Making soup can feel like a lot of work — all the chopping! All the simmer time!

Then I found this recipe. Chopping is minimal (and you can take shortcuts to reduce it further), and the simmer time is still reasonable for a weeknight dinner. And it hits the trifecta: Delicious, healthy and makes great-tasting leftovers.

Since discovering this soup, I’ve made it almost weekly — and to my delight, my children actually eat it. My 11-year-old offered this feedback: "We don’t ask you to make this, but every time you do, I’m like ‘Yay, I like this.’” An honest review!

It’s filling enough on its own, or you can pair it with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Veggie-packed minestrone soup

Recipe adapted from freshpressfarms.com. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (shortcut: 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added green beans, drained and rinsed)

  • 1 cup elbow pasta

  • 1 15.5-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed

  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon dried basil

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 large carrot, diced, or 6 to 8 baby carrots

  • 2 stalks celery, diced (shortcut: buy pre-washed and trimmed celery stalks for quicker dicing)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (shortcut: 4 teaspoons jarred minced garlic)

  • 1 large onion, diced (shortcut: 1 cup pre-chopped onion)

  • Optional: 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated (shortcut: buy it already grated)

Preparation:

Wash and cut vegetables, if you aren’t using the pre-cut versions.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.

Add chopped onions and cook for 4 minutes or until translucent (slightly see-through).

Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add chopped celery and carrots and cook until they begin to soften. The timing will vary based on how finely you chopped them; mine usually take 10 to 12 minutes.

Stir in the green beans, oregano, basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot and bring it to a boil.

Reduce heat and allow everything to simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in beans and pasta. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables and pasta are tender.

Serve. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings. Per serving, assuming 6 servings: 360 calories; 6.3 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 451 mg sodium; 61.7 mg carbohydrate; 11.8 g sugar; 15.7 g protein

Per serving, assuming 6 servings, with optional parmesan cheese: 383 calories; 7.8 g fat; 4.7 mg cholesterol; 550.2 mg sodium; 62.5 mg carbohydrate; 11.8 g sugar; 17.3 g protein