Rainbow Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Makes: 6 servings 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 carrots, sliced into coins

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt 

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups of chicken stock

½-pound yukon gold potatoes, small diced

2 cups green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups chopped spinach

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

Grated parmesan, optional

Instructions

1. Pour the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. When the oil is warm, add the red onion, celery, and carrot. Saute the vegetables for about 4 minutes.
2. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes more.
3. Add the salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, and chicken stock to the pot. Stir to combine.
4. Add the potatoes to the pot. Bring the soup to just a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the green beans to the soup and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
6. Stir in the spinach and red wine vinegar. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan, if desired.

Notes

To make the soup more filling, add a whole grain such as quick-cooking farro, barley, or your choice of pasta during the simmering step. Grains absorb liquid, so plan to increase the amount of stock you use by 1-2 cups.

To reduce the sodium content, choose no salt added canned kidney beans.

Nutrition 

For approximately 1 ½ cups of soup

Calories: 225

Fat: 5 grams

Saturated Fat: Less than 1 gram

Cholesterol: 0 milligrams

Sodium: 985 milligrams

Carbohydrate: 28 grams

Fiber: 9 grams

Sugar: 8 grams

Added Sugar: 0 grams

Protein: 10 grams