Ingredients
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2.5 cups diced peeled butternut squash
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 26 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
- 6 to 8 cups vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked small gluten-free pasta, such as shells*
- 8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 2 tablespoons store-bought pesto (or you can make it if you’re feeling really ambitious)
- Garlic Pesto Bruschetta (recipe follows)
Garlic Pesto Bruschetta
- 1 gluten-free baguette (or regular, if you’re not doing the gf thing); I like Against the Grain baguettes in the freezer aisle
- 1 glove garlic, peeled + parsley (dried or fresh) OR 2-4 T pesto
Instructions
(1) Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
(2) Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the vegetable stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1.5 teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
(3) Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be pretty thick but if it’s too thick for your taste, add more stock. (You won’t see me doing this! I like my soups thicker!) Just before serving, add the spinach, and gently stir it in. Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto.
(4) Depending on the saltiness of your stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Spoon into large shallow bowls with a bruschetta or two on top. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and soup just before serving.
For the Garlic Pesto Bruschetta
(1) Slice your baguette a hard angle and lay out on a cookie sheet.
(2) Rub the garlic clove onto the slices. Sprinkle with parsley if you’re skipping the pesto part.
(3) Toast under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until brown and the edges are crispy. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
(4) Top with pesto immediately and serve with your soup
Notes
*Notes on your gluten-free pasta: Be sure to rinse your pasta when it’s finished cooking and I’d recommend undercooking it a little since it’ll soften up a bit more when you add it to the soup. I love this brand and buy it at Whole Foods (it’s on Amazon too), but Trader Joe’s has more affordable gluten-free pastas that are great too.
Leave a Comment
14 responses to “Hearty Minestrone Soup”
This looks soooo good!!! Thanks for sharing! I’m definitely gonna get all the ingredients and make it soon! Now if we could just get some cold weather here, that would make it even better! I love soup on a cold day!
I hope you like it!!
I LOVE minestrone! My mom used to make it for me when I was sick as a kid!
Aw, I love that! I actually had only ever eaten canned minestrone soup until a few years ago! Can’t even compare the two!
Looks delicious! I love soup and never thought about making some french bread toast like that to go with it. Sounds good to me!
It’s so easy and so good!!
Skip the garlic?! No way 😉 This looks great! I love soup in the cold weather months.
haha this is another reason i like you. 🙂 #garlicforlife
I’ve been missing bread – beyond plain old GF sandwich bread – so I’m excited to see that baguette! I have heard that brand of pasta is good. We have used the rice spaghetti from Trader Joe’s, and I have their quinoa pasta in the pantry, too. I’m going to give it a go in a baked pasta this weekend.
oh my gosh, i feel bad I haven’t introduced you to this bread sooner. It is SO good! If I’m not slicing it like this, I just wrap it in foil (drizzle with olive oil if you like) and bake 20-30 minutes at 400*. It’s crispy and chewy and delicious.
You’ve tried Three Sisters Gluten Free bread, right? (The local company)
Yes – Three Sisters is the best!
I made this last night-it was yummy. This recipe also made a ton of soup too! Yay for leftovers!
I’m making this tomorrow! So excited. If I don’t add the wine should I substitute something else?
Just leave it out! I made it without wine last time and it tasted the same I think haha.