Lentil Minestrone Soup

Every now and then, I come across a soup recipe that reminds me of the way our grandmother cooked: simple ingredients, slow comfort, and a whole lot of heart stirred in. This one-pot Lentil Minestrone Soup fits right into our Southern recipe book. It’s the kind of soup you ladle into big bowls on a chilly evening, when you want something wholesome and made with the everyday staples you already have on hand. Nothing fancy here! It's just honest flavor, cozy warmth, and the kind of meal that makes you feel cared for from the inside out.

So grab your favorite cooking pot and get ready for week five of our January Soup Series. We're ladling up a big bowl of hearty, homestyle Lentil Minestrone Soup.

Lentil Minestrone Soup

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

5 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed

2 dried bay leaves

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1. Peel and dice onion and carrots. Finely chop celery. Peel garlic and mince. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pot to medium high heat with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until vegetables are tender, approximately 7 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook 1 additional minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add broth, water, and crushed tomatoes, then stir in dried lentils and bay leaves and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Once soup is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes.
6. Remove lid and increase heat to medium. Add uncooked pasta and cannellini beans and cook until pasta is tender, approximately 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
7. Stir in chopped fresh spinach to wilt before serving.

Notes:

Minestrone soup is a classic Italian dish that is versatile and hearty. This version adds lentils to increase the protein but still keeps with the traditional recipe. If you would like to add meat to the recipe, some good options might be: ground beef, meatballs, shredded chicken, Italian sausage, hamburger meat, or ground turkey.

Serve this soup with a crusty bread and garnish with your choice of parsley, red pepper flakes, or Parmesan cheese to add extra flavor.

And just like that, we’ve ladled up the final bowl in our five-part January Soup Series. Ending on this cozy Lentil Minestrone feels just right—simple, nourishing, and full of the kind of comfort that carries you through the season. I hope these recipes have brought a little extra warmth to your kitchen this month and maybe even inspired a few new favorites. Thanks for simmering along with us—here’s to many more pots of goodness in the months ahead.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

This Tuscan White Bean Soup is perfect for a cool day. It makes a hearty and yummy meal.  Serve with warm bread for the perfect pairing. The creaminess of this soup comes from blending part of the soup and then adding the blended content back to the remaining soup. No actual cream involved. So this one is not only delicious but also low in fat. It's loaded with veggies too, but blending it makes it easy to disguise that for the kiddos who are always turning their noses up to veggie loaded soups. And once they try it, they will be sold on it. All the veggies can be your little secret. 

As we roll into week four of our January Soup Series, we’re keeping things cozy, comforting, and family-friendly with bowls that warm you from the inside out. If you’ve been cooking along with us this month, this recipe is another delicious reminder that good soup has a way of turning ordinary days into something special.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

            3 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

            1 yellow onion, finely chopped

            4 cloves garlic, minced

            2 Tbsp olive oil

            2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

            1 stalk celery, diced

            1/3 cup white wine (I use pinot grigio)

            2 cups chopped kale, finely chopped, stems removed

            3 - 4 cups vegetable broth

            1 Tbsp tomato paste

            1 tsp salt

            1/4 tsp black pepper

            1/4 tsp red pepper

            1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

            2 bay leaves

            1 tsp dried thyme

            1/2 tsp dried oregano

 

1. Sauté onion in a large pot with olive oil.
2. Once it starts to brown slightly, add garlic, celery and carrots.  Sauté an additional 10 minutes to allow veggies to soften and brown.  The browning adds to the flavor!  
3. Add white wine and sauté until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. 
4. Add all remaining ingredients (except kale) and stir well. 
5. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 
6. Discard bay leaves.  Then transfer 2 1/2 - 3 cups of soup to a blender.  Blend until smooth.
7. Transfer back to the pot and stir well to combine. 
8. Add in the kale and let simmer for a few minutes to allow kale to wilt. 
9. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.  
10. Serve warm; add a hearty bread to make the perfect meal.  Enjoy!

We hope this Tuscan White Bean Soup finds its way into your regular winter rotation and brings a little extra comfort to your table. A pot of soup simmering on the stove has a way of filling the house with warmth and calling everyone to gather close and sit a spell. Thank you for cooking along with us during our January Soup Series, and be sure to come back next week as we wrap things up with our final soup recipe. We can’t wait to share one more bowl of hearty soup with you.

Baked Potato Soup

Some suppers just feel like home, and a pot of Baked Potato Soup simmering on the stove is one of them. There’s nothing fancy about it, just good, simple comfort food. Creamy potatoes, a little butter, a touch of milk, and all the fixin’s that make it taste like love in a bowl.

This is the kind of soup that’ll chase off the chill and bring everyone running to the kitchen. It’s hearty enough for a meal, easy enough for a weeknight, and somehow still feels special every single time. So grab your favorite ladle and cozy up. Week three of our January Soup Series is serving up pure Southern comfort with this rich, creamy Baked Potato Soup.

Baked Potato Soup

5 large Russet potatoes

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

6 cups milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 green onions, chopped and divided

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

8 oz sour cream

1. Wash, prick, and bake potatoes for 1 hour at 400 degrees F, or until done.
2. Let cool completely. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp in chunks and set aside. Discard skins.
3. Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add flour and cook until smooth, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for additional 1 minute.
4. Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
5. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 green onions, and 1 cup of cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated  through and cheese is melted. If potato chunks are larger than you would like, use a potato masher to mash them to desired size now.
6. Stir in sour cream, stirring until melted.
7. Garnish with remaining green onions and shredded cheese.

Notes:

This recipe is easy to double, and makes a budget-friendly meal.

The soup will thicken as it cools.

Our family enjoys this as a vegetarian recipe, but you can garnish with bacon bits, if desired.

Whether you’re sharing this Baked Potato Soup around the family table or tucking into a bowl after a long day, we hope this recipe brings a little warmth to your week. Be sure to stop back by next week as our January Soup Series continues with another delicious recipe to keep those winter nights extra cozy.