Sardinian Longevity Minestrone

Inspired by the super-healthy, legume- and vegetable-filled minestrone soup enjoyed by the long-living residents of Sardinia, this Sardinian Minestrone Soup is naturally vegan and perfect for Meatless Mondays. (Now with video!)

I’m an avid fan of the The Blue Zones, especially the book series. I often relisten to the audiobooks on my daily walks, to stay inspired. (New to the Blue Zones? Start with The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, the book profiling regions of the world where residents routinely live to 100 and beyond.)

Now, I don’t necessarily want to live to 100. One standout characteristic of these long-living communities is that residents have very strong, life-long support systems of both family and friends, which, quick frankly, we lack in the US. High school and college friendships often dissolve with miles, as we scatter across the country for careers and different climates.

Sibling and extended family bonds soften for the same reasons. Young families form, and we busyify our lives. By the time we reach an age where we need a little assistance, there’s just a small circle of people who can and are willing to help. Aging in American is stressful all around.

No, I’m not interested in the number, but rather in the quality. And that’s what these Blue Zones seem to share — they live long but are sharp and spry right to the end.

I’m particularly drawn to their diets, which appeal to my basically vegetarian nature. The Sardinian (Italy) and Ikarian (Greece) groups and their Mediterranean meal plans are strongly vegetarian, focusing on legumes and seasonal vegetables, usually picked from their own gardens. And wine.

Bitter beverages are not my favorites, but as I’ve aged, my tolerance for them has improved, and I’ve always been intrigued by the claimed health benefits of red wine. When I read about the Sardinian’s love for their native Cannonau wine, I was excited to give it a taste.

To my surprise — I have a love-hate relationship with red wine — a double-shot of Cannonau went down mighty smooth with a bowl of Sardinian minestrone soup one rainy afternoon. I don’t think it’s in the cards to drink wine every afternoon, like the Sardinians do with their long lunches — we ‘burb dwellers have too much driving to do — but I’m happy to have a red wine in my stash that I enjoy (and that might just be very good for me to boot).

Which brings me to today’s soup. I have to say, I *love* this minestrone soup. Inspired by Blue Zone’s teachings, my version of this vegetable-heavy soup contains plenty of flavorful beans, and a few of my favorite spring veggies, including broccoli stems and fennel.

It also contains a fun little Sardinian pasta called fregola (organic fregola is also available) which is pebble-sized and toasted, giving the pasta a deeper flavor and multi-colored, rustic appearance.

Perfect for Meatless Mondays, this Blue Zones minestrone soup doesn’t weigh me down; it fuels me up!

Ingredients notes

Vegetables — Minestrone always calls for lots of veggies. You can use my recipe as a guide, but feel free to substitute whatever delicious thing is in season, or your favorites.

Tomatoes — These little unassuming red globes are absolutely chock-full of umami. I use two kinds of tomato preparations here, crushed and paste. Tomato paste is tomatoes that have been cooked down until intensely concentrated, and add so much flavor to soups and other dishes. It’s a secret weapon for making great soup!

Beans — Beans are a mainstay in the Blue Zones diet, and for good reason. They’re inexpensive, they’re nutritious, and they’re easy to cook with. Here, I turned to my old reliable favorites, the Great Northern bean, plus fava beans to mix things up. The beautiful thing about minestrone in general is that you can pretty much use your favorite beans, whether pinto, cannellini, or black beans.

I call for canned beans here because of the ease of prep. You can definitely start with dried beans, and I’ve included instructions in the recipe. I think dried beans are amazing, and have turbocharged flavors — especially if you get them from a high-quality source like Rancho Gordo — but I’m the first to admit that I always forget to soak the beans ahead of time.

Water — Minestrone is one of the soups that shines just using water, not even chicken or vegetable broth. This is because the vegetables and tomatoes give off loads of flavor, and using water actually keeps the soup “light” tasting, despite its hefty ingredients list. Of course, you absolutely can use your favorite broth in place of water, in the same quantities.

How to Make Sardinian Longevity Minestrone

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to get the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a walk-through of making the soup.

Serving Suggestions for Sardinian Longevity Minestrone Soup

I made a huge batch of this soup, and enjoyed the leftovers for lunch several times last week. The soup is delicious with the pecorino romano cheese, but it’s really something with a fried egg on top. When the yolk breaks into the soup … oh, my guhness. Soup heaven.

This Blue Zones Minestrone is perfect with a side of bread. Maybe focaccia or garlic bread. Or even naan. And if you’re a fan of sourdough, this soup would be quite lovely served in a sourdough bread bowl.

I hope you’ll try and love this healthy, super tasty Sardinian minestrone soup! And if it’s the height of summer and you have an abundance of fresh veggies, try this light and lovely Summer Minestrone!

Print Recipe

4.70 from 72 votes

Sardinian Longevity Minestrone

Inspired by the super-healthy, legume- and vegetable-filled Blue Zones minestrone soup enjoyed by the long-living residents of Sardinia, this soup is naturally vegan and perfect for Meatless Mondays.

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Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blue zones minestrone, sardinia minestrone, sardinian minestrone

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow or white onion chopped
• 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
• 1 celery rib chopped
• 1 broccoli stalk peeled and chopped
• 1 small sweet potato peeled and diced (about 1 cups)
• 1 small fennel bulb chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can fava beans
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fregola pasta
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano or Daiya Smoked Gouda finely grated (optional)
• extra virgin olive oil for garnish

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a 5 qt Dutch oven or soup pot set over medium. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and fennel. Saute, stirring frequently, until all of the vegetables are softened.
• Scootch the vegetables to the side, creating a clear spot and add the tomato paste and garlic to the spot. Stir together until the garlic is fragrant (less than a minute), then mix in with the remaining vegetables.
• Increase heat to medium-high, and ddd the beans, crushed tomatoes, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat low or medium-low to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, uncovered.
• Add the pasta and a pinch of salt. If the soup is too thick, add another cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the herbs. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.
• To serve, spoon into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with the cheese.

Notes

– You can use dried beans instead of canned. Soak the beans overnight (peel the favas, if you prefer them that way), increase cooking time to 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

– Fregola is a small, peppercorn-sized Italian pasta that’s dried and toasted (and has a lovely multi-colored hue). If you can’t find fregola, substitute the similarly shaped Israeli couscous or another small pasta such as orzo or ditalini.

– Leave off the cheese, and the soup is naturally vegan.

– This soup is awesome the next day, and the day after. Make a lot – you won’t regret it!

Recipe Video

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.

Inspired by a Blue Zones soup.