Minestrone soup

Minestrone is a thick, hearty soup of vegetables, pasta, and peas or beans.

Making soup from scratch allows you to control the sodium level.

To make this plant based, use vegetable stock.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 can (16 ounces or about 1 1/2 cups) no-salt-added kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup uncooked whole-grain small shell pasta
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, spinach, beans and pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.