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Minestrone Soup

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A bowl of easy Minestrone Soup with grated Parmesan and fresh bread

 

Our fresh Minestrone Soup is full of healthy legumes, green leafy vegetables,  plenty of Italian herbs, a handful of pasta, and wonderfully rich tomatoey broth.

Soup must be one of the most brilliant recipe ideas ever created.  In a bowl of this wonderful, healthy soup you get a complete and satisfying meal! I love a great pot of soup that’s good enough for company or simple enough for lunch or dinner any day of the week.  Our Minestrone Soup is best served with a loaf of crusty bread and a sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

 

zucchini, carrots, garlic and celery with fresh thyme

Does this Minestrone Soup taste like the soup at Olive Garden?

We believe our copycat Minestrone Soup recipe tastes much better than Olive Garden’s Minestrone soup! It has a lot less sodium so that’s a big plus. Now that restaurants post nutritional information, I’ve noticed that high amounts of salt seems to be a real problem with many restaurant menus. Sodium is the one thing I can’t have a lot of. It’s very important to me that my recipes taste fantastic even without tons of salt. Some salt is good in almost every sweet and savory recipe, and please feel free to taste this Minestrone soup as you go and make adjustments as needed for your family.

 

A pot of easy Minestrone Soup with pasta, beans and spinach

What kind of greens can you use in this Minestrone Soup?

I make, eat and create a lot of recipes for soups and stews. Some have many of the same ingredients, i.e. carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and fresh leafy greens like kale and spinach. You may be wondering if they all taste the same. Not a chance! This particular Minestrone Soup has an incredibly rich tomato flavor that is synonymous with authentic Italian cuisine. And just wait until you smell it cooking! For this recipe I’ve stirred in baby spinach leaves at the end but feel free to substitute kale or Swiss chard if you prefer. For me, leafy greens are all pretty interchangeable.

 

A bowl of easy Minestrone Soup with crusty bread and Parmesan

We like to serve this soup with a nice crusty bread and plenty of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Sopping up the broth with a hunk of crusty bread is one of my favorite things about a bowl of soup. Add a nice bottle of wine and you have a complete meal fit for company. This soup is healthy and filling and really hits the spot all year long.

 

A bowl of easy Minestrone Soup with pasta, beans and spinach

Can you freeze Minestrone Soup?

This Minestrone soup freezes very well, especially if you undercook the pasta. You’ll need to reheat the soup so you don’t want the pasta shells to turn to mush. Another option is to leave the pasta out, freeze the soup and then add the shells when you reheat the base. This soup doesn’t need to cook all day, it’s pretty quick to throw together. If you freeze the Minestrone complete with pasta, just be sure to rewarm gently.

 

A table set with a bowl of Minestrone Soup and fresh bread

You can smell the amazing flavor before tasting the very first spoonful.

The aroma of our Minestrone is homey and fresh and may transport you to a small Italian bistro with white table cloths and bottles of red wine. A mini-vacation! Leftovers may be even better than the first bowl. I think I’ll need to try another and let you know.

 

 

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A bowl of minestrone soup with pasta and beans

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PRINT THE RECIPE!

Minestrone Soup

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Yield: 10 - 12 servings
Course: Soup
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
A rich tomato broth loaded with healthy legumes, vegetables and Italian herbs

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 whole firm onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
  • 3 whole small carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon basil, juilenned
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 6 cups vegetable broth (low salt)
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (low salt) do not drain
  • 1 (24-ounce) bottle Cento Rustica Passata *
  • 1 cups hot water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian cut green beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach, lightly packed
  • 1 cup small shell pasta
  • Fresh grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and soft. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Immediately add the zucchini, carrots, celery, and all spices except bay leaf. Cook, stirring gently for about 2-3 minutes or until the oil has coated all the vegetables. Add the Vegetable broth, tomatoes with juice, Passata, hot water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the green beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, baby spinach and pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente - about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
  • Check the seasoning and add fresh ground pepper and salt if needed.
  • Garnish individual bowls with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe Notes

* Cento Rustica Passata - found near the spaghetti sauce in your local grocery store

I could eat soup almost everyday and never seem to tire of trying new recipes. If you have an instant pot, you may want to check out this easy Vegetable Soup from The Recipe Rebel. How about this Comforting Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup from Ambitious Kitchen. It sounds and looks so good!

 

Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:

A bowl of slow-cooker chicken and white bean soup with kale

Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Soup is an easy load-and-go favorite for busy weeknights or anytime we want a healthy, hearty meal. This soup is packed with flavor and plenty of tender chicken, healthy kale and creamy soft beans. Click HERE to get the recipe.

 

A bowl of Pasta e Fagioli Soup topped with grated Parmesan

Pasta e Fagioli is a deliciously hearty, stew-like soup loaded with pasta, beans and Italian sausage. Every bite is rich with flavor and plenty of vegetables. Click HERE to get the recipe.

 

A bowl of Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup with spinach and black pepper

With a silky, creamy broth, tender chunks of chicken, loads of fresh spinach and pillowy soft gnocchi, our Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is comforting, easy to make and super satisfying! Click HERE to get the recipe.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia

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50 Comments

  2. Mike says

    You hit this out of the park with this recipe! This is the best minestrone I’ve had! I didn’t have the Passata so I substituted 1 small can of tomato paste. The recipe was simple, yet very tasty. Good mix of spices, veggies, and legumes. I will definitely make this again!

    reply to this comment >

  3. Sharon Mead says

    This soup looks so beautiful and colorful! It’tastes simply wonderful! I have never used Pasada before . I think it really adds to the freshness of the soup. My adult daughter loves Minestroni soup so will have her try this!

    reply to this comment >

  4. Karen S. in Michigan says

    I made this a couple weeks ago but had to use tomato sauce instead of passata; otherwise, everything was the same as your recipe. It was the best minestrone soup I’ve ever had…delicious! Even my son, who isn’t a big fan of soup, loved it. Yesterday I found passata at our local grocery store, so I’m going to make it again this weekend. We got almost a foot of snow yesterday and it’s pretty cold here, so it’s a great time for a nice warm soup. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      I love this soup Karen and so glad you did too. Passata is one of those ingredients I was thrilled to find and use it often in soups and sauces. A foot of snow – I am so sorry. We’re in Virginia and are supposed to get a dusting or so tomorrow night. I am over winter this year – here’s to an early spring!

      reply to this comment >

  5. Valerie says

    Another winner…your blog is rapidly becoming my favourite food blog!

    I love the yield on this. My friend is due within the next couple of weeks, and she and her husband are vegetarians, so I’m thinking I might put together a batch to keep them healthy during their adjustment to life with baby…

    reply to this comment >

  7. Wendy says

    You say that you can smell the flavor before you taste it, but I swear I can see the flavor in these photos! The photos are delicious! Usually, I make “whatever is in the freezer/cabinet” soup, cooking an invented soup out of whatever we have on hand. Minestrone soup is one of my husband’s favorites. He will be delighted to hear I plan to use a recipe this time!

    reply to this comment >

  10. John/Kitchen Riffs says

    We’ve been making a ton of soups this year, too. And have a ton to go — it’s still pretty darn cold! Anyway, one of the things I love about herbs and spices is you can take the same set of ingredients, but totally change the flavor of things depending on how you season it. Oh, it’s a big more complicated than that, of course, but not much. Anyway, this is such a good soup! Love minestrone. Which reminds me, it’s been ages since I’ve made it. Thanks!

    reply to this comment >

  17. Betty says

    I love to make a big pot of soup on the weekend so I can have it for lunch- it’s so much nicer than a cold sandwich! This one is absolutely gorgeous, with all of the colorful vegetables. My lunch buddies would be so jealous if I brought it. 🙂

    reply to this comment >

  21. Dom says

    this is my go-to soup… who doesn’t have tinned toms and veg in the fridge? I made a curry over the weekend with some left-over tomato dip of all things and it was glorious! Yours looks so beautiful. That aroma when the cheese melts into the soup! Yes! Yes! Yes!

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