Hearty Minestrone Soup (Printer-friendly)

Hearty Italian minestrone with beans, seasonal vegetables, small pasta, and tomato broth.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 small zucchini, diced
07 - 1 small Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
08 - 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
09 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with juices

→ Broth & Beans

10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
12 - 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

→ Pasta

13 - 3/4 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)

→ Herbs & Seasoning

14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
19 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onion becomes 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 along with the canned diced tomatoes and 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, the bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together thoroughly.
05 - Bring the soup to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover partially and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
06 - Stir in the small pasta and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the vegetables are cooked through. 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 the salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle the hot minestrone into bowls. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • This soup practically begs to be made on a lazy Sunday afternoon and feeds a crowd without any fuss.
  • It freezes beautifully, so you can stash portions away for those nights when cooking feels impossible.
  • The combination of two types of beans and pasta makes it filling enough to stand on its own as a complete meal.
02 -
  • The pasta will absorb broth as the soup sits, so if you are making it ahead, cook the pasta separately and add it when reheating.
  • This soup genuinely tastes better the next day because the flavors have time to deepen and marry overnight.
03 -
  • Do not skip the soffritto step because those softened aromatics are what give the broth its rich, layered flavor.
  • A drizzle of good olive oil and a generous handful of Parmesan on top of each bowl elevates this from weeknight dinner to something truly special.

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