Grab & Go Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Jars
These Grab & Go Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Jars are a high-protein recipe idea for the busy work week – 30 minutes of meal prep on a Sunday will leave you with delicious lunches all week!
This post is sponsored by Chickapea Pasta. Thanks so much for supporting the brands I love – they help keep my blog up and running!
Oh hey there – I'm back at you again with some more delicious lunch jar ideas! I swear they serve a better function than you may be thinking; mason jars aren't just for pretty pictures on Pinterest! Pretty much every single thing I eat these days really needs to serve a purpose in my busy life.
I want to make sure I'm eating super healthy food that's jam-packed with veggies and lots of protein to keep me full throughout the day. I don't know about you but lunch is such a crucial meal of the day for me. It sustains my energy and keeps me feeling satiated while I get everything on my to-do list done.
That said, having lunch prepared ahead of my work day is key, even though I work from home and could technically just make this midday meal as the time comes to eat. At the same time I don't want to eat another soggy sandwich or salad that doesn't keep fresh when prepped ahead of time. I want something that still tastes fresh, and ideally as we head into the colder months, a delicious hot meal!
What's a busy girl to do? Make mason jar soup! It's certainly not the first time I've done it, and it won't be the last. But minestrone soup jars? These things are off the chain with flavour! And trust me, I've tested these out on a few people who all give the thumbs up and already can't wait for me to post this recipe. Yes, I'm bragging, I know. But I honestly didn't expect such flavour from what is otherwise an “Instant” soup mix.
Well, you should probably be aware that I've cheated on the “instant” thing, but only with fresh veggies that'll last in the fridge all week long. First off, I should say I'm partnering with my fave gluten free pasta, Chickapea Pasta, for this delicious recipe and we've got a GREAT giveaway that'll help you prep these Minestrone Soup Jars even faster on the weekend, and that's where my favourite blender Vitamix comes in.
Throw a bunch of mixed veggies in your Vitamix (I used celery, carrots and onions), then saute the veggies with a bit of tomato paste, garlic and salt. Add some Italian seasoning and you've got the base of your Minestrone Soup Jars. Top with kidney beans, gluten-free Chickapea Pasta shells (made with JUST chickpeas and lentils so the shells are super high in protein!), add a half bouillon cube + spinach and boom, you've got lunch for the week. When you're ready to serve, fill 'em up with water, microwave on high for 6 minutes, and that's all there is to it! 
Now, for the SUPER exciting part. To help make your meal prep for the work week THAT MUCH EASIER, Chickapea, Vitamix and I are all teaming up to give you the chance to win a fabulous prize pack made up of Chickapea Pasta and your very own Vitamix blender!!! How amazing is that?! All you need you need to do to enter is the following:
- Login to the Rafflecopter widget below using either your email or Facebook. Once you login, you’ll be given several options to enter the contest by liking or following different Facebook and Instagram accounts
- To get your Facebook entry, click the button for the Facebook page you want to like, like the Facebook page, then click “I visited”
- To get your Instagram entry, click the Instagram account you want to follow, follow the account, then type the name of the account into the box and click “Enter”
Will you be making these Grab & Go Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Jars?
When meal prep is this easy and delicious, it's hard to see how you couldn't just set aside a half hour each weekend to dedicate to these! The fact that they are vegetarian and gluten free, and JAM PACKED with protein is just the bonus!
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!
And of course, here’s some more giveaway details:
Rafflecopter Widget: a Rafflecopter giveaway 
Mason Jar Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium-sized Carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 can kidney beans, drained
- 1 box Chickapea Pasta, shells
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, cut in half
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Roughly chop up carrots, celery and onions. Place in Vitamix and pulse on level 2 for 5-10 seconds until veggies are finely chopped. Alternatively, chop vegetables into a small dice.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add veggies and sauté for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt, cooking another 5-6 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Divide veggies evenly among 4 large Mason jars. Top each with kidney beans, Chickapea pasta shells, half bouillon cube and spinach.
- Keep jars in fridge up to 5 days; when looking to serve, fill just to top of spinach and microwave for 5-6 minutes. Let sit for 2 minutes before pouring into a large bowl. Pasta will continue to cook as you serve - enjoy!
Nutrition
Love this gorgeous recipe, Tayor. Such a delicious, hearty meal! The convenience seals the deal. Sharing!
swooooooooon!!!!! Look at those colors! I am all about this savory soup in a jar! Such a scrumptious idea for a grab and go soup that’s healthy and delicious!
Can’t wait to try this recipe, Taylor! Perfect for fall lunches.
This is just perfect. Gluten free, healthy and easy to make. Love it!
You’re just brilliant to come up with this! This is such a veggie-packed wholesome lunch and I can’t wait to try it!
Grab and Go! What a great idea! Can’t wait to try it myself!
One, I of course love that it is vegetarian!! It ticks every box for me!
How did I not leave a comment when I first saw these beautiful jars?! Such an incredible idea. I absolutely love soup at work– all year long, because I find the AC way too high even during the hot months! I bought jars last weekend just for this recipe, Taylor!
Oldie but a goodie if you are a foodie.
Most images include a small bowl of what looks like parmesan cheese. I assume that’s an optional garnish, but your recipe doesn’t mention it. Is it included in the nutritional information table?
I didn’t include it in the nutrition info – it’s an optional garnish! If you were to add about a tablespoon of cheese to the top of the soup you would be looking at about 25 extra calories I believe!
I had serious doubts that pasta would cook from dry by microwaving it in water for 5-6 minutes. I mean if that worked that’s how people would cook pasta instead of boiling water for 10 minutes then cooking pasta for 3-15 minutes depending on shape. I tested it on some small rigatoni pasta (three rigatoni in a bowl of water microwaved for 6 minutes, sat for 2) and the pasta came out raw on the inside. Then I tried it again starting with boiled water from the kettle, microwaved for 6 minutes, sat for 5 minutes, and it was still raw. I thought maybe that rigatoni just takes to long to cook, so I bought some very small orecchiette that are supposed to cook for 9 minutes (the small shells take about the same time to cook as well). The orecchiette also came out raw. The only success I had was soaking small rigatoni for 90 minutes or so (while I went to the store). Those were cooked after 2 minutes in the microwave. I don’t know if there’s something special about pasta made from chickpeas and lentils that makes them cook faster when microwaved but I doubt it.
You are only supposed to use gluten-free chickpea/lentil pasta in this recipe – I never claimed that regular pasta would work in this recipe. Chickpea pasta cooks in 3-5 minutes in boiling water so it definitely works in this recipe, which I developed specifically for gluten-free pasta. If you had seriously doubts about regular pasta cooking in this recipe, you could have asked and I could have clarified that it would not work.