Do you ever crave a hot soup that’s light and hearty at the same time? We do too. So we present to you our version of a basic minestrone, which is possibly the easiest soup ever, and extremely versatile.

Recipe (IANS original!):

Notes

1. Difficulty: Easy

2. Length: 20 minutes, tops

3. Keep in mind: Everything in here is highly adjustable to your tastes. Got leftover spinach? Random cold chicken? Toss them in! Don’t like carrots? Put in less. Or just leave them out if you really want.

4. Why we made it: We were craving some comfort soup.

5. Why you should make it: If you’re in need of a healthy vegetable soup. Or just have a bunch of vegetables you want to get rid of in a delicious manner

Ingredients

1. Vegetables (Take these as merely a suggestion. The measurements and types of vegetables are completely up to you, what you have on hand, what you like)

   1. 1 onion (diced)

   2. 2 celery stalks (diced)

   3. 1 carrot (peeled and diced)

   4. 1 tomato (diced)

2. 2 cups pasta (preferably non-noodle pasta, we used bowtie)

3. 2 cups stock (pretty much any stock works–we used chicken)

4. Water (around 2 cups)

5. 1 tsp Italian seasoning (this can be replaced with pretty much any seasoning you prefer. Paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, basil, thyme, parsley–whatever you want)

6. Kosher salt (to taste)

7. Pepper (to taste)

8. Cooking oil

Equipment

1. One big pot

2. Vegetable peeler (to peel the carrots)

3. Knife (to dice the vegetables)

4. Wooden spatula (to stir the soup)

Prep your vegetables! The best way to peel carrots is to tilt them down into whatever receptacle you plan on throwing the peels into and peel away from you in long strokes. That way, the peels will automatically fall into the trash can.

Dice everything up! It doesn’t really matter how big you cut everything into—just make sure they’re all about the same size. (apologies for the bad form on the knife)

Add a glug of oil into your pot (this may look like a lot, but keep in mind all the veggies you’re adding) and bring your temperature up to a medium heat.

Add in your veggies! The best order to add them is onions first.

When those get soft and translucent, add in your carrots and celery and cook until they start to become soft.

Make sure your vegetables get nice and soft before proceeding. Stir constantly so they do not stick or burn.

Then add in your diced tomatoes and stir until they start breaking down.

Salt a little at this point just to draw out liquid from the vegetables and add flavor.

The longer tomatoes cook, the more aromatic they become, so keep going!

When your tomatoes become soft and broken down and your other vegetables have mostly softened, add in all your liquid (we used equal parts stock and water, but you can use whatever you have).

Add water until it covers everything in the pot.

Add in your seasoning to infuse flavor and bring to a boil.

At this stage, if you’re not serving immediately, turn the heat down to low and simmer until you want to serve (honestly, this soup tastes better after simmering).

10 minutes before you want to serve, bring the soup up to a boil and add in your pasta. (If you don’t want your soup starchy, just cook the pasta in a separate pot and add when almost cooked).

Cook as you would with normal pasta. Garnish and serve.

And that’s a really basic minestrone, in a nutshell!