Easy and Delicious Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup
This super easy and delicious gluten-free Minestrone Soup makes a fabulous dinner and is great for left-overs the following day. Great way to get a lot of delicious veggies on your plate!
Ingredients
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 stalks of celery, cleaned and diced
- 1 sweet potato, diced
- 1 potato, diced
- 1 t. dried rosemary
- 1 t. dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 T olive oil
- 1 cup chicken or veggie broth
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups water
- 1 can cannellini, white or kidney beans
- Handful of baby spinach, washed and torn apart
- 3 - 4 links precooked Italian chicken sausage
- ½ zucchini, cut in chunks
Instructions
- Wash or peel the carrots, celery, onion and potatoes.
- Drizzle 1-2 T of olive oil into a large soup pot.
- On medium heat, sauté the onions, carrots and celery for about 5 minutes, just to soften them a bit, letting the flavors come together.
- Add in the broth, either using veggie or chicken broth. You can use homemade if you have it. If not, I tend to use Pacific Foods Organic, low sodium broth. You can also use water in this step.
- Next add in the crushed and diced tomatoes, along with the water and spices.
- Bring to a boil. Then turn down to medium–low heat.
- Add in the potatoes and simmer for one hour.
- While the soup is simmering, rinse off the beans and place in a pot of water with a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes. Rinse off and put aside. (If you have the time you can also soak the beans overnight.)
- Cut up the sausage into slices/chunks. Wash and pull apart the spinach leaves. If adding in the zucchini, chop into bite sized pieces.
- Place the sausage and beans into the pot about 30 minutes before serving.
- Add the spinach and zucchini about 10 minutes before serving.
- To serve, place a spoonful of cooked quinoa, brown rice, millet or pasta in the bottom of your bowl. Then, spoon the soup on top. Or, simply serve alone with a side green salad or a delicious veggie muffin- gluten-free of course!
- **If using your crock pot, add all ingredients except for sausage, spinach and zucchini in the morning. Chop the sausage and zucchini ahead of time and have ready in the fridge. When you arrive home, add them into the crock pot. Next, wash and pull apart the spinach and add that to the pot. Let cook another 20 minutes and dinner is ready to serve!
Notes
**This can also be prepared in a crock pot: Add all ingredients into the crock pot except for pre-cooked sausage, spinach and zucchini, in the morning. Chop the sausage and zucchini ahead of time and keep in the fridge. Turn the crock pot on all day, when you arrive home, add them into the crock pot. Next, wash and pull apart the spinach and add that to the pot. Let cook another 20 minutes and dinner is ready to serve!