My mom’s version of minestrone soup, made with food you already have in your pantry or freezer. This hearty soup has a vegetarian/vegan option, and is perfect for an appetizer or dinner.
How many times do you find yourself saying, “I have nothing to eat” while staring in the fridge, trying to figure out what to make for dinner? It’s at least a weekly occurrence in my house, usually happening many days in a row before I end up food shopping. I found myself in that unfortunate position once again the other night. When it happens, I do one of two things: 1) call Michael’s Pizza or 2) look in the pantry for any possible last minute food options. Since I eat pizza and other junk all too frequently, I opted for the second choice, and opened the pantry. After looking around for a few minutes, I realized that my best option with what I had was to make my mom’s minestrone soup.
I should clarify: Debbie’s minestrone soup is not real minestrone soup. Sorry, Mom (and readers who thought they were getting a real minestrone soup recipe). I learned that it wasn’t the real deal when I ordered minestrone at a restaurant as a teenager and got something that was definitely not the recipe below. I still like my mom’s better. Once I started cooking for myself, I liked this soup even more because it was so easy to make. The ingredients are things I always keep in the pantry and freezer (and you should have these things, too), which is great for days when you don’t know what else to make. It takes only a few minutes of prep, 20 minutes to cook, and you have a very filling, healthy soup when you’re done.
You will notice that almost all of the ingredients are either canned or frozen foods. There are few canned foods that I deem worthy of buying: chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, artichoke hearts, pumpkin, and a few that I’m forgetting. Other canned vegetables are usually cooked to death and don’t taste great, so I avoid those. If you’re strongly against canned foods, you can use dried beans, fresh tomatoes, and homemade chicken broth, but that seems like a waste of time. On the other hand, frozen veggies are usually pretty good, so I don’t have much of a problem using those. Again, you can use fresh if you want.
If you try this soup, tag me in the photo! @whitecoatpinkapron
Minestrone Soup
My mom's version of minestrone soup, made with things you already have in your pantry or freezer. This is a hearty soup that can easily stand in as dinner, and has a vegetarian/vegan option.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 dinner sized servings
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes that you dice
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 2 15 oz cans low-sodium chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth or water)
- 2 cups frozen spinach
- 2 cup small pasta, cooked (small shells, elbow macaroni, ditalini, or anything else you have)
- salt and pepper
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (omit if making vegan version, or sub with vegan parmesan)
Instructions
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Place a 5-6 quart pot over medium heat, and add the olive oil, heating for about 1 minute. Add the onions, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
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Add the garlic, tomatoes, chickpeas, kidney beans, and chicken broth (or vegetable broth/water). Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
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Add the spinach, still frozen, and bring back to a simmer. Add pasta and simmer for another 5 minutes until flavors come together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve in bowls, garnished with parmesan cheese.
I made this over the weekend, and it was quick, easy and delicious! Best of all, we will get multiple meals out of it this week! Thanks Diana!
Thanks, Molly! Glad you liked it!