Winter Vegetable Minestrone Soup

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 2 large stalks 1 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 1 cup diced onion
  • 1/4 tsp Basil, dried
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 cups Butternut squash
  • 1 15 oz] can Cannellini beans
  • 2 cups Carrots
  • 2 large cloves Garlic
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp Oregano, dried
  • 1 tsp Parsley
  • 1 cup Red bell pepper

• Canned Goods

  • 5 cups Vegetable broth

• Condiments

  • 1 cup Tomato sauce [i used muir glen's bpa-free sauce, canned

• Pasta & Grains

  • 1 cups Ditalini pasta

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 tsp Sea salt

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 tbsp Olive oil

Found on peasandcrayons.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1-2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion [approx 1/2 a large onion]
• 1 cup diced celery [approx 2 large stalks]
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper [approx 1 pepper]
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 2-4 large cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 5-6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup canned tomato sauce [I used Muir Glens BPA-free sauce]
• 1 [15 oz] can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp dried oregano
• 1 or 1+ 1/2 cups ditalini pasta, or equivalent

Directions

• Heat 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.
• Add the onions, carrots, celery, butternut squash and bell pepper, and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, approx 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic towards the end to prevent burning.
• Next add your tomato sauce and 5 cups of vegetable broth [save the other cup to add later if desired] along with your bay leaf, garlic powder, basil, and oregano.
• Save the salt for the end and season to taste.
• Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• While your soup simmers, bring a pot of water to boil and cook your pasta if you . Some recipes swear by adding the raw noodles to the soup towards the end to add to the thickness of the soup but I always find the result to be a bit slimy and the noodles soak up a ridiculous amount of the broth. For best taste and results, I cook my noodles separately. Its an extra step [and pot] but 100% worth it to me for the difference it makes with soups like minestrone that are a perfect combination of brothy and chunky!
• Discard the bay leaf.
• Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through.
• If the soup is too thick, add an extra cup of vegetable broth.
• Depending on the saltiness of your beans, tomato sauce, and broth, youll want to salt the soup based on personal preference. That may mean no salt at all, just a pinch, or 1/2 tsp like I used. Let your tastebuds be your guide!
• Serve with slices of crusty baguette spread with your favorite butter or herbed olive oil.