Dinner · Lunch

Garden Minestrone

A big pot of vegetables, beans and small pasta with fresh basil. Use whatever vegetables you have.

⏱ 55 min (20 min prep, 35 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 8 · about 1 1/2 cups budgetmake aheadfreezer friendlyleftovers vegetarian
📅 Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 8 servings

  • Soup

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 Yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 Carrots, diced
  • 2 stalk Celery, diced
  • 3 clove Garlic, minced
  • 1 Zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup Green beans (fresh), cut in 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 can Diced tomatoes
  • 8 cup Vegetable broth, low-sodium
  • 1 can Kidney beans (canned), drained and rinsed
  • 1 can White beans (canned), drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Elbow macaroni
  • 2 cup Baby spinach
  • ½ tsp Ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp Table salt (to taste)
  • ½ cup Fresh basil, chopped

  • To serve

  • ⅓ cup Grated Parmesan

Make it yourself

Make the italian seasoning yourself → Make the vegetable stock yourself → Cook the red kidney beans from dry →

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: large pot.

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots and celery 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
  2. Add the zucchini, green beans, Italian seasoning, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.
  3. Add both beans and the pasta. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
  4. Stir in the spinach until wilted. Add the pepper, taste for salt and stir in the basil. Serve with Parmesan.

🌡 Safe temperaturesLeftovers, reheated 165°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.

Make aheadKeeps 4 days in the fridge; the pasta keeps soaking up broth, so add water when you reheat it to 165°F.
❄️ FreezerFreeze for up to 3 months. For the best texture, freeze it before adding the pasta.
↺ LeftoversPack hot in an insulated food jar for lunch.
🧒 With kidsLet kids pick the vegetables at the store. Small pasta shapes make it fun.
Dairy-free swapSkip the Parmesan.
Gluten-free swapUse gluten-free pasta.

Goes well with

🥖 Garlic Bread

Good to know

Cooking Fats Compared Fresh vs. dried herbs Stock vs. broth Dried vs. canned beans Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Food Safety Basics

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.

@teddyrookbook GitHub Sources and credits