfect addition to your menu!

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Nutrition in Every Bite

Minestrone is just chock-full of the good stuff. The colorful vegetables and herbs provide an array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for health and wellness. Though I’m featuring leeks, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, kale, and zucchini, this soup is a wonderful way to show off whatever’s in season or on hand.

Next up on our ingredient list we’ve got a couple varieties of beans–kidney beans and Great Northerns. Inexpensive and oh so good for you, beans are a pantry staple for good reason. These humble legumes boast some serious nutrition value! They’re a great source of complex carbohydrate, fiber, and protein as well as an assortment of vitamins and minerals, such as folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.

And finally, we’re keeping this minestrone classic with just the right of amount of pasta. I went with ditalini, but go with whatever little pasta shape you’ve got on hand!

Whole grain or otherwise, pasta adds complex carbohydrate and B vitamins for lasting energy. Though you can certainly skip the pasta if you’re looking to cut back on carbs, the small amount used here won’t be a problem for most diets. With only 14 grams of total carbohydrate (of which 3 grams are fiber!), this Classic Minestrone Soup is a great option for both health and weight loss!

Perfect for Weight Loss

Speaking of weight loss, did you know that adding soup to your eating plan is a great way to lose extra pounds? Studies have shown that enjoying a bowl of lower-calorie soup prior to your meal is an easy way to decrease your total caloric intake all while keeping hunger at bay. More specifically, that bowl of soup can help you eat 20% fewer calories at your next meal without ever feeling like you’re eating less.

But that’s not all! Aside from having a lower body weight and waist circumference, regular soup eaters also have an overall more nutritious diet. They typically consume less total fat and increased amounts of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and several vitamins and minerals.

So if you’re looking to lose a little weight and do something for your health, you just can’t go wrong with the soup du jour! Whether you like it chunky or pureed to a smooth bisque, consider adding a broth-based vegetable soup like my Classic Minestrone Soup to your menu!

My Recipe

Full of Flavor

I really do love this soup–and I love making it! There’s something therapeutic about whipping up a big pot of soup. Maybe it’s all the chopping or how the aromatic herbs and veggies make the kitchen smell so amazing. It’s unfussy and uncomplicated, and yet takes just enough effort to feel like an accomplishment. Bonus points if you make fresh bread to go with!

As far as soups go, this Classic Minestrone is straightforward and hassle-free. Simply dice up your veggies, give them a quick saute to bring out their flavors, deglaze with a bit of wine, and gradually add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Finish things off with a fresh grating of Romano and dig in! One bite and I think you’ll agree that this soup is molta deliziosa!

Serves a Crowd

So let me point out that this recipe makes a big ole’ pot of soup. We love having soup with dinner (it’s a great way to get in more veggies!) and I like to make enough that I can stash some away in the freezer for later. Though minestrone is best eaten when freshly made, it’s still quite tasty after being frozen. To brighten up the soup’s flavor and appearance, just toss in a handful of fresh herbs and call it good.

If, however, 6½ quarts of Classic Minestrone Soup is more than you care to make, you can absolutely cut this recipe in half! Most of these ingredients are easily scaled back and if you don’t want to use just half a can each of the kidney and Great Northern beans, feel free to pick only one variety to crack open.