Easy Minestrone Soup with Beets
You don’t need a lot to achieve a hearty, rich broth- this one is accomplished by cooking beans with tomatoes and beets. Most of the heavy lifting is done by the beans, which create a thick and savory broth as they cook. This easy minestrone is made with common herbs mostly likely in your cabinet, pasta, canned tomatoes, stunning beets, and rich, red beans. It’s simple and warming, with pasta (pasta makes everything better). This easy minestrone soup is a great weeknight dinner, and a crowd-pleaser if you have guests!
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Snowy, Snowy March
As the end of winter approaches, I’ve gotten into a little bit of a soup kick- from One-Pot Green Curry Noodle Soup, followed by Creamy Roasted Romaine Soup, and now onto this easy minestrone soup, I seem to be greeting the approaching Spring by keeping myself firmly tunneled into winter. It’s not that I want more snow, but the past few years we’ve gotten the bulk of our storms in March. I’m starting to accept that March is a winter month, although I don’t love it. It’s a little bit of a mean trick- the longer days makes it feel like Spring, but there’s still many weeks before the morels start popping out their heads. Dreams of summer foraging seem far away, buried in the slushy March snowbanks.
Looking for Soups? Try one of these!
- Fresh Tomato Soup with Crispy Garlic Toasts
- Rhubarb Vegan Hot and Sour Soup
- Cold Weather Cabbage Soup with Butternut Squash and Turmeric
- Lentil, Chestnut Mushrooms and Amaranth Winter Soup
- Kabocha Squash Soup with Sunflower Seed Cream
- Baby Bok Choy Christmas Lima Bean Soup
Turkey-Inspired Easy Minestrone Soup
My neighborhood was visited by a turkey last week. She was by herself, and only around for a day, but while she was here she strutted around the neighborhood, examining everyone’s cars, driveways, porches and yards. I remember glancing out the window, just to check on the weather, and seeing her perched on our back porch. Whenever I see a wild turkey up close, I’m always first stuck by how large they are. They have a definitive “don’t mess with me” look to them, but the lady we had the other day seemed pretty calm. Never the less, I gave her space, and admired her from behind the glass panes on the door. Against the winter grey and white background, I was struck by the warmth within the browns of her plumage. Hints of reds peppered her feathers, and the beautiful colors made me think of this easy minestrone soup I’ve made a few times before. Just like this female turkey, it’s nothing flashy, but it’s beautiful.
Making Vegan Minestrone Soup
The beans are the heart of this soup. We’ve started with dried beans, and a good quality, tasty bean can really make or break this broth. I get most of my beans from Rancho Gordo, a company specializing in heirloom beans, but there are other companies that specialize in quality legumes too. Just make sure to find a bean you love, that will give you a hearty broth (I recommend a red bean). After that, this is basically a one-pot meal. The beets and beans go in with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and herbs, and are simmered until the beans are cooked. If your soup isn’t looking brothy enough for you, you can always throw in a little more water. Then the pasta is added, and boiled until it is just cooked- this is the somewhat tricky part, as your pasta can easily go mushy if you leave it in the broth too long.
Easy Minestrone Soup with Beets
Ingredients
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- ¼ tsp. dried rosemary
- 8 oz. dried beans (I used Rio Zape beans, but pinto or other red beans would work fine).
- One large beet, diced
- 26 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 8 oz. fusilli pasta
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic and sauté for a minute before adding your onion. Sauté for another minute or two, before adding the dried herbs. Next add your beans, stirring so they’re coated in the oil. Add the beets and can of tomatoes to the pot. Once the can is empty, use it to measure out one or two can’s worth of water and add it to the pot.
- Bring the soup to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Let it continue to simmer until your beans are cooked- this could be 30 minutes to a couple hours, depending on your beans.
- Once your beans are cooked (or slightly undercooked), throw in the pasta. Cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until it is just soft enough. Add salt and pepper to taste, and finish with fresh parsley.
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Let’s hear from you…
- Has your mind made it out of winter yet, or are you still feeling this easy minestrone soup?
- What’s your favorite bean?
- Have your encounters with wildlife ever inspired you to create something?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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As northern Italians in heritage, my family always started each evening supper with a bowl of homemade soup. My mother made a huge pot on Mondays to last the week. She added pasta only when preparing a pot for the evening. An Italian grandma taught me to prepare the pasta in a separate pot of water, then add to the hot soup just before serving to avoid overcooking.
That’s a great trick, especially if you’re planning having leftovers. Thanks for sharing!