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minestrone soup with parmesan cheese
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Better than OG Minestrone Soup

You will find yourself craving this Italian minestrone soup filled with veggies, and it can be made in less than an hour. It makes a large batch and can be frozen if you cook the pasta separately. Perfect for meal prep or a dinner party!
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: better than olive garden minestrone, minestrone soup
Servings: 12 quarts
Author: Di @ escape 2 the kitchen

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.

Notes

I like to cook my dried beans ahead in the pressure cooker and freeze them if I'm not using them right away. This is way more economical, and allows you to control the salt if you want to reduce your sodium intake.