Winter Minestrone

My number one rule for eating healthy when you don’t have time to cook healthy is….

MAKE SOUP!

My soup category probably far outweighs any other category on this blog, and for good reason. When you don’t time to spend in the kitchen, all you gotta do is saute some veggies, add some beans, grains or protein and voila…killer stew.

I had quite a few ingredients leftover from Thanksgiving prep, and what better way to put them to good use, but to whip up a hearty, seasonal minestrone? 

9 cups vegetable broth

2 cups organic pasta

16 oz fire roasted organic tomatoes

1 can organic kidney beans

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups diced butternut squash

1 1/2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups julienned kale

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp all purpose seasoning

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil for 10 minutes
• Add carrots and celery and cook for 5 more minutes
• Add tomatoes, garlic, butternut squash, potatoes, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, rosemary, all purpose seasoning, turmeric, salt and black pepper and stir until well incorporated
• Add beans, kale and 6 cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil
• Cover, reduce to a simmer, and let cook for 20 minutes
• Add remaining broth and bring back to a boil
• Add pasta and cook until pasta is cooked