After a few wet rides home a last week, all I wanted was some warm and comforting dinner. So, I made some minestrone in my pressure cooker. It took less than an hour to create this bowl of deliciousness which was not only nutritious but definitely warming and comforting for my soul.
I made this minestrone with the soup mix from Aldi (which has grains and pulses such as lentils, spilt peas, red lentils, yellow lentils), added some quinoa for extra protein, packed with veggies (pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, baby spinach and onions), wholemeal spiral pasta and added some fresh parsley for extra freshness 🌱🌱🌱 So, it is packed with complex carbohydrates to keep you fuller for longer, packed with plant protein for all those gains 💪 and you will definitely get your 5 serves of veggies for the day 😊 I also topped with healthy fats such as pine nuts, hemp seeds & parmesan (for vegan option, use vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast) 🥰 And I am going to call this my pumpkin minestrone comfort bowl 🙂
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have. As always, please let me know what you think of this recipe. If you like what you see on this blog, you can follow me on my blog, Facebook or Instagram for some food porn. Also, if you do recreate this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @subz_foodie 🙂
Serves 5-6
Ingredients
- 400g butternut pumpkin, cut into cubes;
- 1 brown onion, sliced;
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced;
- 2-3 tsp olive oil;
- 300g dry soup mix (or a mix of grains & pulses of your choice);
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa;
- 1/2 cup wholemeal uncooked pasta of your choice (or gluten free pasta for gluten free option);
- 1 x 400g tin of crushed tomatoes;
- 4 tbsp tomato paste;
- 1-2 tsp fennel seeds;
- 2 tsp smoked paprika;
- 1.5 tbsp dried mixed herbs;
- 2-3 tsp ground cumin;
- 2-3 tsp garlic powder;
- San Elk veggie stock or salt to taste;
- Black pepper to taste;
- Water;
- 1 carrot, julienned;
- 2 zucchini’s, julienned;
- A small bag of baby spinach (120g);
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, leaves picked; and
- **Optional toppings – parmesan, pine nuts, hemp seeds.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease a tray. In a bowl, mix pumpkin cubes, onions, garlic & olive oil with some salt & pepper & place on the tray & bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
- Place the soup mix, quinoa, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, all the spices, salt & pepper & 4-5 cups water (depending how runny you like your soup, you can always add more later) & cook on the pulse/soup setting
- Once the pulses are cooked, give the soup a stir & you will likely need to add in more water & the wholemeal pasta, carrots & zucchini & cook for a further 5-8 minutes
- One the pasta is al dente, all the baby spinach, parsley, baked pumpkin & onions & stir the soup. Season with more salt & pepper to taste & add water for the soup of your preferred consistency. I prefer mine more of a stew, so I used less water.
- Serve in bowls and top with parmesan, pine nuts & hemp seeds 😊 Enjoy 🤩
Happy cooking,
Suba
Xx 💋
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