Minestrone Soup (Printable)
Hearty Italian minestrone with beans, pasta and seasonal vegetables in a flavorful tomato broth.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 small zucchini, diced
07 - 1 small potato, peeled and diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, chopped
09 - 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
→ Broth and Beans
10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
12 - 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
→ Pasta
13 - 3/4 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)
→ Herbs and Seasoning
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
18 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
19 - Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve (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 are softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini, and diced potato. Cook while stirring occasionally for 3 minutes to lightly soften.
03 - Add chopped green beans and the canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth. Add drained cannellini beans, red kidney beans, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir thoroughly.
05 - Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes to develop flavors.
06 - Add the small pasta directly to the soup. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and all vegetables are tender.
07 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- It is genuinely forgiving, so you can use nearly any vegetable you have on hand and it will still turn out beautifully.
- The combination of beans and pasta makes it filling enough to serve as a complete meal without needing sides.
- Leftovers on day two taste richer and more complex, so making a big batch rewards you twice.
02 -
- The pasta will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits, so if you are making it ahead, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl when serving to keep everything at the right texture.
- Do not skip the bay leaf, because it adds a subtle herbal depth that you will miss if it is not there, but do remember to remove it before serving since it is unpleasant to bite into.
03 -
- Saute the soffritto slowly over medium low heat rather than rushing it on high, because patient browning of the onions is what builds the deep sweet flavor that carries the entire soup.
- A tablespoon of tomato paste stirred in with the garlic adds a concentrated umami punch that elevates the broth from good to genuinely memorable.