It is really starting to feel like fall here in Colorado. The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are changing color, and the hours of sunlight are noticeably less. Which means it’s time to say goodbye to summer salads and hello to warm slow-cooked foods. I hope you’re as excited as I am for soups, stews, and baking!

Soup has a special place in my heart. I love warming up with a hot bowl of soup on a cool day. Most of all I love dipping some delicious bread in some tasty broth. We eat A LOT of soup. Soup is easy to make and there are always leftovers, which means lunch for the next day, hooray! I love cooking, but it’s always nice to have a break too.

This Vegetable Minestrone Soup is one of my favorite soup recipes. One of the best parts about making minestrone soup is you can throw in just about any kind of summer squash or root vegetable. Any vegetable that goes well with a tomato broth will work: carrots, parsnips, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, peas, green beans, fennel, and probably many more. I especially like adding parsnip, they add kind of a little sweet surprise to a savory soup. The recipe below is my favorite combination of vegetable flavors, but if you are missing something don’t fret or make a special trip to the store, just use what you have. This is one of those everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soup recipes, my favorite kind! Please share a comment if you add different veggies and find a new delicious concoction!

If you are looking for a healthy meal, this soup is crazy nutritious. It includes a rainbow of vegetables and is full of protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, potassium, and antioxidants. In addition to tons of veggies, this minestrone is made with a homemade vegetable stock which is also super nutritious. Add in some beans for protein and pasta to fill you up and there you have it. This soup is pretty much a veggie explosion, it’s so good for your body. Slurp it up!

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