Vegan Minestrone Soup

Soups are one of my absolute favorite dishes to cook! I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but they’re hard to mess up on and are one of the easiest ways to ensure that you have a variety of nutrients in your meal.

My mom makes the best vegan minestrone soups in the whole entire world. I could probably eat this same soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday for a month and not be tired of it. This minestrone soup is the perfect replacement for chicken noodle soup when you’re a vegetarian feeling a bit under the weather. I know I was supposed to write a post yesterday, but when I got home after work I felt so crummy that I took a nap instead. By the time I woke up, I had to eat dinner and take care of a few things for work that I wasn’t able to post. Sorry! So here, down below is a recipe sure to warm your insides and make you feel good! It sure made me feel better.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 2 stalks celery (diced)
• 1 large carrot (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 1/2 cup green beans (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 28 ounce can of unsalted diced tomatoes
• 2 cups spinach (or any other leafy green of your choice)
• 1 15 ounce can of low sodium kidney beans (drained)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 3-4 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a medium to large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until it’s translucent. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they’re beginning to soften. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano, dried basil, and cook for about 3 minutes.
2. Add both the 2 cans of diced tomatoes, water, and broth. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the soup is simmering for about 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and uncooked quinoa. The soup is ready when the quinoa is fluffy. Stir in the leafy green vegetable and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Serve in a GIANT bowl with some freshly chopped basil.

That’s literally all there is to it. This soup covers all of your necessary food groups and is ladened with protein, vitamins, and minerals. Slurp it up, but not literally. I can’t stand the sound of slurping. Hope you all have a happy rest of your Friday and a great weekend!

Related posts:

Lentil Vegetable Soup Vegetable Bean and Farro Soup Velvety Green Vegetable Soup (vegan) Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (Vegan)