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Fennel Minestrone

Italian-style vegetable soup with fennel, kidney beans, chickpeas, butternut squash, and Swiss chard. Fennel is loaded with potassium, folate, and protective polyphenols that fight inflammation.

From The Young Forever Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 0.5 tsp crushed fennel seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 0.5 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small bunch Swiss chard, deveined and sliced
  • Grated pecorino cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, diced fennel, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly, add the fennel seeds and garlic, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the tomato, kidney beans, chickpeas, and stock and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender. Add the Swiss chard and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, until it has softened.
  3. Fish out and discard the bay leaf. Serve the soup in bowls topped with freshly grated pecorino cheese, if you like, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Active Compounds

Nutrients and bioactive compounds delivered by this recipe's ingredients.

  • Quercetin
    From: Fennel
  • Potassium
    From: Fennel
  • Folate
    From: Fennel, Chickpeas
  • Polyphenols
    From: Fennel, Chickpeas
  • Resistant starch
    From: Chickpeas
  • Dietary fiber
    From: Chickpeas
  • B vitamins
    From: Chickpeas

May Support

Health conditions and aging processes this recipe's compounds may influence, based on the source research.

  • Menopause symptoms
    Improves · via Fennel
  • Vaginal Atrophy
    Improves · via Fennel
  • High blood pressure
    Improves · via Quercetin
  • High cholesterol
    Improves · via Quercetin
  • Heart disease
    Reduces risk of · via Quercetin
  • Aging
    Protects against · via Quercetin
  • Cognitive decline
    Protects against · via Quercetin
  • Cellular senescence
    Protects against · via Quercetin
  • Cardiovascular Disease
    Reduces risk of · via Quercetin
  • Stroke
    Reduces risk of · via Potassium
  • Age-Related Hearing Loss
    Protects against · via Folate
  • Depression
    Reduces risk of · via Folate
  • Neurodegenerative Disease
    Protects against · via Folate
  • Alzheimer's disease
    Protects against · via Folate
  • Cancer
    Reduces risk of · via Chickpeas
  • Obesity
    Reduces risk of · via Chickpeas
  • High blood sugar
    Improves · via Resistant starch
  • Telomere Shortening
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Constipation
    Improves · via Dietary fiber
  • Premature Death
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Diverticulosis
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Hemorrhoids
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Hiatal Hernia
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Varicose Veins
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Acid Reflux
    Improves · via Dietary fiber
  • Breast cancer
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Knee Osteoarthritis
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Frailty
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Osteoarthritis
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • All-Cause Mortality
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Insomnia
    Improves · via Dietary fiber
  • Type 2 diabetes
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Colorectal cancer
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Periodontitis
    Improves · via Dietary fiber
  • Colon Cancer
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Asthma
    Improves · via Dietary fiber
  • Coronary Artery Disease
    Reduces risk of · via Dietary fiber
  • Chronic inflammation (inflammaging)
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • Osteoporosis
    Protects against · via Dietary fiber
  • High Homocysteine
    Addresses · via B vitamins

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