If you are looking or a good and quick soup to help you get the nutrients you need, this minestrone soup will not disappoint.

I was recently listening to a nutritionist speak about what are the main nutrients that we should include in our diets. Among some of her top recommendations were leafy green, protein rich foods such as beans and legumes, avocados, eggs, and lots of fruits with antioxidants. 

In a world where we often toss back and forth between protein, carbs, and fat as our main source for sustenance. We often forget how important It is to eat more instead of what gives our bodies the right nutrition. That is vitamins, minerals, etc. 

Our gut and our brain health are very closely correlated. A brain that doesn’t have the right nutrients cannot function as well. I loved learning that when we are properly nourished we also feel more motivated. 

I go through stages where I love to eat salads everyday, and days where I don’t. This minestrone recipe is perfectly in between. The kale provides the leafy greens, followed by the tomatoes and onions, coupled in the end with the beans for a very healthy source of protein.

 

Kale is also a great source of Vitamin vitamins A, K, B6 and C, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese. Vitamin K is really not a vitamin that we talk a lot about when it comes to health. 

According to a Harvard study, Vitamin K helps to make various proteins that are needed for blood clotting and the building of bones.

Because I need to bribe my kids with something they like in order for them to eat their veggies, we sometimes add a slice or two of crumbled bacon to the top. I cook 1 pack of 12 slices of bacon from a local farmer in the oven. That makes it 2 slices per family member in our family. We like to bake it at 375 for about 30 minutes or until crunchy. Then we can crumble it or just serve it as is. The bacon smokey flavor couples really well with this minestrone soup. 

 

Another great side idea is to pair it with a loaf of ciabatta bread. I buy ours fresh from the store. I warm it up in the oven for a few minutes right before dinner. The crust turns really crunchy and the aroma of freshly baked bread comes right back out. It’s like eating freshly baked bread without the extra work.

I took inspiration for this recipe from Giada De Laurentis. 

I also do cook this recipe in the pressure cooker. Yet this minestrone could be easily cooked in the slow cooker as well. I like to make it pressure cooker because it’s basically ready in 15 minutes. The crock pot would require a few hours of simmering in order for all the flavors to infuse together and cook properly. But both options are great.

Have I convinced you yet to invest in a pressure cooker? It truly is a game changer. I purchased mine as an electrical one. It not only has all the settings pre registers, but the one I got also doubles as a steamer, rice cooker, and crock pot. I basically was able to get rid of so many appliances and have so much room in my kitchen cabinets now. I use the BREVILLE one. It’s very user friendly and does not require me to memorize how long to cook what. The settings are titled as simply as poultry, meat, soup, stew, and chili. All I do is press a button whether I am slow cooking, sautéing, or pressure cooking and the machine does the rest. 

HERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THIS FUN KITCHEN APPLIANCE AT 3 DIFFERENT PRICE POINTS: (I have purchased the second one. When I purchased it this brand had not come up with the multiple versions that are available now.)