Vegetable Minestrone

"This is one of those soups that is great on a cold day - add a nice salad and a slice of crusty Italian bread and you have a great meal - you can also change out the vegetables to any that you have on hand"
 
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photo by januarybride photo by januarybride
photo by januarybride
Ready In:
1hr 5mins
Ingredients:
16
Serves:
10
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ingredients

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directions

  • In a soup pot or large Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and onions, and season with a bit of salt (about a half-teaspoon). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, and potato. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the water and remaining teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Add the dry pasta and Swiss chard to the soup and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and green peas, and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked to the "al dente" stage. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, if desired. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or basil. Serve immediately.

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Reviews

  1. Definitely an easy and fresh veggie soup. This is my first time making a minestrone without a tomato base. This soup was very "green" LOL. I used mini cheese ravioli as my noodle and then subbed a yellow squash for one of the zucchini. I threw it all in the crockpot on high for 1 hour then on low for 2 hours and it was great. I added some sea salt, Spike seasoning and 2 bouillion cubes to give the flavor a bit of a boost, but all in all it was a fun and healthy soup. Served it with some quinoa bread. Made for Veg*n tag Aug 2009. I took a photo which I will upload when my laptop comes back from the shop. UPDATE: Leftovers today were even better than day 1. I also added some Greek Seasoning which did the trick. So good. Bumping you up to 5 stars :)
     
  2. This is a solid recipe, though I have to say I made several changes to make this to our liking. First I added about 2 extra cups of water, as when I added the chard and chickpeas it started to more resemble a stew. I was also very generous with the garlic and threw in a bit of bouillion; I wanted to follow the recipe to a T the first time but after a taste mid-cooking I felt it needed something. I didn't peel my potato, and used about 2/3 c pasta instead of a full cup. Make sure to follow the directions and simmer the pasta; I got antsy and turned the heat up and my pasta became mush. Thanks for posting; I love a good recipe that utilizes chard! Will definitely make this again. Made for Healthy Choices 2008.
     
  3. Followed the ingredients this 1st time around just to get a feel of what the finished recipe was meant to be like, & it does make for a VERY NICE TASTING VEGGIE SOUP! I was very pleased with the results & will be keeping this around for vegetarian friends of mine! Served it with a crusty rosemary & olive oil bread, which was great for cleaning up the bowl! Thanks for sharing! [Tagged, made & reviewed for a teammate in our vegetarian group in the Vegetarian/Vegan Recipe Swap]
     
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Tweaks

  1. Definitely an easy and fresh veggie soup. This is my first time making a minestrone without a tomato base. This soup was very "green" LOL. I used mini cheese ravioli as my noodle and then subbed a yellow squash for one of the zucchini. I threw it all in the crockpot on high for 1 hour then on low for 2 hours and it was great. I added some sea salt, Spike seasoning and 2 bouillion cubes to give the flavor a bit of a boost, but all in all it was a fun and healthy soup. Served it with some quinoa bread. Made for Veg*n tag Aug 2009. I took a photo which I will upload when my laptop comes back from the shop. UPDATE: Leftovers today were even better than day 1. I also added some Greek Seasoning which did the trick. So good. Bumping you up to 5 stars :)
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am a wife, a mother, grandmother and foremost a believer. I love to cook and bake for if man does not live by bread alone let the bread we eat be the best that there is! I love to read recipes and than experiment...make them mine...with my flare. For if its wworth doing do it right!
 
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