Vegetable Minestrone Soup (Low FODMAP)

15 Minutes prep • 30 Minutes cook • Low FODMAP • Gluten-free • Serves 4 • Ok to make ahead: Steps 1-3

Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup made with a tomato broth and plenty of vegetables. It was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so you may use any seasonal vegetables and greens you have on hand. I used chard, kale, and spinach for the greens in this recipe, and butter beans instead of the traditional pasta, and it was quite delicious. Make up a big pot and eat this soup for a day or two. It gets better with a bit of time. This recipe features 20 different plants as written. Feel free to add more if you have them on hand.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (or your own blend of equal parts of thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and basil)

1 bunch green onions (green part only), chopped

1 large, or 2 medium leeks (green part only), chopped

2 small celery ribs with leaves

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (.07 oz) 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (.03 oz)

1/2 - 1 pound ground chicken (optional)

4 cups (6 oz) chard (I used red chard), washed and chopped

2 ounces kale, washed and chopped

1 can or carton (about 15 oz) chopped tomatoes with juice, undrained

32 ounces low FODMAP chicken broth (I use Whole Foods Organic 365 chicken broth or Gourmend low FODMAP Organic Chicken Broth - use code IBSGC15 for 15% discount)

2 bay leaves, leave whole

2 cups (4 oz) fresh spinach leaves, washed and chopped

1/2 cup zucchini, cubed (optional)

1/2 cup summer squash, cubed (optional)

1 cup (8 ounces), canned butter beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons butter

Directions

(1) Prepare: Chop the leek and green onion greens. Wash and chop the chard, kale, spinach, and celery. Wash and cube the zucchini and summer squash (if using).

(2) Cook the veggies: In a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the Italian seasoning and let it bloom for about 30 seconds. Then add the leek greens, green onion greens, and celery, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the ground chicken (if using) and continue cooking, stirring to break the ground chicken up as you cook, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

(3) Add the greens: Add the chard, tomatoes, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Bring just to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the chard is tender. Stir in the zucchini, summer squash, spinach, lemon juice, and butter beans. Cook for about 1 minute until the squash starts to soften and the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat and take the bay leaves out.

(4) Plate and serve: Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Or cool and refrigerate, then reheat on the stove the next day. It will taste even better after a rest in the fridge overnight.

Eat and enjoy every bite because you can!

Recipe note: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt in all my recipes because it has a wonderful flat and crisp flake that tastes delicious. It is also the least salty salt available so you can use it more liberally as a seasoning than you can table salt or sea salt. If you use another type of salt, you may need to reduce the amount so it is not over-salted. 

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