Minestrone

A low FODMAP minestrone of low FODMAP broth, carrots, celery, zucchini, chopped tomatoes, rinsed canned lentils, gluten-free pasta, and spinach.

Prep 15 min

Cook 40 min

Serves 6

Gluten-freeDairy-free option

Ingredients

• 8 cups (1.9 L) low-FODMAP chicken broth or low-FODMAP vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for serving
• 1/2 cup scallion greens (~40 g), sliced thin
• 2 medium carrots, diced small
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced (spread across 6 servings)
• 390 g zucchini (about 2 medium, no more; 65 g per serving), diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14 oz / 400 g) can chopped tomatoes
• 276 g drained weight canned lentils (about 1 1/2 cups; 46 g per serving), thoroughly rinsed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh, added at the end)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 oz (115 g) gluten-free elbows or small shells (brown-rice or corn-based, not legume)
• 4 packed cups baby spinach (~120 g across the pot)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 40 g (about 1/3 cup) grated Parmesan, to finish (optional)

Instructions

Build the Base

1. Warm the garlic-infused oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the scallion greens, carrots, and celery. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the carrots start to soften and the scallions smell sweet.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute so it darkens and loses its raw edge. Add the zucchini and toss to coat.

Simmer the Soup

1. Pour in the canned tomatoes and the broth. Add the oregano, dried basil, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the carrots and zucchini are tender but still hold their shape.
3. Stir in the rinsed lentils. Simmer for 5 more minutes to warm through.

Add Pasta and Greens

1. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer. Add the gluten-free pasta and cook per the package, usually 7 to 9 minutes, until just tender. Taste a piece. Gluten-free pasta goes from firm to mushy quickly.
2. Stir in the spinach in two handfuls, letting each wilt before adding the next. This takes about 2 minutes.
3. Fish out the bay leaf. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Stir in the parsley and fresh basil if using.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of the reserved tablespoon of garlic-infused oil.

Tips & Substitutions

• Rinse the lentils hard. Canned lentils are low FODMAP at about ⅓ cup (65g) per serve when drained and rinsed under cold running water for about 60 seconds.
• Use homemade broth. Most supermarket broths list onion or garlic powder, so use homemade chicken broth, homemade vegetable broth, or a certified low FODMAP broth.
• Skip kidney beans. Traditional minestrone uses kidney beans, which are high FODMAP at a soup portion. Canned chickpeas work at 1/4 cup (42 g) per bowl, but canned lentils add texture and body more easily.
• Brown-rice or corn pasta. Tinkyada, Jovial, and Barilla Gluten Free elbows or small shells hold up in soup; legume pastas vary by product and add to the lentils already in the pot.
• Weigh the zucchini. Monash tests zucchini at 1/2 cup (65 g) per serve, so 390 g across 6 bowls is exactly that; don't add more to bulk out the soup.
• Cook pasta separately for leftovers. Gluten-free pasta keeps drinking liquid in the fridge, so boil it in a second pot and add it to each bowl at serve time. For dairy-free bowls, skip the Parmesan or use nutritional yeast.

Why This Works

Canned lentils, rinsed. Canning leaches some FODMAPs into the liquid and rinsing washes them away, which is why canned lentils have a larger low FODMAP serve than dried. Monash lists about ⅓ cup (65g) per serve, enough to give minestrone real body.

Scallion greens plus garlic-infused oil replace the onion-garlic base. Most of the onion fructans live in the white bulb, and scallion greens are low FODMAP up to 75 g per serve. Garlic's fructans don't dissolve in oil, so infused oil captures the flavor.

Measured tomato and vegetables. Monash tests canned tomatoes at 1/2 cup per serve and tomato paste at about 1 tablespoon (20g), and a 6-serve pot stays below both. Each bowl gets 65 g zucchini and about 20 g spinach, both at or under their low FODMAP serves.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed container at 40°F (4°C) or below for 3 to 4 days. Freeze the soup base (without the pasta or spinach) for up to 3 months; the pasta turns mushy on the thaw and the spinach bleeds color. When reheating, warm the soup in a pot, boil fresh pasta in a second pot, and stir in fresh spinach at the end.