Comforting Minestrone Soup

I have to admit, the recent encounter with had me on edge. It’s not easy having to wonder if that big tree outside is going to come crashing down on your home or whether you’ll be without power for a while. During the storm, I thought about what comforts me during bad weather like this. Things like a warm blanket, a good book, a big hug from a loved one and a hot bowl of soup make me feel cozy and safe.

One of my favorite soups to make is Minestrone. It’s hearty and filling without having any meat or cream. I love that it’s healthy too because of all the fresh vegetables. There are so many ingredients that if you have a picky eater it’s easy to either pluck out one of the vegetables or for that one thing to get lost in the sea of other ingredients. My fiancée hates zucchini and spinach. So what I do is shred the zucchini instead of slice it. The shreds get lost in the soup and while you can still taste the zucchini you don't bite into big chunks of it. I haven’t quite snuck in the spinach yet, but I’m working on it.

Next time you need the comfort that only a hot bowl of soup can provide, try my Minestrone!

Ingredients

1 small onion chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 celery stalks (including leaves) chopped

extra light olive oil

2 14 oz cans (or 1 28 oz can) of Low Sodium Diced Tomatoes with Juice

3 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 8 oz can of small white navy beans, rinsed

2 whole bay leaves

½ tsp of dried thyme

½ tsp of dried sage

1 cup of ditalini pasta

1 small zucchini shredded

½ cup of thawed frozen spinach (optional)

whole wheat rolls

Heat up a couple drizzles of extra light olive oil. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the mirepoix, which is the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the diced tomatoes with juice, chicken/vegetable broth, navy beans, bay leaves, thyme and sage. Bring the pot to a boil. Lower temperature to medium and add one cup of uncooked ditalini pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes until pasta is al dente then add the zucchini and spinach to heat it up.

Serve hot with some freshly baked whole wheat rolls on the side and let the warm fuzzies take over.