Summer Minestrone
Summer Minestrone is a light and flavorful vegetable soup packed that is perfect for using summer produce!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 296kcal
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta diced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large zucchini halved the long way twice and then cut into slices
- 1 large summer squash halved the long way twice and then cut into slices
- 8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes diced
- 2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1" pieces
- 14 ounce can cannellini beans
- Parmesan rind
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup small pasta like small shells, ditalini, or elbow macaroni
- 2 cups chopped spinach
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the olive oil and pancetta and cook until the pancetta is crisped, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the Italian seasoning and garlic, and give it a good stir, cooking about minute or so.
- Add the zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, and and green beans and stir well to combine.
- Add the beans, Parmesan rind, broth, and pasta.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until the pasta is cooked and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage - store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You might need to add some additional broth or water to account for the pasta soaking it up. You could also keep the pasta and vegetables/broth separate until immediately before serving.
Pesto - add a dollop of pesto for even more summer flavor.
Make Ahead - if you want to make this head of time, you can cook the pasta separately and add to the soup. This way the pasta will not get soggy and soak up all of the broth.
Make it Vegetarian/Vegan - to make it vegetarian, omit the pancetta. To make it vegan, omit the pancetta and the Parmesan cheese at the end.
Nutrition
Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 1560mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5066IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 3mg