Veggistrone

Dinner

60 min

162 kcal / serving

This vegetable-packed minestrone soup recipe is inspired by a popular Weight Watchers vegetable soup recipe. It makes a big pot of soup, so keep some in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freeze the rest in single-serve portions. That way you always have an easy, delicious vegetable soup to start your meal or to eat for lunch. Think of this vegetable minestrone recipe as a starting point for other healthy soup variations, too: toss in leftover chopped cooked chicken or whole-wheat pasta or brown rice to make it more satisfying.

Ingredients

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2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
2 cupschopped onions (2 medium)
2 cupschopped celery (4 medium stalks)
1 cupchopped green bell pepper (1 medium)
4 clovesgarlic, minced
3 cupschopped cabbage
3 cupschopped cauliflower (about 1/2 medium)
2 cupschopped carrots (4 medium)
2 cupsgreen beans, cut into 1-inch pieces, or frozen, thawed
8 cupslow-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 cupswater
1can tomato sauce
1can diced tomatoes
1can kidney or pinto beans, rinsed
1bay leaf
4 cupschopped fresh spinach or 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
½ cupthinly sliced fresh basil
10 tablespoonsfreshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1
Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven (8-quart or larger) over medium heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 13 to 15 minutes. Add cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and green beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 10 minutes more.
2
Add broth, water, tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans and bay leaf; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer for 10 minutes more.
3
Discard the bay leaf. Stir in basil. Top each portion with 1 tablespoon cheese.