Fall Minestrone Soup: An Easy Weeknight Dinner with Seasonal Produce

This fall minestrone recipe is for when you want a weeknight dinner that's full of seasonal vegetables, makes enough for leftovers and mostly cooks itself. It's classic minestrone with fall produce swapped in – sweet potato and kale instead of zucchini – plus white beans and a small pasta to make it a complete dinner. Most of the 40 minutes is simmering.

Fall Minestrone Soup
Serves 4 to 6
10 minutes of prep – about 30 minutes on the stove

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pasta

• 1 small yellow onion, diced small

• 1 stalk celery, diced small

• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 1 cup green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 cups kale, stems removed, chopped

• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed

• 3/4 cup ditalini pasta or other small pasta of choice (whole wheat if desired)

• kosher salt and black pepper

• Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, and toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot. Season with salt and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and tomato paste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant.

4. Add the sweet potato, green beans, kale, canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, white beans and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

5. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

6. Add the cooked pasta to each bowl as you serve. Top with Parmesan, if using.

Notes:

• The pasta is cooked separately on purpose: pasta simmered in the soup keeps absorbing broth, which turns the pot starchy and the leftovers thick. Kept apart, both reheat well.

• To make ahead, let the soup cool, then store it and the pasta separately in the fridge for up to 4 days. The soup freezes well without the pasta.

• Swap freely with what you have: butternut squash for the sweet potato, Swiss chard or spinach for the kale, cannellini or great northern for the white beans.

• If your kids are helping, they’ll enjoy tearing the kale, peeling the carrot and sweet potato, and stirring the pot.

For more on what's in season right now and how to use it, see our fall seasonal eating guide. And if the produce keeps arriving faster than the time to cook it, that's what Easyfeast is for.