This is my idea of the perfect Minestrone Soup! It’s brimming with healthy vegetables, protein rich beans and hearty pasta and it has such a delicious flavor. It works great to make in the slow cooker or on the stovetop.
Minestrone Soup
First off, don’t be scared by the long list of ingredients in this recipe. Much of it is dried herbs that you likely have on hand and basic pantry items like canned beans and tomatoes. Second, the easy prep (see the directions) make up for the lengthy list of ingredients.
Plus much of it is vegetables so you’ve got to feel great about making this one (not to mention how low in fat it is).
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This is one of those throw it in the slow cooker and go recipes, which I love. Who in the world doesn’t love an easy slow cooker recipe?
Better than Olive Garden Minestrone
I know I’ve probably posted far too many Olive Garden copycat recipes but I love their soups (minus that (what I’m guessing is) canned chicken in their Chicken Gnocchi Soup).
We were there last week and of course I ordered the Minestrone. It reminded me I wanted to make a copycat recipe.
So, here it is and I’m excited to say it tastes even better than theirs. Whether or not you like Olive Garden, you’ll want to try this soup!
My husband was so hesitant, he thought anything with this many vegetables could never be good, but he loved it. And I myself had 3 bowls of it, but how could I feel bad about that? The more veggies the better right? :)
Tips For Making Minestrone Soup
- I love the mix of vegetables I’ve listed in the ingredients but you can use up whatever vegetables you have this soup is very versatile.
- Don’t have pasta shells? Use any short pasta shape you like.
- If you’re making this soup in advance and plan on storing it for later then DO NOT add the pasta. It will inflate and go really mushy if it’s left in the soup for too long. Instead, make the soup as instructed but only add the pasta when serving.
- This soup stores well in the fridge or freezer (minus the pasta).
My Other Copycat Olive Garden Recipes
Oh and if you’d like to try out the other Olive Garden copycat recipes I’ve posted here they are (just click on the name and it will take you to the link):
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Minestrone Soup {Slow Cooker or Stovetop}
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Love Olive Garden Minestrone Soup? Well now you can make a copycat recipe at home and it tastes incredible! This minestrone soup is packed full of hearty vegetables, beans and pasta plus it's all made in the slow cooker so it couldn't be easier!
Ingredients
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup diced celery (3 stalks)
- 1 cup diced carrots (2 carrots)
- 1 cup diced yellow onion (1 small)
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp dried rosemary , crushed
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 1/3 cups diced zucchini (1 small)
- 1 1/3 cups shell pasta
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can white navy beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can Italian green beans, drained
- 2 cups packed chopped fresh spinach
- Finely shredded Romano cheese , for serving (Parmesan works too)
Instructions
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Add vegetable stock, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar to a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6 - 8 hours or high 3 - 4 hours.
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Add in zucchini, pasta, garlic, kidney beans and white beans and cook on high heat and additional 30 - 40 minutes until pasta is tender.
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Stir in spinach and Italian green beans and cook several minutes until heated through. Stir in more vegetable broth or water to thin if desired. Serve warm topped with Romano cheese.
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Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
Recipe Notes
STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
- Add carrots, celery and onions and saute 4 minutes adding in garlic during last minute of sauteing.
- Pour in broth, water and canned tomatoes. Add herbs, sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat slightly, allow to gently boil 10 minutes, then add zucchini and pasta, cover and gently boil 15 minutes longer, or until pasta is tender.
- Then add canned beans (green and legumes) and spinach and cook 2 - 3 more minutes.
Tips For Making Minestrone Soup
- I love the mix of vegetables I've listed in the ingredients but you can use up whatever vegetables you have this soup is very versatile.
- Don't have pasta shells? Use any short pasta shape you like.
- If you're making this soup in advance and plan on storing it for later then DO NOT add the pasta. It will inflate and go really mushy if it's left in the soup for too long. Instead, make the soup as instructed but only add the pasta when serving.
- This soup stores well in the fridge or freezer (minus the pasta).
Ashley Wilcox: Can you do this without the pasta to cut down on carbs? November 25, 2018 at 7:47pm
Jaclyn: Yes definitely. November 25, 2018 at 8:58pm
Stacey: I make this all the time. I do add parmesan rinds which adds great depth of flavor. November 3, 2018 at 6:33am
Anne: I have made this recipe for years now when the weather finally cools down enough in the panhandle of Florida. The only thing I add is ground hamburger. I am looking forward to all those fresh vegetables tonight! October 27, 2018 at 11:25am
Peter: We made this soup tonight and it was amazing. I changed the receipe slightly and added some cayenne pepper to give it a bit of bite as we like our food spiced up a little. The colour was amazing with all the vegies and the beans. A great receipe and a really warming soup. We both lovd it and will make it again. Has to be the best ministrone soup we have made. July 5, 2018 at 4:11am