This easy, one pot Lentil Minestrone Soup is loaded with vegetables, protein packed lentils and plenty of pasta! It’s thick, hearty and perfect for a cold day!
Thanks to Zoup! Good, Really Good® Broth for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own. Visit ZoupBroth.com to learn more and follow @ZoupGoodReallyGood on Facebook and Instagram and @ZoupGoodReallyGoodBroth on Pinterest. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for Recipe Runner to keep providing you with delicious recipes!
Is there anything better than a bowl of hot soup on a cold day? I love how it immediately warms you up from the inside out. Winter is definitely the season where I make the most soups. I especially love when I make one that I can freeze and reheat on a day I don’t have time to make dinner.
Minestrone soup has always been one of my favorites. I love all the vegetables, beans and pasta in it and how hearty and filling it is. Typically minestrone uses kidney and or white beans. However, I’m a huge fan of lentils and thought they would be a wonderful addition to this Lentil Minestrone Soup!
Ingredients Needed to Make Lentil Minestrone Soup
- yellow onion
- carrots
- celery
- garlic
- Italian seasoning, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf
- tomato paste
- crushed tomatoes
- brown or green lentils
- Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- Zoup! Good, Really Good® Veggie Broth
- kale
- cannellini beans
- pasta
- peas
How to Make Lentil Minestrone Soup
This is an easy to make, one pot soup. Start by sautéing the carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper until they start to soften. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and spices and cook for another minute or two before adding in the tomatoes, lentils, Parmesan cheese rind, bay leaf, vegetable broth and water.
Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling cover the pot partially with a lid and lower the heat so that it’s simmering. After the soup simmers for 15 minutes, add in the kale, cannellini beans and pasta. Stir everything together and let it simmer with the lid off for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
Once the pasta is cooked, stir in the peas, remove the bay leaf and Parmesan cheese rind. Taste the soup for seasoning and then serve it topped with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Zoup! Good, Really Good® Veggie Broth
One of the key elements to making a fantastic soup is to use a good quality and flavorful broth. For this lentil minestrone soup recipe I partnered with Zoup! Good, Really Good® Broth. Their broths were developed by a 20+ year soup industry veteran and the team behind Zoup! Eatery. Zoup! Broths are kettle cooked in small batches with only the freshest ingredients, which is what gives them that homemade taste.
Something I always look for when I’m buying broth is that it’s free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, hormones, gluten and GMO’s. Zoup! checks all these boxes and takes it a step further by ensuring that their broths are low in calories and paleo-friendly, plus completely free of fat, trans fat, and saturated fat.
Aside from the nutritional perks, Zoup! Broth is also packaged in glass containers that are recyclable or if you’re like me, clean them and reuse them for storing dry goods such as lentils or pasta.
You can buy Zoup! Broth at most grocery stores, but if it’s not available in your area you can buy it online at ZoupBroth.com and Amazon.com. Use code 208Zoup20 for 20% off your Amazon order! (good for 30 days.) Besides their veggie broth they also have new seafood broth and new spicy chicken bone broth, original and low sodium chicken broth, chicken and beef bone broth, plus certified organic chicken and veggie broth.
Tip For the Best Soup
- Cut your vegetables into similar sizes so that they cook at the same rate.
- Use the Parmesan cheese rind as it adds a wonderful nutty, cheesy flavor to the soup.
- Rinse and drain the lentils and beans. Also, be sure to check your lentils for rocks or debris because no one wants to crack a tooth while eating soup.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Remember that the heat of the soup will continue to cook it even after it’s served.
- If you plan to freeze the soup add the pasta in separately. If you freeze the pasta in the soup it will likely be mushy after you defrost it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Different Vegetables in the Soup?
Yes. I recommend butternut squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, spinach, zucchini, leeks or green beans.
Can I Make this Soup Vegan or Gluten Free?
Yes. For vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese rind and skip the shredded cheese on top. For gluten free, simply substitute wheat pasta with your favorite gluten free brand.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Italian Lentil and Vegetable Soup
- Southwest Chicken and Rice Soup
- Turkey Taco Soup
- Vegetarian Lasagna Soup
- Thai Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
Lentil Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup dried brown lentils, picked over for debris and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- 32 ounces Zoup! Good, Really Good® Veggie Broth
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup uncooked pasta such as shells, macaroni or rotini
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- Shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper to the pot and cook until the vegetables have softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir often. Add in the garlic, spices and tomato paste and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the tomatoes, lentils, Parmesan cheese rind, bay leaf, veggie broth and water. Stir everything together and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pot partially with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and add in the kale, cannellini beans and pasta. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the frozen peas. Pull out the bay leaf and Parmesan cheese rind.
- Taste the soup for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve in bowls topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 903mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 13gSugar: 10gProtein: 14g
