Autumn Minestrone Soup
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Autumn Minestrone Soup – a healthy minestrone brimming with nutritious, seasonal fall vegetables, tender pasta, and creamy kidney beans.
This cozy soup is one you’ll have on repeat once those chilly days hit!
The Perfect Fall Minestrone Soup
I’ve always loved minestrone soup, so seeing as it’s fall, I decided to make a minestrone filled with the veggies of the season. This soup is incredibly hearty and filling, even though it’s vegetarian. It’s a lot of dicing since there are so many veggies, but you can take shortcuts and use some pre-cut veggies like I did.
I hate cutting butternut squash, so I’ve been loving the pre-cut packages of it at the store. I’m willing to pay a little bit extra if it means I don’t have to spend forever peeling and cutting that solid vegetable.
This minestrone tastes pretty similar to the Slow Cooker Minestrone I have posted, but I adjusted the ingredients to highlight the fall flavors of Yukon gold potatoes, butternut squash, and kale. One thing I found that I didn’t think was necessary in this recipe is the ditalini pasta, since you already have the starchy potatoes and kidney beans. I’ve seen other versions that use rice to make a wild rice soup, which would also be tasty and gluten-free.
I listed it as optional, and I think I’ll try it without next time. It did keep it hearty and filling, though. If you do use it, you may want to add a little more broth after the soup rests because it will begin to soak it up and have a gummy texture.
I love vegetable soups, and this one is a great way to get a good portion of veggies into your daily diet. It will also make great leftovers for lunch for the next few days!
How to Make Autumn Minestrone Soup
- Heat olive oil in a pot.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and garlic.
- Add broth, potatoes, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, add pasta.
- Reduce the heat and simmer until veggies are tender.
- Stir in kale and kidney beans, cook until tender.
- Remove bay leaf and serve with parmesan or a swirl of cream (or coconut milk if you’re dairy-free).
Follow these same instructions for a crock pot soup, but add the pasta in the last 10-20 minutes of stewing.
Can I Add Other Vegetables?
Yes. You can swap out some of these vegetables for others you may have on hand and need to use up. Other good vegetables to use include:
- Sweet potatoes
- Brussels sprouts
- Other types of squash
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
- Celery
- Beets
More Delicious Favorite Fall Soup Recipes to Try
- Cabbage Soup
- Lentil Soup
- Gnocchi Vegetable Soup (with Pesto and Parmesan!)
- Mexican Vegetable Soup
- Vegetable Soup
Follow Cooking Classy
Autumn Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots , diced
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups 3/4-inch diced yukon gold potatoes
- 2 1/2 cups 3/4-inch diced butternut squash (I bought it pre-cut)
- 1 medium zucchini , ends trimmed, sliced into half moons or quarters
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 tsp finely minced fresh rosemary or oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup dry ditalini pasta (optional)
- 2 cups packed chopped kale (thick ribs removed)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can red or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Shredded parmesan cheese , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots and saute 3 minutes then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Stir in vegetable broth, potatoes, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil then and stir in pasta if using. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and and simmer until veggies are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in kale and kidney beans and cook until kale is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Remove bay leaves, serve warm with parmesan cheese.
- Recipe source: adapted from My Recipes