Hearty Italian Minestrone Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Italian vegetable soup with beans, pasta, and fresh herbs for a comforting, nutritious vegetarian meal.

# 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 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 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 additional minutes.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, drained cannellini beans, vegetable broth, dried Italian herbs, and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
05 - Stir in pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until pasta and vegetables are tender.
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 to taste.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you've been tending it all afternoon.
  • One pot means one mess, and honestly, that's half the battle on a weeknight.
  • The vegetables soften into the broth so completely that even skeptics ask for seconds.
  • You can swap in whatever's in your fridge and it somehow gets better each time.
02 -
  • Don't skip the rinsing of the canned beans—that starchy liquid will make your broth cloudy and dull.
  • Add the pasta near the end, not at the beginning, or it will absorb too much liquid and turn to mush.
  • The bay leaf must come out before serving or someone will bite into it, which is never pleasant.
  • Taste and season at the end, not the beginning—layering salt as you go makes for better flavor control.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze half in portions—it reheats beautifully and tastes even better the next day as flavors continue melding.
  • If you're cooking for someone avoiding gluten, the only swap you need is the pasta; everything else is naturally free and just as delicious.
  • Keep a small container of fresh parsley chopped and ready in your fridge during soup season so garnishing feels easy rather than like one more step.
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