Meatless Italian Minestrone

PanNan's Note:

A hearty and satisfying meal. You won't miss the meat. It's low cal, low fat, low sodium and full of fiber.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1⁄3; cups chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 (14 ½ ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 1⁄3; cups chopped carrots
• 1 (46 ounce) can reduced-sodium tomato juice
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini , drained (white kidney beans)
• 1 (15 ½ ounce) can red kidney beans , drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans , drained
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 4 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• ¾ cup uncooked small elbow macaroni , cooked without added fat and well drained (4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• salt
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpot.
2. Add celery, onion and garlic.
3. Cook and stir until crisp-tender.
4. Stir in tomatoes, cabbage and carrots.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in tomato juice, beans, parsley, oregano, basil, pepper and salt.
7. Simmer until beans are heated.
8. Stir in cooked macaroni just before serving.
9. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

Reviews

[ellie_]

This is a hearty soup that is simple to make. Although it is very easy to make I think the prep time as indicated in the recipe is low. I also thought it would be helpful if approximate cooking times were indicated in the recipe directions. It took me about one hour but that included cutting up the vegetables. One change I made to the ingredients was I used low-sodium V-8 instead of tomato juice and I also used less oregano than the recipe indicated.

[BonnieZ]

This soup was fabulous. Hearty, healthy and satisfying. I used my own tomatoes and tomatoe juice that I can every year, and this is a great way to capitalize on that bounty. Thank you PanNan for sharing the recipe. It is one I'm sure will become a family favorite.

[Bev]

Oh My Goodness! This is SO Good! Minestrone is one of my favorites and I have to say, the meat was never missed! This soup is so full of wonderful fresh vegetables and flavor that I know it will become a favorite around my house! I made as directed, however using V-8 instead of regular tomato juice. I also used dried parsley, adjusting properly. Thanks so much, PanNan!