Healthy & Easy Minestrone Soup Recipe

Here's my favourite Italian and healthy minestrone soup recipe. It's vegetarian, pan and soup maker friendly and suitable as part of Slimming clubs.

*This recipe includes an affiliate link for my favourite soup maker that I've been using regularly since 2015.

I find Italian soups to be the most delicious when I'm looking for a healthy or Slimming soup. And this easy minestrone soup is packed full of flavour and tasty juice.

What I also love about it is it's perfect for a soup maker, pan, slow cooker or even a multi cooker.

And with a cheeky sprinkle of low-fat mature cheddar or parmesan, I don't feel the urge to have something on the side. This suits me perfectly.

HOW TO MAKE MY MINESTRONE SOUP RECIPE

The first key stage to a delicious soup is to saute the vegetables in cooking oil spray where possible. This not only enriches the flavour but actually quickens the cooking process.

For example, while sauteing the carrots, onions and celery below, the water of the vegetables are extracted. And so the natural sweet flavour becomes more concentrated.

It's this sweetness that gets trapped in the vegetables and hold their flavour. Whereas if you chuck everything into a pan of boiling water, the flavours leave the vegetables and don't hold their shape. And mushy vegetables don't tend to be nice unless you want to blend your soup.

NOW ADD EVERYTHING TO A SOUP MAKER OR PAN

So once you're sauteed your three different vegetables, it's a matter of a little veg prep. Then throw everything into a soup maker, pan, slow cooker or multicooker.

I prefer my Morphy Richards soup maker as it takes the responsibility of pot watching away. But if you don't make soups often, then you probably wouldn't get many benefits.

If you're using a pan over hob, simply simmer everything for 20-25 minutes. In a slow cooker, cook without the pasta first and give it 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 on high. Or multi cooker about 5 minutes. With slow cooker, I'd add the pasta 20 minutes before the finished cooking time and on high.

CAN YOU COOK PASTA IN A SOUP MAKER?

I've done various tests with different foods in my soup maker over the years. I've also had various failures. But cooking pasta as part of a soup recipe has always been fine. I've never tried pasta alone with water alone, however.

As for the failures, here's what ingredients have create burns at the bottom. Note, the soup maker will detect an error and automatically stop, causing an error code.

• Green lentils
• Baked beans
• Anything beyond a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• More than 150ml milk
• 80g rice or more
• I'll add to this list if I discover anything else new

HOW TO CLEAN FOOD BURNS IN A SOUP MAKER

Sadly I've had plenty of experiences in the past with burnt food at the bottom of my soup maker. Some say to stir before using, spray with cooking oil first. I would personally recommend putting, for example, the tomatoes in last (unlike my earlier photo for aesthetics).

However, if you do experience catching at the bottom, then my favourite way is here.

Please do NOT be tempted to scour with metal scourers. This can damage the element. If you do feel the need elbow grease, then opt for a plastic one instead.

10 MORE HEALTHY SOUPS YOU MIGHT LIKE

• Healthy Courgette Soup
• Skinny Carrot and Coriander soup
• Healthy Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup
• Low Fat Leftover Turkey, Ginger and Lemon Soup
• Skinny Prawn and Tofu Soup
• Creamy Celeriac and Paprika Soup
• Pizza Soup
• Rhubarb and Pineapple Soup
• Curried Cauliflower Soup
• Celery and Blue Cheese Soup

MY SOUP MAKER EBOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY

PRINTABLE RECIPE FOR MY EASY MINESTRONE SOUP RECIPE

📖 Recipe

PIN HEALTHY MINESTRONE SOUP RECIPE

LOOKING FOR SLIMMING WORLD SYNS OR WHETHER SOMETHING IS SYN FREE?

As Slimming World information is for paying members only, we've decided to remove them going forward. It is always best to ask your consultant, but if you're not a member yet, often you can find joining offers in magazines throughout the year.