Minestrone Soup (Printable)

Comforting Italian vegetable soup with beans, pasta and tomato-herb broth, ready in about an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tbsp 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

→ Broth & 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 & Seasoning

14 - 1 tsp dried oregano
15 - 1 tsp dried basil
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
18 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
19 - Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in garlic, zucchini, and potato. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - Add green beans and diced tomatoes with their juices. Stir well to combine.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth. Add cannellini beans, kidney beans, dried oregano, basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir thoroughly.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
06 - Add pasta and cook for 10 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables are tender.
07 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle into bowls and serve hot, sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It turns whatever sad produce is sitting in your fridge into something that tastes like it took all day to make.
  • The leftovers actually improve overnight, so you get rewarded for having patience.
  • It freezes beautifully, which means you can stash portions away for nights when cooking feels impossible.
02 -
  • If you cook the pasta too long it will absorb all the broth and turn your soup into a dense stew by tomorrow, so pull it just shy of done if you plan to store leftovers.
  • Salt in stages throughout cooking rather than all at once at the end, because the beans and pasta both need seasoning to taste like anything.
03 -
  • Saute the soffritto slowly and patiently because rushing this step is the difference between soup that tastes flat and soup that tastes like someone actually cared.
  • A parmesan rind tossed into the broth while simmering adds a savory richness that you cannot get any other way.

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