Minestrone is everything that I need in this unseasonable chilly weather! This is one of the first soups I learnt to make as a teenager, the original recipe that my mum used as a basis was from a very 80s, food-stained microwave cookbook. It can really be made with any veg in your fridge (I love fennel in it!) but these are my regular staple.

But I’ve brought this recipe into the 20s (leaving the microwave behind) – with some fresher ingredients that simply meld together into one of the most warming and nourishing soups ever. Perfect for postpartum or healing from illness – as it reheats well and it packed with nutrients from all the veggies.

It’s vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free and can be made LOW FODMAP by omitting the onion, celery and garlic. 

Warming Minestrone soup

This nourishing soup is packed with veg, perfect for the autumn/spring chill

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 medium pot (or high sided, deep pan)

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 sticks celery roughly chopped
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1 capsicum diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped stalks and leaves
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 1 tin of red kidney beans
• 3 cups chicken bone broth Beef or vegetable broth will be fine too
• 250 g of pasta – I used gluten free spirals
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• Splash of milk or alternative – I use almond
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup Grated parmasan cheese

Instructions

 

• Gently cook down your onion, zucchini, carrots, celery and capsicum in the pot till they have a bit of colour (2-3 mins on a medium heat).
• Add your garlic and sauté for a minute, then season everything with salt and pepper.
• Add the chopped parsley, tin of chopped tomatoes, beans and wine – stir to combine.
• Now pour in your 3 cups of bone broth, sugar and splash of milk, then gently bring up heat to medium/high simmer.
• Add the pasta when it’s simmering high and cook according to packet instructions (from 5-10 mins). Note: only part cook if you are cooking to reheat later, to maintain pasta shape.
• Once the pasta is cooked, give it a quick taste test to make sure the vegetables are soft (shouldn’t be too soggy or too hard). Season again with a pinch of salt and pepper if required.
• Serve with some crusty bread and grated parmesan cheese on top! Yum.

Notes

The sugar can be subbed for honey (or another sugar) if needed, it’s simply there to bring in balance and reduce the acidity. This is also the purpose for the splash of milk, it is optional.

To make this recipe completely vegan friendly, swap out the bone broth for vegetable stock.