Minestrone Soup Gluten Free Version with Quinoa and White Beans
A classic Minestrone soup recipe adapted with white beans and quinoa for a gluten-free diet. Made from scratch goodness.
This hearty soup recipe pairs well with our Classic Caesar Salad with homemade croutons and made-from-scratch dressing.
The word minestrone literally means a rich thick vegetable soup. Knowing the definition, then we can expect a made-from-scratch soup recipe loaded with good hearty ingredients and that is exactly what you get with our soup recipe.
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Minestrone Soup Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic (optional)
- Chicken broth
- Tomato paste
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Canned Cannellini Beans
- White Quinoa
- Bay leaves
- Parmesan Cheese rind
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Italian seasoning
- Baby Spinach
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Quantities are in the printable recipe below
How To Make Minestrone Soup
One
Begin by heating the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the prepared onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season these vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables become soft, about 4 or 5 minutes.
I recommend a Dutch oven like this one for making soup recipes for the family.
Two
Now add the chicken broth, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, white beans and quinoa, bay leaves and the Parmesan rind.
Three
Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and stir to combine. If desired, you may add additional salt and pepper. Remember the canned tomatoes also have salt in them unless you purchased unsalted.
Four
Increase the heat to high and bring the ingredients for your Minestrone to a boil. Once your soup begins to boil, immediately reduce the heat to a medium-low and cover it with a lid. Allow the minestrone to simmer until the quinoa is cooked through which should be about 15 to 20 minutes.
Five
Now, stir in the chopped spinach and parsley. Simmer just until the spinach wilts which is going to be about 1 or 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves and remaining cheese rind. Serve and enjoy!
What to do with leftover soup
If you have leftovers, use them for lunch the next day or you can freeze this soup for up to a couple of months.
To reheat the frozen soup, thaw just enough to loosen the soup from the container. Then add it to a saucepan and heat on low until the soup is heated through.
When freezing prepared recipes, always write the date it goes into the freezer on the outside of the container.
Looking for frugal ways to stretch your grocery budget? See Cheap Meals To Make When The Budget Is Tight.
Serve each bowl of Minestrone soup with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top if desired.
Pro Tips for Minestrone Soup
Minestrone is a thick soup. If you prefer a thinner version, increase the amount of broth you add until it reaches your desired consistency.
Gluten-Free pasta can be substituted for the quinoa in this recipe.
Mirepoix, the carrots, onion and celery, can be purchased pre-chopped in the refrigerated section of many produce departments. A nice time saver.
Rinse your quinoa. Read your package to see if the quinoa has already been rinsed. Pour the quinoa into a fine sieve like a strainer and rinse under cool running water before adding to the pot. This removes that bitter saponin coating.
Want to add meat? Brown some ground turkey or you can buy a Rotisserie chicken from the Deli and pull it off the bone to add the meat. If you are adding meat, do it at the very end.
Gluten Free Minestrone Soup Recipe
A classic thick and hearty Minestone soup recipe adapted with white beans and quinoa instead of rice or pasta to compliment the fresh vegetables. Made from scratch goodness.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 large celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
- 6 Cups. chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes, with liquid
- 2 14-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ Cup white quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 2 large bay leaves
- 3” chunk Parmesan cheese rind
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 3 Cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- ¼ Cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 oz. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
Begin by heating the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the prepared onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season these vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables become soft, about 4 or 5 minutes
Now add the chicken broth, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, white beans and quinoa, bay leaves and the Parmesan rind.
Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and stir to combine. If desired, you may add additional salt and pepper. Remember the canned tomatoes also have salt in them unless you purchased unsalted.
Increase the heat to high and bring the ingredients for your Minestrone to a boil. Once your soup begins to boil, immediately reduce the heat to a medium low and cover with a lid. Allow the minestrone to simmer until the quinoa is cooked through which should be about 15 to 20 minutes.
Now, stir in the chopped spinach and parsley. Simmer just until the spinach wilts which is going to be about 1 or 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves and remaining cheese rind.
Serve each bowl of Minestrone soup with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top if desired.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 357Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 15mgSodium 1807mgCarbohydrates 50gFiber 12gSugar 7gProtein 21g
Nutrition information is estimated and may not be exact based on uncontrolled variables in home kitchens used by each individual cook.
Make this Gluten-free Minestrone soup for lunch or dinner. The made-from-scratch goodness is worth the effort. Does it remind you of Olive Garden Minestrone soup?
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Original publish date 1-21-2021
