Soups are perfect for winters and autumns or just any day you want to eat right. They hydrate you ,make you balance all the junk you ate. I love chunky soups. Something you can eat with bread while watching your favorite web series. Whether its mushroom soup or minestrone, it helps you eat healthy. I love bean recipes whether you make a burrito bowl or cannelloni bean soup they fill you up. One of my favorite soup recipes is the easy minestrone soup.
I have grown up eating chickpeas and rajma/ red kidney bean and they are perfect when I want some rajma chawal and chana saag over the weekend. However, living abroad introduced me to Mexican salads and chipotle tofu bowls. They are easy to cook and are loaded with proteins. They can be stored in your dry pantry and are perfect when you have less veggies at home. Minestrone soup has everything, carbs from pasta, vitamins from veggies and proteins from beans. Perfect meal even without toasted bread.
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What are the benefits of beans?
- They are rich in vitamin C and magnesium. Hence it helps in immunity and also helps our muscles.
- They help you manage weight.
- Great source of protein and iron.
- They are high in fiber so helps in digestion.
Ingredients
- Oil
- onion
- garlic
- tomatoes
- beans (soaked for 4 hrs.)
- warm water
- vegan stock powder / bullion powder
- salt as per taste
- carrots
- zucchini
- spinach
- basil leaves for garnish.
- lime/lemon juice ,optional
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make vegan minestrone soup?
- Wash and soak beans in water for 4 hours or overnight.
- Heat oil in a saucepan & add onion and garlic with little salt.
- Mix well with a spatula.Once onions turn translucent, add tomatoes & salt let it cook.
- Cook the tomatoes until they have softened.
- Add beans along with warm water & stock powder.
- Cover and cook for 20-25 mins or until they are soft. Later, add pasta and carrots and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add zucchini to it.
- Add chopped spinach and let it cook for few minutes.
- Top tip: Increase iron absorption by adding a dash of lime/lemon juice before serving. Serve hot with toasted bread.
Variations
- You can adjust the spices according to your taste.
Substitutions
- You may use any bean to make this soup like broadbeans, pintobeans etc. You can also make it with canned beans and avoid the soaking time.
- Just run the through water in a sieve, before you use the canned ones, so that you avoid the extra sodium in it.
Storage
- Store it in refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Food safety
- Always reheat your left overs.
Related links
Easy minestrone soup
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- ½ cup beans cannellini beans and black beans, soaked for 4 hrs.
- 1 tbsp. stock powder or
- 5-6 cups warm water
- ½ cup carrots
- 1 cup pasta any pasta of your choice
- 1 cup Zucchini chopped
- 2 cup spinach chopped
- Salt and pepper as per taste or ¼ tsp
- lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Wash and soak beans in water for 4 hours or overnight.
- Heat oil in a saucepan & add onion and garlic with little salt. Mix well with a spatula.
- Once onions turn translucent, add tomatoes & salt let it cook.
- Cook the tomatoes until they have softened
- Add beans along with 2 cups of warm water warm water & stock powder.
- Cover and cook for 20-25 mins or until they are soft. Add pasta ,carrots and remaining water, let it cook for 5-7 minutes or until the pasta has cooked
- Add zucchini to it Add chopped spinach and let it cook for few minutes
- Add lime/lemon juice before serving, Serve hot with toasted bread.
Notes
FAQs
You can use it to thicken soups and hummus. However, it may have extra salt in it so adjust your salt accordingly.
Cannelini beans are also called as White kidney beans and look similar to northern beans. They are local to south Italy.
Top tips
If you are using canned beans ensure the open cans are used within 3 days.
Always use a wooden spatula for enamel cookware.
Please share your inputs..