Description
Sardinian Longevity Minestrone is a Blue Zones-inspired bean and vegetable soup filled with legumes, Mediterranean vegetables, and fresh herbs for a nourishing plant-based meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow or white onion chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 celery rib chopped
- 1 broccoli stalk peeled and chopped
- 1 small sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 small fennel bulb chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can fava beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 to 5 cups water
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1/2 cup fregola pasta
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano or Daiya Smoked Gouda optional
- Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté onion, carrot, celery, broccoli stalk, sweet potato, and fennel until softened.
- Push vegetables aside and cook tomato paste and garlic until fragrant, then stir into vegetables.
- Add fava beans, Great Northern beans, crushed tomatoes, and 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Stir in fregola pasta and a pinch of salt, adding more water if needed, and cook 10 minutes until pasta is tender.
- Stir in parsley and basil, season with salt and pepper, then serve with olive oil and optional cheese.
Notes
- Use dried beans soaked overnight and increase cooking time to 1 1/2 to 2 hours if preferred.
- Substitute fregola with Israeli couscous, orzo, or ditalini if unavailable.
- Omit cheese to keep the soup fully vegan.
- Soup tastes even better the next day as flavors deepen.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 5mg