Warm up on a chilly day with a piping hot bowl of classic minestrone soup. Our minestrone soup recipe features traditional elements of the beloved thick Italian vegetable soup with beans, carrots, onions, zucchini, celery in a delicious tomato-y, vegetable-based broth.
Similar to the famous Olive Garden minestrone soup, our hearty, warming recipe is also vegan so that all can enjoy it. It’s ideal for those seeking delicious vegetarian dishes jam-packed with a variety of healthy ingredients! Couple our copycat Olive Garden minestrone soup with our copycat Olive Garden breadsticks for an award-winning lunch or dinner combo.
Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 small zucchini
- 1/2 cup carrot
- 4 teaspoons garlic
- 32 ounces vegetable broth
- 28 ounces can diced tomatoes with juice
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
- 15 ounces red kidney beans
- 15 ounces great northern beans
- 2 cups fresh spinach or kale
- 1 1/2 cups shell, rigatoni, or rotini pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Supplies
- large stockpot
Directions
Wash and dry the produce. Finely dice the onion and celery. Chop the zucchini into small bite-size pieces, and shred the carrot. Mince the garlic. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the onion, celery, zucchini, and carrot for about 5 minutes or until onions become translucent. Next, stir in the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic until it’s fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Carefully pour in the vegetable broth, diced canned tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, and dry red wine. Stir until combined.
Add the green beans, red kidney beans, and great northern beans. Next, add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaf. Stir the soup and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer — cover and cook for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add the spinach or kale and the pasta. Continue to simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pasta and vegetables are fork-tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving. Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Minestrone Soup With A Twist
Our minestrone soup is prepared with a flavorful vegetable broth, which allows the recipe to stay vegan-friendly. But, if you’d like to use beef or chicken broth in place of vegetable broth for a slightly different flavor to suit your tastes, you’re welcome to do so.
Dry red wine is an optional ingredient in our minestrone recipe. However, we highly recommend adding it. The red wine adds a lovely depth to the soup and enhances the flavor.
Feel free to add Italian sausage and Parmesan cheese to the soup for a delightful savory twist on this vegetable classic.
Though minestrone is traditionally a rich, thick, vegetable soup, don’t feel limited to the vegetables listed in our recipe. Minestrone can consist of a variety of vibrant seasonal vegetables. It’s an excellent soup to prepare when you’re trying to use up leftover vegetables in the kitchen.
