Hearty Minestrone Butternut Soup

If you’re looking for a satisfying, hearty, and healthy meal that the entire family will love, then this soup will do the trick! Packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, folate, fiber, and more, you're not only getting big bursts of flavor with every bite, but also plenty of nutrition. The nutrients in this dish have been shown to support immunity, skin and eye health, heart health, and prevent certain types of cancer. Pro-tip: make double the batch because you're going to want leftovers all week long.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp fennel seed

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup chopped carrots

• 1 cup chopped organic celery

• 1 cup peeled and cubed butternut squash (3/4" cubes)

• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn

• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

• 28 oz can organic crushed tomato, with or without basil, BPA free

• 1 1/2 cups BPA-free canned navy, northern or cannellini beans, drained (or homemade)

• 1 cup organic legume-based or whole grain pasta

• 2 cups chopped spinach

• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley

• nutritional yeast, to taste (optional)

• chopped basil, to taste (optional)

• crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the fennel seed and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

2. Add the onions, stirring consistently. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add the celery, carrot, and squash. Cook until they begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes.

5. Stir in the corn, oregano, and bay leaves until they coat the vegetables.

6. Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes.

7. Stir in the beans and dry pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

8. Stir in the parsley and spinach until the spinach is slightly wilted.

9. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

10. Ladle into bowls and top with nutritional yeast, chopped basil, and crushed red pepper.

Substitutions

• Use your favorite legume instead of navy or cannellini beans.

• Use white onion or shallots in place of yellow onion.

• In place of butternut squash, use acorn or delicata squash.

• Instead of corn, try peas.

• In place of spinach, add your favorite leafy green.

Gluten-free

• Use legume pasta (I used chickpea) or quinoa pasta.

Nutrition Information

Per serving: 490 calories, 30 grams protein, 5.5 grams total fat, 0 saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 65 grams net carbohydrate, 26 grams fiber, 631 mg sodium

Meets over 100 percent of the RDA for the following vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, vitamin A

Meets over 50 percent of the RDA for the following vitamin and minerals: vitamin C, copper, manganese, vitamin K

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