When it’s cold outside, what’s better than a nice light minestrone? A vegan dish that warms you up and that I’ll explain how to prepare from 0 to 4 Weight Watchers points. In fact, if you make it with only vegetables, it will cost you 0 points, but if you add some ingredients, you can make it more filling and use up to 4 points.
The ingredients I use are typical for minestrone; I often use all the leftover vegetables in the fridge. Or I buy a lot of zero-point vegetables and prepare frozen minestrone bags ready to cook. So onion, carrot, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, or others, depending on the season.
If I want a heartier minestrone for a few more points, I add some legumes like beans or peas and also some pasta. I often eat it at the beginning of dinner to warm up and fill up before serving the main course. Let’s see how it’s done.
Here are some other soups you can make:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
The following are approximate quantities and all zero-point vegetables. You can vary them to your liking and depending on the seasonal vegetables available:
1 onion
2 zucchinis
1/2 savoy cabbage
4 stalks of celery or 1/3 celery root
1 large carrot
10 oz spinach
7 oz green beans
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tomatoes (ripe)
- 1 broth cube (vegetable, I use the granular kind)
- as needed mixed vegetables (all zero WW points, see above for an indicative list)
- 3.5 oz canned cannellini beans (or boiled by yourself)
- 3.5 oz frozen peas
- 3.5 oz whole wheat pasta
- Points per serving without pasta/legumes = 0 WW points
- Points per serving with legumes only = 2 WW points
- Points per serving with pasta only = 3 WW points
- Points per serving with pasta and legumes = 4 WW points
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Reusable Bags
Steps
Wash all the vegetables well and cut them into not too small pieces. If using legumes and/or pasta, weigh the necessary amount.
Sauté the sliced garlic in the teaspoon of oil, and as soon as it starts to brown, add the diced tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, then add all the vegetables except spinach and frozen peas if using. Mix well and cover with water. Add the vegetable broth cube in pieces or a couple of teaspoons of the granular kind. Mix well, cover, and cook on low heat for about half an hour.
At this point, the vegetables will be cooked but not completely mushy. Add the spinach and peas if using and cook for another 10 minutes. Adjust for salt and if you want to add pasta, this is the time to pour it into the minestrone and let it cook, adding a little more water if necessary.
Our light minestrone, with or without pasta and legumes, is ready to be served hot at the table.
As I explained before, I usually buy enough vegetables to prepare the minestrone for the day and to fill freezer bags. If you want to do the same, after preparing the vegetables, put them immediately into freezer bags, keeping the spinach on top to easily set them aside during cooking. When you want to make the light minestrone, you just need to prepare the basic seasoning with garlic and tomatoes, add the vegetables except for the spinach, and continue as per the recipe.
Do the same with the beans, but keep them in separate bags from the vegetables and add them during cooking with all the other vegetables. This way, you’ll always have the option to make the light minestrone with 0 points.
Serve it steaming hot in serving plates, not just in winter: try it in the summer served lukewarm; it’s always good. Let me know how you make minestrone in the comments below…
Bon appétit!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can store it in the fridge for 4 days or freeze it for 4 months following the instructions in the recipe.
