Minestrone Vegetable Soup (Printable Version)

Hearty Italian soup with beans, pasta, and garden vegetables in a savory herb-infused broth.

# What You Need:

→ 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 oz) diced tomatoes

→ Legumes & Pasta

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

→ Broth & Seasonings

12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, 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)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini, diced potato, and chopped green beans. Cook for 3 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, drained cannellini beans, vegetable broth, dried Italian herbs, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
05 - Stir in pasta and simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes until pasta and vegetables reach desired tenderness.
06 - Remove bay leaf from pot. Add spinach or kale and cook for 2 minutes until wilted.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely forgiving, so even if you swap vegetables or forget to measure, it still tastes like victory.
  • One pot means one cleanup, which matters more than any food blogger admits.
  • You can make it on Sunday and eat it all week without getting bored because it tastes subtly different each day.
  • It's the kind of soup that fills you up without making you feel heavy afterward.
02 -
  • Don't skip the rinsing of canned beans because that starchy liquid will cloud your broth and make it look murky instead of clean and appetizing.
  • Taste the broth before you add the pasta because once that goes in, the starch changes the flavor profile and you can't adjust as easily.
  • If your soup looks too thick after sitting, it's not a failure, it's just that the pasta absorbs liquid, so add a splash more broth when you reheat it the next day.
03 -
  • If you're making a Parmesan rind addition, buy a wedge specifically for this purpose and drop it in during the simmer, then fish it out before serving, because it dissolves into the broth just enough to add subtle umami without disappearing completely.
  • Make a double batch on purpose because this soup genuinely tastes better on day two when all the flavors have had time to mingle and deepen overnight.
Go Back