Minestrone Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Hearty Italian soup with beans, pasta, and seasonal vegetables in herb-infused broth.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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 and Pasta

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

→ Broth and Seasonings

12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs including oregano, basil, and 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 onion, carrots, and celery, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in garlic, zucchini, potato, and green beans. Cook for 3 additional minutes.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, vegetable broth, dried Italian herbs, and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
05 - Stir in pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until pasta and vegetables reach tender consistency.
06 - Remove bay leaf. 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 top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The soup actually tastes better the next day when all those beautiful Italian flavors have had time to meld together overnight.
  • You can customize it with whatever seasonal vegetables are overflowing in your garden or looking particularly good at the market.
02 -
  • Adding the pasta too early will make it mushy—I learned this the hard way after serving what was essentially vegetable porridge to dinner guests.
  • If youre not serving the entire pot at once, consider cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual bowls so it doesnt continue absorbing broth and become bloated when stored.
03 -
  • Float a Parmesan cheese rind in the simmering soup—it slowly dissolves, infusing the broth with an umami richness that cant be achieved any other way.
  • Reserve a cup of the vegetable cooking liquid when draining pasta if making it separately, then add this starchy water to your soup for body and silkiness without additional salt.
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