Days are shorter, temperatures are lower… For sure, Fall has arrived.
On these cold evenings, we’re all craving comfort food. Nothing better than a hot, flavorful and hearty soup.
In the soup categorie, Minestrone is a winner :
- vegetarian
- fat-free
- clean-out-the-fridge meal
- ready in 30′
- AND it freezes and reheat well.
Can’t ask for anything else, can we ?
Simplest version made with only green beans and tomatoes.
The recipe is waaaaayyyy much simpler that it seems. I’m a mother of 4, you know ? I do skip all complicated recipes – and all the ones containing more than 15 ingredients, seasonings included.
Why ? Because :
- That’s ridiculous, when you mix too many flavors, at the end, you can’t taste any of them.
- I don’t have time to gather and prep so many things. Do you ?
Here are the tricks :
- Always keep a bag of each of the following frozen, minced, raw vegetables in your freezer : green beans, green peas, onions, carrots, celery, leeks. ALWAYS. These bags are going to save you many headaches – and lots of time, every day.
- For SCD, or if you’re just interested in eating healthier stuff than canned foods, always keep a medium container of cooked beans in your freezer. Every week, soak and cook a batch of beans. One week, red beans, the following week, white beans. At first, make a double batch and freeze half in medium containers. You now have your own “canned beans”.
The second half will be used here and there in different recipes throughout the week.
In the future, I’m going to post a video about meal prep which details all the possibilities.
Okay, let’s dive in !
All the pictures below have been realized with frozen foods, to show you the shortest prep for this soup. Actually, you’re going to use my all-time favorite cooking method : gather and prep all ingredients while the dish is cooking. No, it’s not academic :-).
Is it fast ? Yes. Does it work well ? Yes ! Do I burn stuff sometimes ? Very, very rarely ( and only when the kids interrupt me too many times while it’s cooking.)
First, you’re going to sauté frozen carrots, celery and onions (aka mirepoix or soffrito), on high heat, until all their water has evaporated.
While they’re pre-cooking, which takes 5 to 8′, you’re going to prep the other ingredients, get the tomato paste, open your can of tomatoes, get/drain your beans, mince the spinach or kale, etc….
When they are thawed and all the water has evaporated, you’re going to add in bulk : tomato paste, broken frozen green beans, other frozen vegetables if using – keep the zucchini aside though, it would cook too long and get mushy.
Then top with diced tomatoes, broth (mine is homemade and frozen), bay leaves, herbs and chili powder.
That day I used only red beans, green beans and tomatoes. Simpler, but also very delicious 🙂
Bring to a boil, and simmer 5′ on low heat. Add red/white beans, zucchini if using, and simmer another 10′.
In the meantime, cook pasta if using. After 2 years of strict SCD, we’re now using lentils pasta, with no side effect. These are made in Italy, where all manufacturers must declare every single atom of any ingredient they used in the product, and law is strictly enforced with a lot of controls. Therefore, we do well with these pasta, as they only contain lentils (even if the lentils are not pre-soaked, which doesn’t comply with strict SCD).
I only recommend the yellow lentils pasta from this brand – the red lentils and chickpeas ones are a bit dough-y (and anyway, the chickpeas are not SCD).
Turn heat off. If you like, juice a lemon above the pot right before serving, and give the Minestrone a good stir.
Top with vegan parmesan / regular parmegiano reggiano if you do dairy.
If you’re in a fancy mood, add these buns (toasted) on the side.
Full version, with red, white and green beans, zucchini and tomatoes, without pasta.
Simplest version, red beans, green beans and tomatoes, lentils pasta and vegan parmesan.
Looking for more comfort food ? Try this creamy Thaï Shrimp Soup !
Minestrone ( Italian, vegetarian, dairy-free soup)
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stacks celeri, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- Instead of the 3 vegetables above, you may use frozen mirepoix.
- 1 L of chicken broth, or vegetable broth or hot water, if you don't have broth
- 800 g diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
- 800 g cooked beans, red or white, or a mix of both. Canned beans work if you're not following SCD. For SCD, use frozen/a leftover of soaked and cooked beans.
- 454 g pasta optional (if you're not strictly SCD, lentils pasta, or wheat pasta)
- Any combination of the following :
- 1 handful frozen green beans or fresh, broken into bite-size pieces
- 1 handful baby spinach or kale, minced
- 2-3 zucchini peeled and cubed
- 1 tsp of dried thyme and/or sage
- 1-3 bay leaves to taste
- A pinch of Kashmiri powder or any other ground chili (optional)
- Vegan parmesan or freshly grated parmesan if you do dairy (optional)
- 1 lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- If you're planning to add some pasta, boil the water now in a separate pot.In a large cast-iron or stainless steel pot, sauté the onion, carrots and celery until tender ( or until the frozen vegetables have lost all their water and start to stick at the bottom of the pot.)Add tomatoes, broth or water, green beans, herbs, and Kashmiri, if using. bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 5'.
- Add the navy/kidney/butter beans, and zuchini, and simmer for 10 more minutes.Cook the pasta now if you're using any. When they're ready, drain and rinse thoroughly.
- Add kale or baby spinach to the soup, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat.Leave it for 5-7', until spinach/kale have wilted.In the meantime, drain and rinse the pasta thoroughly to remove all starch ( this will keep them al dente, and not sticky). They will re-heat naturally once put into the hot soup.Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice if using, and give it a good stir.
- Ready ! Laddle the soup into bowls. Add the pasta and top with parmesan, if using. Add some salt and pepper in the bowls (to taste).
- Enjoy 🙂
Notes
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