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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 crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, fresh (or dried) rosemary, vegetable broth, salt, and ground pepper. If there is not enough broth at hand, 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 the garbanzo beans out of the can and add them to the soup. Add spinach and thyme. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

*the amount of dried herbs can vary depending on their age and storage conditions. Add more if you like your herbs to appear 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 homemade vegetable broth with no salt added, low-sodium crushed tomatoes, and no-salt-added garbanzo beans. 
Make it flexible
  • replace rosemary with 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil (or 1 tbsp dried)
  • replace celery with zucchini and/or green beans. Just add it at the same time as carrots and butternut squash.
  • I have not tried it, but you can replace the butternut squash with any other type.
  • replace spinach with other greens, swiss chard works well

Nutrition

Serving: 227gCalories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 6gFat: 2gSodium: 410mgFiber: 7gSugar: 5gCalcium: 100mg
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