This healthy, plant-based Pumpkin Minestrone is so cozy and delicious for fall! Made with vegan, gluten-free ingredients.
Once again, it’s November and I have a huge backlog of fall/Thanksgiving recipes to post! The exact same thing has been happening for the past three years, and I’m going to have to post twice a week to fit everything in. I’m not complaining, though – I like having lots of great recipes to share! The only problem is that I can’t open Lightroom to do my final edits of the photos yet. The new Apple iOS update is causing Lightroom to crash, so the Thanksgiving recipes will have to be on hold until Adobe puts out an update!
Today’s recipe combines two of my favorite things – pumpkins and soup. I have two different pumpkin soup recipes on the blog already (creamy pumpkin soup and pumpkin apple stew), but this recipe takes an Italian spin on things. The key to making a good Italian soup is using spices like basil and oregano for that signature minestrone flavor. Vegetables like carrots and potatoes also make this soup deliciously rustic and hearty, perfect for those chilly fall nights.
Funnily enough, it was smack dab in the middle of August when I was testing this pumpkin minestrone. I had the air conditioner on full blast, but I ate a huge bowl of this soup anyway! (It’s that good!) I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
For your Thanksgiving menus, be sure to check out this vegan Thanksgiving spread and this vegetarian Thanksgiving roundup! There’s a little something for everyone, including French Onion stew and olive oil mashed cauliflower!
Pumpkin Minestrone
Ingredients
- 3-4 Tbs Olive or Avocado Oil
- 2 Large Carrots
- 2 Stalks Celery
- 1/2 White Onion
- 1 Small Russet Potato
- 1 Tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 15 oz Can Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Pumpkin Purée
- 4 Cups Vegetable Broth
- 2 Cups Water
- More Salt to taste, if necessary
- 1 15 oz Can Red or Kidney Beans
- 1 Cup Dry Gluten-Free Pasta
Instructions
- First, prep your veggies. Remove ends of celery stalks and cut into bite-sized chunks. Peel the carrots and do likewise. Peel and dice the white onion. Wash and dry the potato, then cut into small chunks (leaving the skin on).
- In a large pot, bring the olive oil to medium heat.
- Add in the onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté for about 3-5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Then, add in the potatoes and sauté for another minute.
- Then, add in the salt, pepper, spices, and tomatoes, and pumpkin purée. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes (the timing here isn't exact, you just want to sauté out the canned taste of the tomatoes and pumpkin).
- Then, add in all the other ingredients EXCEPT for the pasta.
- On medium heat, simmer minestrone for about 20-25 minutes. Taste, and adjust salt levels if necessary.
- Before serving, add in the gluten-free pasta (if desired - you can also use rice or couscous) and simmer until the pasta is al dente.
- Serve the minestrone immediately after cooking the pasta.
- Enjoy!
P.S.
If you make this Pumpkin Minestrone and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)
2 Comments
Allison | Up Beet Kitchen
November 19, 2019 at 10:01 amThat looks incredible! Your photos are always so cozy looking. There’s already lots of snow on the ground where I live, and I have a mean craving for soup. I’ll definitely be giving your recipe a try this week.
Sarah
November 20, 2019 at 12:10 pmThank you so much for your kind words, Allison! I hope you like the recipe :)