It’s official- winter is here, which means it’s soup season! Honestly, is there anything better than cozying into a warm bowl of liquid and other delicious add-ins? For my husband, there are many better meals, which means when I make soup I get it all to myself and it ends up being my lunch, or future lunch-saver, for days.

One reason I love cooking soups is that they can be such a convenient way to sneakily get in more vegetables. You can do this by making two types of soups: a broth-based soup or a pureed soup.

For my patients who aren’t veg-lovers, are maybe dealing with vegetable aversions in pregnancy, or just prefer their fiber dressed up in fun ways, I often recommend doing a soup puree. This method integrate the vegetable right into the base so there’s not getting around it. Some of my favorite vegetable puree soups are creamy broccoli, roasted cauliflower, carrot ginger, or silky butternut squash. These types of soups are typically lacking in protein and starch (unless a potato is blended in there for thickness), so I recommend serving it with a side of grilled chicken, a tuna melt, or a bean salad.

The other vegetable-focused version of soup is to make a broth-based soup that has a variety of veggies swimming in the liquid, usually with a starch and protein added in as well. Usually I go puree, but this past weekend I had a hankering for some chunky soup and decided to make my version of minestrone.

Honestly you could use whatever vegetables you have on hand- some yellow squash, green beans, or mustard greens would go really nicely in here. Beans are a non-negotiable and a good way to start increasing your plant-protein intake. I loved this article in the New York Times about easy ways to accomplish this plant-transition and think my soup fits the bill. I also decided to use fun orzo pasta because that’s what I had, but you could use the traditional mini tube pasta or even something like Banza rice, which I’ve heard is very orzo-esque.

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup with Orzo- makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, cut into coins or small chunks

• 1 cup celery, sliced

• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with the juices

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can kidney beans

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can cannelilni beans

• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth + 1 extra cup broth or water if prefer a more liquid base

• 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning (blend of oregano, basil, thyme)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 cup dried orzo

• 2 handfuls of baby spinach

• Salt and red pepper flake to taste

• Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

1. Add first 9 ingredients to your slow cooker. Give everything a stir and let it cook on HIGH for 3.5 hours.

2. After 3.5 hours add in the orzo and baby spinach, cover, and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.

3. When finished, season with salt or red pepper flake for heat and serve with fresh parmesan.

4. To store, let cool completely and pack into containers that can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.