Fall usually means it’s time to pull out our soup and stew recipes, which usually means we’re working with our slow cooker. But in the hustle and bustle of the week, we often don’t have time for slow cooker prep work, and as much as we love our slow cooker, a quick soup on the stovetop is a great solution to a weeknight meal. Our minestrone soup is a great way to use up all the leftover vegetables in the fridge and get a delicious meal on the table in 30 minutes. But also, the flavor. Is there anything better than a hearty, veggie-packed soup that’s both delicious and nutritious? We put all sorts of great stuff in this soup, like zucchini, carrots, and two colors of bell pepper. It’s like a rainbow in a bowl!

We like to top this soup with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and serve it with a slice of hearty bread. It’s the perfect mid-week dinner because it comes together so quickly, and it’s very flexible – we will use navy beans if we’re out of red kidney beans or celery if we don’t have carrots. When we need a weeknight meal that will warm us up on those chilly fall nights, we look no further than this belly-warming, hearty and colorful minestrone soup.