Hearty Minestrone with White Beans & Pasta

Photo: Katrin Morenz from Aachen, Deutschland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

A thick, tomatoey vegetable soup loaded with two kinds of beans, green beans, spinach and little elbows, finished with plenty of Parmesan and crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 8 cups (2 cartons) vegetable broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1½ cups elbow macaroni or ditalini
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz green beans, in 1-inch pieces
• 5 oz baby spinach
• ⅔ cup grated Parmesan, plus a rind if you have one
• 1 baguette, for serving

From your pantry: 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp chili flakes, 1 bay leaf, salt, pepper.

Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, basil and chili flakes and cook until the paste darkens, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, both beans, the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind if using. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add the green beans and pasta and simmer, stirring now and then, until the pasta is tender, 9 to 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the spinach until wilted, remove the bay leaf and rind, and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, with sliced baguette.

Tip: The soup thickens a lot as it sits; thin leftovers with a cup of water or broth when you reheat.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

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