Minestrone Soup (Printable)

Hearty Italian minestrone with beans, small pasta and seasonal vegetables simmered in a savory tomato broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

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 with juices

→ 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)

# Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic, diced zucchini, and diced potato. Cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
03 - Add the chopped green beans and the canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Stir well to combine all the vegetables.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the drained cannellini beans and red kidney beans. Season with dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir thoroughly.
05 - Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
06 - Stir in the small pasta and continue cooking for 10 minutes, or until the pasta and all vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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 Tips:

01 -
  • It forgives almost any substitution, so you can use up whatever is wilting in your fridge without guilt.
  • The tomato broth gets richer as it sits, meaning leftovers the next day taste like an entirely better soup.
  • It costs almost nothing to make yet fills the kitchen with the smell of an Italian grandmothers house.
02 -
  • Do not skip draining and rinsing the canned beans or you will introduce a starchy liquid that makes the broth cloudy and slightly metallic tasting.
  • If you plan to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl, otherwise it will soak up all the broth overnight and turn your soup into a strange stew.
  • Remove the bay leaf before serving because biting into one is an unpleasant surprise that ruins an otherwise perfect spoonful.
03 -
  • Dice all the vegetables roughly the same size so every spoonful gives you a balanced mix instead of one dominating bite.
  • Start the soup on medium heat and never let it boil aggressively, since a gentle simmer keeps the vegetables intact and the broth clear.

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