Minestrone Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Hearty Italian soup with beans, pasta, and fresh vegetables in a rich broth

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, chopped
09 - 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes

→ Legumes & Pasta

10 - 1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
11 - 1 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)

→ Broth & Seasonings

12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme)
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finishing Touches

16 - 2 cups baby spinach or chopped kale
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
18 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini, diced potato, and chopped green beans. Cook for 3 minutes.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, drained cannellini beans, vegetable broth, dried Italian herbs, and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are nearly tender.
05 - Stir in pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until pasta and vegetables are tender.
06 - Remove bay leaf from soup. Add spinach or kale and cook for 2 minutes until wilted.
07 - Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to preference.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like a warm hug and actually fills you up without leaving you sluggish.
  • You can prep it in 20 minutes and then let the pot do the thinking while you do something else.
  • Every bowl feels different because the vegetables soften and blend in their own way, creating new flavors as it sits.
02 -
  • Don't add the pasta until the last 10 minutes or it'll absorb all the liquid and turn the soup into something closer to risotto—which isn't necessarily bad, but it's not minestrone anymore.
  • If you have a Parmesan rind saved in your freezer, drop it in during the simmer and let it add umami magic for 20 minutes before fishing it out.
03 -
  • Keep frozen vegetables on hand because they work just as well as fresh in minestrone and mean you can make this any time without a market trip.
  • Save vegetable scraps (carrot tops, celery leaves, onion skins) in a freezer bag and make your own broth when you have time—it costs almost nothing and tastes infinitely better than store-bought.
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