Kale Minestrone Soup Recipe
This kale minestrone soup recipe will show you the difference between a good and an AMAZING minestrone soup recipe. I have four simple tricks to ensure the broth is packed full of rich flavor. Prepare for minestrone magic!
Ingredients
Kale Minestrone Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 medium red potatoes, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, thyme, and black pepper
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- 2 parmesan rinds, optional - see notes
- 15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces kale, removed from stem and chopped
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Sea salt, to taste
Easy Basil Pesto
- 2 ounces basil, about 1 cup, loosely packed
- 2 ounces parsley, about 1 cup loosely packed
- ¼ cup pine nuts, cashews or almonds work great, too
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese OR nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots and let them cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and onion start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook it until it is sweet smelling and starts to darken, about 3 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 large carrots, 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
- Add the vegetable broth, potatoes, celery, zucchini, black pepper, oregano, and thyme to the pot. Pour the juice from the tomatoes into the pot then use your hands to crush the whole tomatoes before adding them to the pot. If you're using the parmesan rinds, add them to the pot now. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.4 cups vegetable broth, 3 medium red potatoes, 2 stalks celery, 1 zucchini, 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, thyme, and black pepper, 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- While the soup simmers, make the pesto. Add all the pesto ingredients to a small food processor and pulse until mostly smooth.2 ounces basil, 2 ounces parsley, ¼ cup pine nuts, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Juice from ½ lemon, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese OR nutritional yeast
- Add the beans, kale, and lemon juice to the soup and let the kale wilt and the beans warm through. Season to taste with sea salt. Serve the minestrone topped with the pesto.15 ounce can white beans, 8 ounces kale, Juice from ½ lemon, Sea salt
Notes
Note 1: To make this soup quickly, start by mincing the onion and let that start cooking while you prepare the garlic and carrots. Then chop the remaining veggies while the carrots and onion cook.
Note 2: If you have parmesan rinds, throw a few into the pot with the stock for extra flavor.
Note 3: I like the rough texture of using whole tomatoes and crushing them with my hands. If you'd prefer, you can use diced tomatoes instead.
Note 4: The veggies are really flexible. If there are any you don't like, feel free to swap them for ones you enjoy or have on hand. You want about 4 cups of chopped veggies, not including the potatoes.
Serving: 1 serving = ⅙ of the recipe (about 2 cups), Calories: 369kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 1870mg, Potassium: 1907mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 10116IU, Vitamin C: 100mg, Calcium: 228mg, Iron: 7mg