Cooking On A Budget: Veggie Minestrone Spring Soup!

Source: Vegetarian Times

What could be better than a delicious bowl of soup? Today, we have a hearty recipe for veggie minestrone spring soup! This recipes uses veggies that are pretty easily accessible in the springtime. If you enjoy veggies, this spring soup recipe is perfect for you. If you want to add a little extra protein, you can precook chicken or another type of meat and add it to the soup. However, this is completely optional and up to you. Give this recipe a try, and don’t hesitate to tailor it to your tastes!

Veggie Minestrone Spring Soup Ingredients:

• 1 cup of diced celery
• 1 cup of sliced carrots
• 1 large onion that has been diced
• 2 cups of diced zucchini
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15-ounce can of kidney beans, drained
• 6 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 2 cups of uncooked penne pasta
• 2 cups of baby spinach that has been coarsely chopped
• pepper and salt to taste

Veggie Minestrone Spring Soup Directions:

Put a large pot over medium-high heat. Then, add your diced celery, sliced carrots, large diced onion, diced zucchini, minced garlic, and olive oil. Saute the veggies until they have become tender. After the veggies have begun to become tender, turn the heat down to medium and stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, and kidney beans. Next, add the veggie broth or chicken broth and then add the Italian seasoning. Simmer the soup on low heat and stir it from time to time. Add in the uncooked penne pasta and spinach. Continue to simmer the soup until the veggies and pasta become tender. It takes approximately 7 minutes for this to occur. Add salt and pepper according to your tastes. If you want to add meat, the best time to do so is right after the veggies and penne pasta have become tender.