Minestrone Soup
This minestrone soup is a classic Italian recipe that’s both hearty and healthy, made with a mix of pasta, beans, and colorful vegetables. Ingredients like zucchini, spinach, carrots, and green beans create a vibrant, nutrient-rich base, while small pasta shapes add just the right amount of substance. The tomato-based broth is seasoned and flavorful, and the soup can easily be adjusted to use whatever ingredients you have on hand. It’s perfect for batch cooking, and the flavors deepen as it sits, making leftovers even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 medium carrots sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds or half rounds
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes unpeeled chopped into ½-inch pieces, approximately ½ pound of potatoes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 28 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 medium zucchini chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ¾ cup dry short pasta shapes such as ditalini small shells or elbow pasta
- 15 ounces cannellini beans kidney beans or small white beans rinsed and drained
- grated Parmesan cheese optional for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, diced carrot, and sliced celery. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes or until they have softened and begun to release their natural sweetness. This trio forms the aromatic base of the soup and builds a rich foundation of flavor.
- Next, add the diced potatoes, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and tomato paste. Stir everything together well and let it cook for about 2 minutes. This helps the tomato paste caramelize slightly and brings out its deep, savory flavor while allowing the spices to bloom in the hot oil.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, followed by the fire-roasted diced tomatoes and chopped zucchini. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes so the flavors can meld and the vegetables begin to soften.
- After the soup has simmered, stir in the pasta and drained beans. Continue simmering the soup, covered, for another 8 to 12 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom. Cook until the pasta is just al dente and all the vegetables are fully tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve the soup hot, with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese on top if desired. This hearty and comforting dish makes a satisfying meal on its own or paired with crusty bread.
Notes
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Make sure the soup is completely cooled before sealing and storing, and leave a little space in the container to allow for expansion if freezing.
This recipe is very flexible and works beautifully with a variety of vegetables. You can swap or add in fresh or frozen green beans, baby spinach, shredded cabbage, diced butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, or peas. If you're using spinach, add it at the very end of the cooking process so it wilts gently without overcooking. Frozen peas can go into the pot at the same time as the pasta and beans, since they only need a few minutes to heat through.
If you want to change up the base, feel free to use whole grains like brown rice, pearl barley, or farro instead of pasta. Keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook, so you should add it earlier—along with the broth, tomatoes, and zucchini—so it has time to soften. For barley or farro, it’s best to cook them separately in their own pot of water and then stir them into the finished soup. This prevents the grains from soaking up too much liquid and keeps the broth nice and balanced.
This recipe is very flexible and works beautifully with a variety of vegetables. You can swap or add in fresh or frozen green beans, baby spinach, shredded cabbage, diced butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, or peas. If you're using spinach, add it at the very end of the cooking process so it wilts gently without overcooking. Frozen peas can go into the pot at the same time as the pasta and beans, since they only need a few minutes to heat through.
If you want to change up the base, feel free to use whole grains like brown rice, pearl barley, or farro instead of pasta. Keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook, so you should add it earlier—along with the broth, tomatoes, and zucchini—so it has time to soften. For barley or farro, it’s best to cook them separately in their own pot of water and then stir them into the finished soup. This prevents the grains from soaking up too much liquid and keeps the broth nice and balanced.