Winter Minestrone Recipe
Overflowing with winter vegetables and brimming chickpeas and emmer wheat, this winter minestrone makes for a nourishing, nutrient-dense supper during the darkest days of the year.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparing the Minestrone
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 3 medium carrots (chopped)
- 3 ribs celery (chopped)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt (plus additional to taste)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 ½ cups cubed butternut squash
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (13.5 ounce can) diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas (cooked)
- 1 ½ cups emmer berries (cooked)
- 1 bunch kale (stemmed and sliced thin)
- grated parmesan cheese (to serve)
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven placed over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with sea salt and cook until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper, and continue to cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Stir the butternut squash into the pot, and then continue to cook a further 3 to 4 minutes, or until it begins to soften around the edges. Pour in the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then turn down the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the squash is tender and cooked through.
- Stir in the chickpeas and emmer, and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the kale and let it wilt in the residual heat of the pot, about 5 minutes further. Serve hot. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
