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Immunity boosting Winter Minestrone 11 4087

Immunity-boosting Winter Minestrone

Author: Traffic Light Cook
A colorful hearty soup with lots of flavor!
Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 140 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tsp avocado oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped about 3/4 cup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 ribs celery, 1 cup
  • 1 cup butternut squash, heaping cup
  • 1 large carrot, about 1 cup
  • 1 14oz can crushed tomatoes, low-sodium
  • 6 cups homemade vegetable broth, or any low-sodium
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped, or 1/3 tsp dried
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
  • 4 cups fresh spinach, (preferably baby spinach)
  • 1 15oz can garbanzo beans, preferably no-salt added, (or any other beans)
  • 3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste, (preferably freshly milled)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil on medium heat. Then add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent (about 2 minutes).
  • Add celery; cook until soft around edges (~5-7 minutes). Then add chopped butternut squash and carrots; cook until soft (~5 minutes)
  • Add crush tomatoes, bay leaf, and fresh (or dried) rosemary along with vegetable broth, salt, and ground pepper. If short on broth, you can add half broth and half water (about 3 cups each). Let the soup simmer on medium heat for about 35-40 minutes. 
  • Drain and rinse garbanzo beans out of can and add to the soup. Add spinach and thyme. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

*the amount of dried herbs can vary depending upon their age and storage conditions. Add a little more if you like your herbs to show  up in the soup. 
*If the soup is too hearty for kids, coarsely blend half of the soup and remix.
*nutrition information is an estimate and can change if high-sodium broth, tomatoes, and beans are used. This recipe uses no-salt added homemade vegetable broth, low-sodium crushed tomatoes, and no-salt added garbanzo beans. 
Make it flexible
  1. replace rosemary with 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried)
  2. replace celery with zucchini and/or green beans. Just add it at the same time as carrots and butternut squash. 
  3. I have not tried it, but can replace butternut squash with any other type. 
  4. replace spinach with other greens, swiss chard works well

Nutrition

Serving: 227gCalories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 6gFat: 2gSodium: 410mgFiber: 7gSugar: 5gCalcium: 100mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!