MINESTRONE SOUP (OLIVE GARDEN STYLE)
Minestrone Soup is a perfect Fall favourite for enjoying cozied up on your couch - while still getting a daily dose of healthy veg. Use this vegetarian recipe as a guide to build your own base of veg that need to be used up this week!
This recipe and any images throughout this post were originally sourced from 'The College Housewife' and can be found here.
The recipe has been adapted by Fig Tree Lane since its original listing.
INGREDIENTS
Fresh produce
1 Brown Onion - Diced
2 Celery Stalks - Washed & Diced
3 Cloves Garlic - Diced
2 Carrots - Washed & Diced
1 Handful Green Beans - Chopped into 2cm Lengths
2 Handfuls Fresh Spinach
Spices
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cayenne (Optional based on spice preference)
Salt & Pepper
1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast (Optional)
Additional
Olive Oil
1 Can Kidney Beans - Rinsed & Drained
1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
4 Cups Vegetable Stock
Pasta (Variety and Quantity of Choice)
To Serve
Parmesan (Optional)
Toasted Bread (Optional)
Serves 4
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
METHOD
Step One
Warm oil in a large pot over medium heat (ensuring you use a pot of correct sizing to carry your entire soup). Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook for five minutes, stirring often to soften and combine.
Step Two
Add in tomato paste and all additional spices (including a good seasoning of salt and pepper) and cook for 1-2minutes until combined and fragrant.
Step Three
Add in drained kidney beans and crushed tomatoes, stirring to combine before adding four cups of vegetable stock (or 4 cups water and 1 included stock cube if following via subscription box recipe). Bring to a boil and then simmer lightly for around 15minutes. Note: you can also leave this soup to cook for longer periods of time on a very low heat if preferred.
Step Four
At this point, you may choose to add pasta (around one cup is ideal). Gluten-free brown rice pasta is a great option that works well too. Also add your chopped beans and leave to cook for another 10minutes. Check your soup base seasoning at this point and adjust to preference as needed. If you are using nutritional yeast and have not yet added it through, now is a good time to do so.
Serving
Remove from the heat and stir through spinach for two minutes or until wilted. Dish into bowls and top with a good sprinkling of parmesan if using.
Let us know what you think!
Love, Fig Tree Lane