Minestrone Soup
This easy vegan minestrone soup brings all the flavors of a summer garden to your table! A healthy, beginner-friendly recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
Equipment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- small pot
- colander
- Dutch oven or large pot
- ladle or large spoon
Ingredients
- ½ cup short pasta (I used stelline, but ditalini, rotini, or elbow macaroni also work well; see Note)
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes quartered (measure them whole first, then quarter them)
- ½ cup matchstick carrots
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Optional garnishes
- fresh basil leaves
- fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions (usually around 7 to 9 minutes at medium-high) until it reaches an al dente texture (firm with some “bite”). Drain it in a colander over the sink and set it aside.
- Meanwhile, to a Dutch oven or large pot, add the zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, a few cracks of black pepper, chickpeas, marinara sauce, and vegetable broth. Stir well.
- Bring the ingredients in the Dutch oven or large pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until the zucchini is soft.
- Stir in the drained pasta (unless storing separately; see Note) and nutritional yeast. Taste and add more pepper or seasoning to suit your preferences. Garnish with fresh basil or Italian parsley leaves (optional). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Store any leftover soup in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Vegan minestrone soup also freezes well (allow it to cool to room temperature before freezing).
- When stored in the soup, the pasta will absorb some of the broth and swell up, making the soup more stew-like. If you know you’ll have leftovers and want to prevent this from happening, do not add the pasta to the large pot on the last step. Instead, store the pasta separately and add a portion of it to each individual serving just before you are ready to eat it. Alternatively, store with all the cooked pasta in the soup but add a few splashes of broth before reheating, to give the soup a thinner consistency.