Healthy Minestrone Soup

This minestrone is the kind of soup that feels like a reset. It’s deeply comforting, full of color and texture, and flexible enough to shift with the seasons. We swap traditional navy beans for diced chicken sausage for extra richness, but the heart of this soup remains the same: slow-softened aromatics, nourishing broth, and a handful of simple vegetables coming together into something generous and grounding.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

2 medium carrots diced

2 celery ribs chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

2 cups diced zucchini

1 cup chopped green beans

4 cups beef bone broth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¾ cup small pasta, elbows or mini shells

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Substitutions:

Substitute chopped fennel for the celery.

In the summer, use diced fresh Roma tomatoes instead of canned ones.

Stir in fresh greens, like spinach or kale, near the end of the cooking time.

No pasta? Swap in a quick-cooking grain like quinua or rice

Iof you want to make this vegetarian or vegan, simply sub the sausage for the navy beans

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, zucchini, carrots, celery (or chopped fennel if substituting), sea salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Stir in the fire-roasted tomatoes (or fresh diced Roma tomatoes in summer), green beans, diced chicken sausage (or navy beans for a traditional vegetarian version), beef bone broth, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes so the flavors can develop.

Add the pasta and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, until tender. If you prefer, swap the pasta for a quick-cooking grain like quinoa or rice. In the final few minutes, stir in fresh greens such as spinach or kale if using.

Remove the bay leaves, taste, and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Finish with chopped parsley and serve with red pepper flakes and vegan parmesan substitute if desired.