Make a pot of Easy Lentil Minestrone, with veggies, lentils, beans and pasta. This one-pot soup is low-calorie, meatless, tasty and filling!
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled, diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled, diced
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water +more, as needed
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes including juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1 cup brown lentils or green lentils
- 15 ounces canned Great Northern Beans drained (or substitute cannellini beans)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves whole or chopped
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Heat olive oil on medium-high in a heavy-duty sauce pot or large Dutch oven until hot (not smoking). Add onion, carrots, celery; cook until tender (6-7 minutes), stirring often.
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Add garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper; stir well. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly so garlic doesn't burn. Pour in veggie broth, water, and diced tomatoes (including juice). Stir to combine.
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Add lentils and bay leaves. Stir, then bring soup to a FULL BOIL. Reduce heat to LOW; put a lid on soup pot. Simmer for 25 minutes, without disturbing.
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Remove lid from soup pot; increase heat to MEDIUM. Soup will have slightly reduced in volume. Add uncooked macaroni and drained beans. Stir well. Cook (uncovered) for 10-11 minutes or until pasta is tender. TIP: As pasta cooks it will absorb some liquid. Add more broth or water to "thin" soup slightly, as desired.
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Remove soup from heat; stir in spinach. The hot soup will "cook/wilt" the spinach. Once spinach has wilted, taste soup; add additional salt and pepper if needed.
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Ladle hot soup into bowls; serve immediately. Top with grated Parmesan (optional), if desired.
NOTE: Jenn Laughlin (original author) shared how to use a slow cooker for this recipe:
Place all ingredients (except macaroni, beans, spinach) in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 9-10 hours OR Cook on HIGH 5-6 hours. Stir in pasta, beans. Cover again; cook till pasta is al dente (10+ minutes). Stir in spinach. Season w/ additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve.