Minestrone Soup

4.89 from 9

Made with small pasta and loads of veggies in a tomato broth base, this easy vegetarian minestrone soup is a satisfying, filling dinner!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy minestrone soup, olive garden minestrone soup, vegetarian minestrone soup

Servings: servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup Yukon gold potatoes (1/2 inch-diced)
1 medium zucchini (1/2 inch-diced)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon thyme (roughly chopped)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups vegetable broth
15 ounces can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dry ditalini pasta
15 ounces canned kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups chopped kale (or spinach)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
fresh chopped parsley , for serving (optional)
grated parmesan , for serving (optional)
Dutch oven bread , for serving (optional)

Instructions

Warm the olive oil in a large dutch oven pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery; sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Add the potatoes and zucchini; mix everything together.
Add the tomato paste, thyme, and oregano; mix together.
Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very light simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the pasta, kidney beans, and kale. Bring to a gentle bubble and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked, but not mushy.
Add the butter and mix until melted.
Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley, freshly grated parmesan, and some rustic bread to mop up the broth!

Notes

Hate kale? Replace with spinach. Spinach can easily be used in this recipe and it's really just a matter of preference.

Use whatever you have on hand. Kidney beans can be replaced with any other white beans, chicken broth can be used instead of vegetable broth, and any other variety of vegetables can be added. For a kick, you might want to try fire roasted tomatoes instead of regular ones.

Any tiny pasta will work. Our favorite is ditalini, but if you can't find it, small shells, orzo, or pastina are good alternatives.

Make it vegan. While this minestrone soup recipe is vegetarian, you can easily make it vegan. Simply swap the butter for olive oil at the end and leave off the cheese.

Want to add some meat? Italian minestrone soup is usually vegetarian but you can add meat, if desired. Italian sausage, ground beef, and chicken breast can all be used. Just cook the meat prior to adding it to the soup. You can also use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.

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