Healthy & Hearty Minestrone Soup
Made with carrots, diced tomatoes, kale, orzo, sausage, and TONS of flavor! This soup is the perfect cold-weather comfort food. It's filling, healthy, tastes incredible, and it's ready in under an hour!
Servings 10 bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausage, cooked
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 larg cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- pinch pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, for simmering
- 2 bay leaves, for simmering
- two 14.5 ounce cans Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 and 1/2 cups orzo, cooked
- 2 large handfuls chopped kale
- 1 can cannellini beans
- parmesan + crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Prep: Cook the sausage in a large dutch oven over medium heat until completely cooked through, then set aside. Don't drain the fat.
- Make the Soup: Add the carrots, onion, and celery to the soup pot with the salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme (not the sprigs) and sauté over medium heat and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue sautéing everything for 3 more minutes, until things are beginning to get soft (the onion will be soft, the carrots and celery will be just starting to soften). Add the diced tomatoes, broth, cooked sausage, fresh thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer with the lid on, but vented so steam can escape, for 25-35 minutes. While the soup simmers, cook your orzo. Check the carrots and celery to make sure they're soft - the soup is done once they're soft! Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Stir in the chopped kale, cannellini beans, and drained orzo. Taste and add extra seasoning if desired.
- Serve + Store: Enjoy immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.