Minute Minestrone Soup

Minute Minestrone Soup
Bridget Swinney MS, RDN, LD

February 5, 2025 Recipes

Warm up with this healthy, hearty soup. This recipe is a great way to use leftover veggies and is yummy with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top! Serve with toast cut in the shape of hearts.

This soup is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, lycopene, and fiber. Lycopene is an antioxidant and gives tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruit their color. Lycopene has been shown to protect against heart disease and some cancers including breast cancer. By using whole-grain pasta, this soup is even healthier!

Ingredients

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed or cooked in a minimal amount of water, not drained (or use leftover cooked spinach or other green)
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1-14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup cooked green beans
1 cup cooked chickpeas or any beans
1 cup cooked pasta—macaroni or small egg noodles
2 cups water
1 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, Italian spice, basil
2 bay leaves
¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste

couple gbaby crib in background

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until heated. Add more water for a thinner soup. Remove bay leaves before serving.

You can change this recipe to make it the way you like!

couple admiring baby

Get Creative!

  • Skip the pasta and add another cup of beans or a cup of cooked brown rice or barley
  • Substitute the green beans with any other cooked veggie – like zucchini or carrots
  • Substitute the spinach with any other cooked green – like baby kale or Swiss chard
  • Make it a main dish soup by adding cooked chicken or other protein cut into bite-size pieces
  • You can start with uncooked veggies and dry pasta and cook both in the soup at the same time. Just add another ½ cup or more of water, depending on the pasta, and cook another 5-10 minutes

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

Mom new born home

Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

three-months

3 Months

six-months

6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

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