Homemade Minestrone Soup

I feel like homemade soup sometimes can get a bad wrap…“it takes too long, I don’t know what to put in it, it’s bland, etc…” but this homemade Minestrone Soup is so easy and so flavorful I promise you’ll never want to eat canned soup again!

The weekends see a lot of soup-making at my house! Not only is it easy but it’s the perfect way to use up al of the odds and ends veg that is hanging around the fridge and countertops left over from the rest of the week…and this homemade minestrone soup is no exception! The best part? You can put the leftovers in a glass jar and it will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks, or freeze, for months!

What you are going to need to buy:

Tomatoes (3-4), small, diced - This is honestly the perfect way to get rid of tomatoes that have gone a little squishy in the fridge. As long as they are not moldy, they are going to be just fine for soup.

White or Yellow Onion (1), medium - (Cut into chunks. No need to be too pretty, it’s all going to cook down anyway.

Minced Garlic - (We like the jarred kind from Spice World)

Tomato Paste, 1 tablespoon

Olive Oil

Veggie Broth (2-3 cups) or your favorite veggie bouillon cubes - (we like THESE from Edward & Sons)

White Mushrooms, sliced

Non-Dairy Butter - (We used Earth Balance)

Veggie Stock or Bouillon Cubes - (We used THESE from Edward and Sons)

Roasted veggies of choice, about 3 cups, total (We used baby potatoes, carrots, broccoli, baby corn, and snap peas, but again, use what you’ve got on hand!)

Dry Pasta - 1.5 -2 servings (We like orecchiette for this but any small shell or noodle should do)

Fresh Herbs - (Use what you like, use what you have. We used some rosemary and lots of curly parsley!)

Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Parmesan Cheese for topping - (Our favorite is THIS DAIRY FREE OPTION from Follow Your Heart)

What you are going to need to do:

Start by cutting your tomatoes and onions into 1” pieces - No need to be too pretty, it’s all going to cook down anyway.

In a skillet, over medium heat, stew the tomatoes, onions, and 1-2 tablespoons of garlic until the veg is soft and mushy. (This should take 5-10 minutes)

Once a lot of the liquid has cooked out of the tomatoes and has evaporated, add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir to incorporate. Continue to stir so that the tomato paste cooks, but does not burn for about 90 seconds, to 2 minutes. Mixture will be thick.

Remove from heat and into a soup pot add the stewed mixture, the veggie broth and rosemary (or preferred herbs). Stir and return to stove-top, allowing stock to simmer, but not boil. Cover with a loose lid so that you don’t loose too much to evaporation.

Now, Roast those Veggies!

Cut all your veg into bite size (1/2 to 1 inch) cubes. Making sure everything is roughly the same size allows all the veg to roast at about the same speed. Oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

No leftover veggies and no time to cut and chop? THESE PACKS from Birdseye works just great. Simply dump the frozen veggies on a tray with oil, salt, and pepper, and roast like you would fresh!

Roast at 375 for 20 minutes, checking half-way through to make sure nothing is browning too quickly.

For the last 3-5 minutes of the roast you can turn the oven to a low broil to really make sure you get some nice color on the veggies. Watch this closely! All ovens broil at different rates…and you don’t want them to burn.

Assembly:

At this point, I like to use a stick blender in the stock liquid to bust up any remains of tomato skins, herbs, or large chunks of onions. We are not looking for it all to be super smooth, just not too chunky, so pulsing the stick blender in short bursts works better. You could also transfer and do this in a traditional blender, if you like.

After blended, into the simmering stock, add the pasta, and increase the heat to achieve a low boil. Allow pasta to cook for 8-9 minutes. Add more water, if necessary.

Add in all of the roasted veggies to the pot and like to add a bit more curly parsley at this point.

Simmer another 3-4 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with more fresh herbs and grated parmesan cheese.