Minestrone Soup with Fresh Peppery Arugula

Fall is calling my name with this Minestrone Soup. This minestrone soup recipe highlights a classic combination of fresh herbs, vegetables, white beans, and pasta in a steaming bowl of broth.

Minestrone translates from Italian as "big soup" and this recipe certainly delivers in terms of heartiness and flavor. Each bowlful echo's the beautiful colors of fall. Reds of the tomato, oranges from the carrots, yellow from the pasta, green from the arugula, you get the idea. Rosemary, thyme and oregano give the soup depth while the arugula wakes it up with fresh peppery bite.

Minestrone soup is a wonderfully filling soup that is vegan friendly and easy to fix. Although this recipe is delicious as written, don’t be afraid to experiment a bit with the ingredients! This dish is a fantastic way to use up what vegetables you have on hand.

Tip: For best results, cook the pasta separately, rather than in the same pot with the rest of the ingredients. This extra step yields more consistent results by eliminating the release of excess starch into the soup. It also prevents the noodles from becoming too soft and mushy and helps them retain the right texture, which means more appetizing leftovers the next day and better results when freezing for future use.