Waking up to a bowl of oatmeal? Absolutely. A plate of eggs and turkey bacon? Yes, please. A cup of yogurt and some fruit? Sure. But how do you feel about a piping hot bowl of minestrone soup to break your fast?
Pictured Recipe: Slow-Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup
“The more I do research on what really drives longevity, the more I realize it’s starting with a savory breakfast,” says Dan Buettner, a New York Times best-selling author and co-founder of Blue Zones Kitchen. “Most of what people think produces greater life expectancy is misguided or just plain wrong. A lot of the easiest and best things are quite literally right under our noses—especially if that thing right under our noses is a steaming bowl of minestrone.”
And Buettner has been starting his day with exactly that for many years (though to be fair, he eats a rather late breakfast, so it’s not until closer to noon). This change in his meal planning came on the heels of discovering that minestrone is what members of the world’s oldest family, who live in Sardinia, fortify themselves with daily. What’s more, considering his findings, people could live an extra 10 years if they incorporate healthy habits like eating lots of vegetables and fruits, staying active and cooking more at home.
What’s So Special about Homemade Minestrone Soup?
Sure, it’s cozy and hearty, but it’s a got a lot more going for it, too, including:
Tons of Fiber
“This minestrone, when you break it down, has about half the fiber you need for the day and has a wide variety of different fibers from the different ingredients,” says Buettner. “Our microbiome has about 100 trillion different species of bacteria, and when you feed those bacteria the fiber they like, they produce short-chain fatty acids. In our bloodstream, these reduce inflammation, fine-tune our immune system, and create the building blocks for the hormones in our body that make us feel good.”
Nutrient-Dense Ingredients
“Most Americans don’t eat the recommended amount of vegetables,” says Sarah Wagner, M.P.H., RD, LD, a clinical dietitian at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. “This soup is a great way to get a variety of them in one bowl.” She especially likes that the three types of beans are plant protein sources that help ensure your body gets all the amino acids it needs; the potatoes are a great source of carbohydrates and rich in minerals like potassium and magnesium and vitamins B6, folate, thiamin and C; and that barley is a whole grain that can help improve blood sugar control and cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation and risk of certain types of cancer. And she says that compared to a restaurant or canned soup, homemade versions have a lot less sodium—even when using the bouillon.
Budget-Friendly Option
With grocery budgets getting stretched thinner and thinner, every penny counts during meal planning—and minestrone gives quite a bang for your buck. “It’s a very affordable meal with an abundance of health benefits,” says Wagner. “Sometimes we start to think eating healthy means buying fancy products at expensive health-food stores, but here we have a longevity soup made of dry beans and grains, canned tomatoes and inexpensive vegetables.” Plus, it’s a great way to use up any ingredients hanging around in your fridge or pantry that are wilting or close to expiring.
An Opportunity to Reduce Food Waste
“If I have some collard greens or kale or Swiss chard, I’ll chop that up and throw it in—most people just throw the stems away, but I chop those up and put them in there,” says Buettner, who does the same with fennel tops, too. “That’s where most of the antioxidants are, by the way.”
5 Tips for Making Your Own Minestrone
While you could follow Buettner’s minestrone soup recipe exactly, the truth is that any homemade hearty vegetable soup with whatever ingredients you have on hand will start your day off on the right foot. And if you simply can’t stomach the idea of serving this for breakfast, lunch or dinner are also great options.
Swap out ingredients for the ones you love: Use this recipe as a template, but feel free to customize it based on your taste preferences—the goal is to find something you enjoy eating versus making it feel like a chore. Don’t like kidney beans but you’re OK with chickpeas? Wagner says to use those instead. Love chili powder? Add it. Don’t have regular potatoes, but you have yams? You can swap those in. “It’s very adaptable to what you have on hand and what foods and flavors you enjoy,” she says. “The point is you’re making something with whole foods instead of relying on an ultra-processed product, and it’s a plant-based meal with all the protein, fiber and micronutrients your body likely needs a boost of.” For instance, this Hearty Minestrone recipe uses whole-wheat orzo instead of barley.
Batch-cook once a week to save time: Often, people cite time as a barrier to homemade healthier meals, though Buettner says that if you average those extra 10 years you’ll gain throughout your life, you can’t afford not to eat healthily. “This recipe allows you to make several servings of a healthy plant-based dish all at once to save you time in the long run,” says Wagner. Buettner freezes individual servings in glass containers to thaw and reheat in the microwave later. If you’re looking for a recipe that makes a big batch, try our Slow-Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup. Not only does this recipe make 8 servings, but it’s prepped in 30 minutes, and the slow cooker takes care of the rest.
Add some fat: Buettner likes to add a little avocado, Parmesan cheese or extra-virgin olive oil on top. “It adds richness and staying power,” he says. Fat and fiber are two nutrients that curb hunger, he adds. Add these to your bowl once plated so they don’t get degraded. That said, you can also add some animal-protein sources, like in this Slow-Cooker Turkey & Kale Minestrone Soup.
Instead of water, use vegetable broth: This will add so much more flavor, says Buettner, who often uses a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon. As a bonus, Wagner says that broth-based soups like this contribute to hydration, which is ideal for people who have a hard time drinking water throughout the day to meet their hydration goal.
Dining and Cooking