The Best Minestrone Soup
Minestrone is an Italian vegetable soup with pasta, and it’s one of my all-time faves! I’ve tried many different variations, and while they are all good, this is my absolute favorite. It doesn’t hurt that it tastes a lot like Olive Garden’s version, which was a treat when I was younger, as we didn’t eat out much when I was a kid. Full of healthy veggies and deep flavor, I hope you find as much comfort from this soup as I do.
Ingredients
Onion – I prefer sweet onions because I usually have those on hand, but use what you have.
Zucchini – I always add extra, it’s one of my favorite vegetables in this soup! If it is large or has a lot of seeds, remove the seeds before adding.
Frozen Italian green beans – These can be hard to find. I find them in the freezer section of my store. You can also use regular cut green beans, fresh or frozen.
Celery – I always go heavy on the celery too, it adds so much flavor!
Minced garlic – I press mine. Measure with your heart!
Vegetable stock – The flavor of this broth really makes the soup, so use a really good one or make your own!
Red kidney beans – Unless I’m really short on time, I use dried beans that I made ahead of time in my pressure cooker
Great northern beans – Same as the red kidney beans, I use dried beans and throw them in the pressure cooker ahead. I usually keep some in the freezer.
Canned Tomatoes – I use both diced and crushed to add a lot of flavor to the broth and add texture.
Julienned or shredded carrot – I refuse to pay extra for pre-processed carrots, so if I’m feeling lazy, I dice whole carrots. No one will complain, you do you!
Fresh Parsley and dried oregano, basil, thyme, and bay leaves – Adds a ton of delicious flavor to that broth.
Baby spinach – I prefer fresh, but have used the frozen option without any issues. It’s definitely more convenient.
Small pasta – tiny shells or ditalini are perfect! Cook and store separately so it doesn’t soak up all the broth. Add when serving.
Parmesan Cheese – I put fresh parmesan on the top of my soup because, well, CHEESE! IF you have a rind, toss it in while the broth simmers for a kick of extra umami flavor!
Quick Note: If you are using dried beans, cook those ahead of time. I make them in the pressure cooker – without soaking first – to make it extra easy. I cook them a few minutes longer than suggested since this is a quick-cooking soup, and I like my beans on the softer side. This is an inexpensive way to bulk up the soup and add a good amount of protein. You can also use 48-oz cans if you don’t wish to cook dried beans.
Quick Instructions
Developing the broth’s flavor is the most important part of pretty much any soup. Sauté your onions, zucchini, celery, and celery until the onions are translucent and the celery begins to soften. Add minced or pressed garlic and stir for 30 seconds, then add your vegetable stock, beans, tomatoes, carrots, seasonings (note – Italian seasoning also works if you don’t have the individual seasonings), and hot water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes before adding the spinach. Cook another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta separately to al dente in another pot according to the directions on the box.
Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Serve by placing some of the pasta in the bowl and spooning soup over the top. Mix to combine and garnish with (in my case, a LOT) of shredded parmesan cheese.
Reminder – Store your pasta separately so it doesn’t soak up all of the broth in the soup and get soggy. It also allows you to control your carbs, if you are watching your macros. I even freeze it in a separate bag so I can keep the soup in the freezer for any time I’m hungry for it. It’s easy to double or triple if you have a big enough pot to make it in.
Tools I use
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Strainer/Collander
- Large stock pot (I use a 12-quart pot)
- Large spoon that reaches the bottom of the pot
- Ladle
How to serve this Italian vegetable minestrone
Serve this as an appetizer, or serve with breadsticks or crusty bread and a green salad for a healthy, filling meal!
Better than OG Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 12 quart stockpot or larger
- 1 4-quart pot if cooking pasta separately
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 3 medium zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced into half coins
- 24 ounces frozen flat Italian green beans or use regular cut green beans if you can't find Italian
- 3 stalks celery halved lengthwise and cut into half coins
- 10 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 3 boxes good vegetable stock 32 ounces each
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans, cooked or a large 48 oz can
- 1 pound dried great northern beans, cooked or a large 48 oz can
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 8 carrots, julienned or diced small
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, minced
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 bay leaves
- 6 cups hot water or extra vegetable broth or bouillion
- 1 large bag fresh baby spinach or 2 boxes frozen
- 1/2 box small pasta, such as ditalini or small shells
- parmesan cheese, freshly shredded bonus: use rind in broth for extra flavor
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot (very large if doubling, at least 12 quarts). Saute onion, zucchini, green beans, celery, and garlic in oil for 5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent but not browned.
- Add broth to pot plus drained beans, tomatoes, carrots, parsley, spices, bay leaves, and hot water. Bring soup to a boil then reduce and simmer 30 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook for an additional 30 mins or as desired. Check seasoning and adjust as necessary for your taste.
- Cook pasta in another pot to al dente. Drain.
- Add a little pasta to a bowl. spoon soup over and stir to combine.
- Garnish with shredded parmesan.
