Winter Minestrone With Butternut Kale (Printer Version)

Cozy Italian vegetable soup with butternut squash, kale, beans, and pasta in savory tomato broth for cold weather.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 small butternut squash (about 1.5 pounds), peeled and diced
07 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
08 - 1 cup chopped fresh kale, stems removed
09 - 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juices

→ Legumes and Grains

10 - 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
11 - 0.5 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)

→ Liquids

12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 1 cup water

→ Spices and Seasonings

14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 0.5 teaspoon dried rosemary
17 - 0.25 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
18 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Finishing

19 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
20 - Grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add diced butternut squash and zucchini. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Pour in diced tomatoes with juices, vegetable broth, and water. Bring mixture to a boil.
05 - Stir in oregano, thyme, rosemary, and crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
06 - Add cannellini beans and pasta. Simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes until pasta and squash are tender.
07 - Stir in chopped kale and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
08 - Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley. Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes like you've been simmering it all day, even though it comes together in under an hour.
  • Every spoonful has texture and substance—squash, beans, pasta, kale—so it actually feels like dinner, not just broth.
  • The flavors deepen as it sits, meaning leftovers are somehow better than the first bowl.
02 -
  • Don't skip the initial sauté of your soffritto—those 5 minutes of patience teach the vegetables to surrender their sweetness, which becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
  • Add the kale at the very end, not earlier, because if it simmers for too long it turns into something between texture and memory, losing all its character.
03 -
  • Taste the soup before the pasta finishes cooking—sometimes your broth needs a pinch more seasoning before all those starchy pasta pieces absorb the flavor.
  • If you have fresh herbs instead of dried, use them only as a final garnish rather than during cooking, since they'll lose their brightness in the heat.
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