Quick Fall Minestrone

This was just ok, a bit bland though. I used chicken broth and herbs de provence instead of the oregano. I think tomorrow I'll add some bacon bits on top along with the parmesan. Sliced turkey kielbasa would be a good addition and would only raise the calories a bit. Can you tell we are not vegetarians? LoL...

I've made this soup quite a few times and my family loves it. It's a great way to get them to eat butternut squash. I've recently found the squash in the frozen section and it is perfect for this recipe. I substitute fresh spinach for the kale since I find kale to be a bit bitter and I use small navy beans for the beans. Always tastes great!

I really liked this soup - such yummy flavors! I made the recipe as stated - the only thing I tweaked were the spices. I omitted the salt - since I used canned veg broth - the sodium was already through the roof! I added Italian seasoning and a dash of red pepper. I agree with other reviews that it could use more broth. I added a little water - but could have used more broth. I also cooked it longer than the recipe stated. Really enjoyed. Liked the fresh grated Parmesan cheese on the top - served with fresh baked bread.

This was very good and quite filling. The recipe lends itself to adaptations and is very forgiving. There was a fair amount of chopping involved, but if you do some in advance, it goes together quickly. I did up the garlic to 4 cloves because I think one can never have too much garlic! I substituted spinach for the kale and Italian seasoning for the oregano. I used Israeli couscous instead of orzo because that's what I had. I also heeded the advice here and used 8 cups of broth, as well as added a half can of tomato paste and half cup of red wine with the beans. Keeps and reheats well. Haven't frozen it, but think it would be okay.

We loved this recipe! I used 8-9 cups of vegetable broth and a small sweet potato instead of the baking potato. After adding the other 6 ingredients;I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for 8 min. I then added one small diced zucchini and yellow squash,one 6 oz. can of tomato paste,and one16 oz bag frozen diced butternut squash. Also, I added a 5 oz. container of organic baby kales,one cup of orzo,several dashes of ground red pepper,and a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary along with the beans. I let this simmer another 12 minutes. After we dished up the minestrone I added a dash of some lavender balsamic vinegar (although any balsamic would do). That was the finishing touch that it needed! We will be having this a lot this winter!!