Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup (Printable Version)
Comforting Italian minestrone with tomatoes, cannellini beans, pasta and seasonal vegetables, ready in one hour.
# 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 and 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 and Seasonings
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:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the 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 to prevent sticking.
03 - Add the chopped green beans and the canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the drained cannellini beans and kidney beans. Season with dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir thoroughly.
05 - Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover partially and simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
06 - Stir in the small pasta and continue simmering for 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.
07 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle into warm bowls. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- It transforms whatever vegetables are languishing in your crisper drawer into something genuinely comforting and deeply satisfying.
- The flavors deepen overnight, making leftovers the real prize of cooking this soup.
02 -
- Cooking the pasta directly in the soup thickens the broth beautifully, but it will absorb liquid overnight, so add a splash of water when reheating.
- Removing the bay leaf before serving is one of those small things that is easy to forget until someone finds it floating in their bowl.
03 -
- Sautéing the soffritto slowly and patiently builds a sweetness that you cannot fake or shortcut your way into later.
- A tablespoon of Parmesan rind tossed into the simmering broth melts into something secretly rich and savory that people will never be able to identify.