Minestrone soup
Whoever said soup isn’t a meal has clearly never had a good minestrone before. Its at the top of our list for an easy veggie and nutrient packed lunch or dinner. The pasta, beans and veggies are nice and soft so its great for babies and toddlers.
It can also be blended into a delicious puree for the younger members of your family! Your family will love this soup on a cold day! Tips for making minestrone baby and kid friendly:
- Chop the veggies into smaller pieces. They cook faster and its easier for the littlies to eat.
- Pick a fun pasta shape! There are so many options in supermarkets these days, anything everything from spiral to dinosaurs will work great.
- Choose a good quality broth. Veggies broth is my go-to.
- Serve it with your kid’s favourite bread! Crumpets are always a winner in our home.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium leek, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
- 2 medium to large carrots, chopped
- 400g can diced tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1L vegetable stock
- Dried herbs of choice (I like oregano & thyme)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can butter beans or any other beans of choice
- 1/2 cup small pasta
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, then add the chopped onion, leek celery and carrots, stirring well, and cook for a 5 minutes.
- Stir in the can of tomatoes, and the garlic.
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, checking and stirring often. Pour in the vegetable stock, then add the tomato paste and herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the butter beans and pasta and continue to simmer gently for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve with fresh or toasted bread on the side.