I made this Friday night and we’ll be eating it all week: it makes a vat of 10 servings. But surprisingly, we are okay with that because this is actually good.

If you are trying to get more vegetables in your diet, this is one way to do it. It reminds me of the health giving “pulse” that Daniel and his friends in the Bible ate when they refused the king’s meat. I did get this recipe (with some of my adjustments like the protein pasta) from the Blue Zone Kitchen Cookbook. The Blue Zones are areas of the world where people live longest, so you can think of this as longevity soup. When you eat it, you do feel like you are doing something good for yourself.

This has a lot of ingredients, but comes together quickly and easily, and you’ll have lots of leftovers for  your effort.

If you plan to freeze it eliminate the potatoes.

Blue Zone Minestrone Soup Recipe

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons of thyme leaves, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary leaves, stripped and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 head of green cabbage, cored and shredded
1 bunch of kale, stalks removed and leaves chopped
2 yellow potatoes, diced
1 (14oz) can of organic whole peeled tomatoes
1 (14oz) can chickpeas
1 (14oz) can white cannelloni beans
1 (14oz) can red beans
6 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup chickpea protein pasta
2 teaspoons salt
1 parmesan rind

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high. Add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, fennel and garlic, and cook stirring about 5 minutes.

Add the herns, pepper flakes, cabbage and kale. Stir well, and cook until the greens wilt, about 2  minutes.

Add the potatoes, tomatoes, beans, stock, pasta and parmesan rind and stir to combine. When the liquid begins to boil, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind and the bay leaf.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately.

Yum! Enjoy!