Minestrone soup is so hearty it can stand on its own as the main dish! I fell in love with minestrone at the Olive Garden, so this is a pretty darn close attempt at copying the classic Italian soup.
If you want a few more Olive garden Copycats, here is the Best Alfredo Sauce and Zuppa Toscana recipe.
Minestrone soup is not just tasty, it’s healthy as well! The delicious tomato-y broth is chock-full of vegetables and beans. It’s the perfect dish to serve to kids who are finicky with eating produce.
Made in one-pot, healthy minestrone is a great option for a quick weeknight dinner as the weather starts to cool off and the kids gear up to go back to school. Sometimes knowing that I will have a quick clean-up is enough to motivate me to make a homemade dinner… just sayin’.
What is Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone is an Italian soup known for its thick tomato-based broth. It can be made with pasta or rice, and typically contains carrots, tomato chunks, kidney beans, celery, onions and potatoes. However, the creation of this soup came from a need to use up leftover vegetables. So, feel free to use any veggies that are taking up space in your refrigerator. Or, alter the recipe to whatever is fresh and in season. Seriously, you can’t go wrong!
Tips for Minestrone Soup
- Make Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup – Have gluten allergy? No problem! Substitute the pasta for wild or white rice.
- Make Minestrone Soup Spicy – Like it spicy? Add some red pepper flakes to your minestrone for the perfect touch of heat.
- Make Minestrone Soup Vegan – Easily make your minestrone vegan by using egg-free noodles (or rice!) and a vegetable-based broth. One of my new favorite products is Better Than Bouillon’s No Beef Base broth concentrate.
- Switch up the Vegetables You Use – Minestrone is extremely versatile. If you don’t have the exact ingredients this recipe calls for, don’t worry! You can use red or yellow zucchini, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower… I mean, anything! The broth compliments any vegetable. Use what you have and don’t let anything go to waste.
- Pasta Make Broth Disappear! – Pasta are notorious for sucking up liquid. As your leftover minestrone sits in the fridge, you may notice that your Pasta are slowly absorbing your broth. If this is a problem for you, add more broth to the soup.
Storing Minestrone Soup
- Keeping Minestrone Soup Fresh – Store your minestrone soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The kicker? Minestrone gets tastier as it marinates in the fridge. That’s right…each bowl you reheat will taste richer and richer.
- Freezing Minestrone Soup – You probably know by now that I am the queen of having frozen, homemade food on hand. However, I would discourage you from freezing minestrone. The reason is that this soup contains fresh vegetables.
Serving the Minestrone Soup
Some freshly grated parmesan cheese is the perfect garnish for minestrone. After all, that’s what they do at Olive Garden! It wouldn’t hurt to add some chopped basil or cracked pepper to the mix.
Like I said before, minestrone is a stand-alone kind of soup. However, there is nothing like sopping up that hearty broth with nice piece of bread. Try making my Parmesan Garlic Flatbread Recipe or No Knead Bread.
Other Soup Recipes to Make
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots (diced into small cubes)
- 2 small zucchinis (diced into small cubes)
- 1/2 large onion (diced into small cubes)
- 6 celery stalks (diced into small cubes)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- 15 oz canned great Northen beans (drained)
- 15 oz canned Kidney beans (drained)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp dry basil
- 1/2 cup pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Preheat the pot with olive oil, add zucchini, carrots, celery and onions. Sautee for about 10 minutes, until vegetables soften.
- To the pot, add canned diced tomatoes. Season with Italian seasoning and dry basil.
- Add vegetable broth, pasta, kidney and Great Northen beans. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Depending on the thickness of the soup, you can add 2 more cups of water to the mix.
- Press garlic into the mixture and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Serve while the minestrone soup is still warm.
I am planning to make this recipe this weekend. I would like to add some chicken for protein (which I am chronically low)
Has anyone done this with added protein?
Hi Annette! I think adding chicken or any other protein would be a great addition! I've had readers report adding shredded chicken. You're lucky cause this soup has tons of beans too which are another great source of protein! Hope you enjoy your soup!
This was easy to make and tasted fantastic! Be sure to use good quality diced tomatoes, it does make a difference. I did a full video review on my YouTube channel, The Real Deal Recipe Reviews, where I always try to make recipes as written and give honest reviews and opinions. This soup deserves 1,000 stars!
Hi, Daryl! You're so kind to pick one of my recipes to review — and that it tasted great in your opinion! Thanks for the "1,000 stars!" As for the tomato sauce — I totally agree with you. It's crazy how the quality of canned tomatoes can really make or break a recipe.
Yum!! I followed recipe exactly, including the 2 cups water EXCEPT I added 1 cup of pasta instead of 1/2. It was perfectly like Olive Garden’s!!
Oh great, Dawn! Sometimes that extra ½ cup is exactly what's needed! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Please don't call them "noodles" - it's likely to confuse beginner cooks.
"Pasta" is what's put into Minestrone soup - including Olive Garden's.
Hi JR, Thats a great point. I will make a change to the recipe. Thanks for that feedback 🙂
Do you drain tomatoes?
Hi, no, add all the tomato juice too. Enjoy
This was so easy and delicious! We loved it.
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it — isn’t it the best when something easy turns out so delicious? Thanks for sharing!
I have not made this yet, but looking forward to it. I just have one question it calls for noodles. I'm sure any pasta will do. I would never think noodles.So as my husband would say Pasta is Pasta.
You're correct. Minestrone soup does not have "noodles" - only pasta.
Hey! I use elbows but you can use any type that you may have on hand. As long as they arent too large. Hope you love the recipe and come back with feedback! 🙂
I am making this today, I will be updating throughout...if that's ok!
I know it's gonna b great! Talk soon, time to go shopping!!!
Love to hear all the updates. Keep us posted!
Let's hope that your minestrone is better than Olive Garden. I'm sure it is.
I have found that Olive Garden's variation is way too 'tomato' strong, very bitter and lacks real minestrone flavor.
I hope so, Cliff! Come back and let me know how it is! 😀
Cliff, Strong and bitter? It always tastes sweet to me.
I always thought that it was the sweetness from the tomatoes.
Or maybe they put a little sugar in to calm down the acid.
Love this soup. My husband can't get enough. I serve it with garlic bread sticks or thick crusty bread. Some of my guests like to add a little sour cream. To me it doesn't need anything. I love it just the way it is.
So glad to hear you and your husband love it! Garlic breadsticks or crusty bread are the perfect pairings with soup!
I made this everyone liked it. I will try homemade alfredo sauce next thank you.
That’s awesome to hear—so glad everyone liked it! Homemade Alfredo sauce is a great next step—super creamy and surprisingly easy to make. Let me know how it turns out!
Natalya, love this recipe. I went ahead and added the kitchen sink so to say. All your ingredients including spinach, pees, diced potatoes, garbanzo beans. I don't think I can makes this anymore hearty.
Love it
Haha I love that—you really went for it, and it sounds absolutely delicious! That’s a full-on meal in a bowl right there. I bet it was cozy and filling. Thanks for trying it out and making it your own!
So delicious!!! My husband really enjoyed it! Will definitely be making this again soon! We kicked it up with chili flakes 🙂
I love the idea of adding chili flakes for a little kick! So glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
To be honest, before this, I never tried minestrone as I favor other soups they serve. That being said, it’s my Italian Hunny’s all-time favorite. I followed the recipe exactly BUT I used lower sodium kidney beans and no salt added tomatoes. Heart friendly diet means serving as little sodium as possible. For a man who typically does NOT eat the same meal two days in a row, I can say the recipe hit it out of the park!! He ate it every day until it was gone! Thank you for sharing ALL the OG copycat recipes!
Wow, I’m so happy to hear that the minestrone was such a hit! It’s especially awesome that your husband enjoyed it so much—eating it every day until it was gone is definitely a sign of success!
I forgot to say that I threw in a couple of handfuls of fresh baby spinach to wilt before serving. The spinach was looking like it was on its last legs and I didn't want it to go bad. The recipe didn't "need" it, but it looked pretty. Thanks again!
Love that you added spinach—it not only gave the dish a gorgeous pop of color but also made it even more delicious and nutritious, great thinking!
Thank you SO much for this recipe Natalya - an OG dupe for sure! While I was sautéing the zucchini, carrots, celery and onions, I was busy dumping the rest of the ingredients in my CrockPot. When the veggies were a bit browned, I dumped them in the CrockPot on LOW and stirred. A few hours later, dinner was served! Hubby and I were thrilled! So. Very. Delicious! Plus, I got 3 dinners for the 2 of us!
You're so welcome! I'm thrilled to hear that you and your hubby loved the recipe! I love how you made it your own with the CrockPot method. And getting three dinners out of it? Definitely a win! Thanks for sharing your experience, and I’m so happy it turned out so delicious!
How much is a serving?
A serving is about 1.5 cups of soup. I hope that helps clarify.
How many servings?
This makes about 10 servings. Enjoy!
Amazing! I added fresh basil also which enhanced the flavor. Now a family favorite.
Thanks for sharing Judy! So glad it's a new family favorite!
I just had dental surgery and my partner has a sore throat, so we decided to give this a shot. We wanted something to offset the cold that fit my soft food diet and helped him feel better and this was a big hit! We added some shredded chicken for additional protein and substituted garbanzo beans for the northern beans and this is easily a new staple in our home. Thank you for writing this up!
I'm so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for both of you. Thank you for sharing your tweaks, and I’m thrilled to hear that this has become a new staple in your home! Wishing you both a speedy recovery and many more cozy meals ahead! 😊
I’ve read all the great comments & am anxious to try the recipe soon. I have some beef broth that I need to use up. What is your opinion? Could I substitute that for the vegetable broth & still have a delicious product? Or, would that flavor overwhelm the recipe?
Beef broth can definitely work in minestrone! It will give the soup a richer, heartier flavor, which might be a nice twist, especially if you enjoy a more robust taste. It won’t necessarily overwhelm the recipe, but it will make it a little less traditional since minestrone is typically lighter with vegetable broth. If you're unsure, you could try using a mix of beef broth and water to keep the flavors balanced. Let us know how it turns out!
Made it for supper tonight, really good. Also had tossed salad and garlic toast. Saved enough for tomorrow night and put the rest into 2 bowls and put into freezer for another night. It makes alot.
Glad you loved the soup! And love that you planned ahead with leftovers and freezer portions. Future-you is going to be so happy on those busy nights!
hi! I want to make this without noodles. should i skip the 2 cups of water then?
Hey Dee, You can skip the 2 cups of water, but add some water or more broth if the soup is too thick for your liking. Enjoy!
Made this twice. Added white pepper and salt, needs salt. Oh and if you have a parm rind, I stuck that in too.
It is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the soup and thanks for sharing your tweaks!
I just finished making this and had a bowl that was wonderful for whatever reason I could not find great northern beans in my grocery store so I used garbanzo beans instead. Had to cook it a little bit longer to get the pasta to finish. I see that this has a lot of fiber that’s a win-win. It was a very filling soup.
I’m so glad it turned out well -that’s a great substitution with garbanzo beans! I love how filling and healthy this soup is!
I have made this recipe twice and is the only recipe I’ll use. The first time I made it I made it exactly as the recipe stated and it was delicious! The second time I made it I added some ground Italian sausage and it took this soup to a whole nother level! It was even better which is hard to imagine but it’s true! The sausage adds so much flavor to the broth and is a game changer!
Great suggestion
That sounds like an amazing upgrade! Italian sausage has such a rich, savory depth that can take a soup from good to incredible. Thanks for sharing!
Just wondering how much a serving is? A cup?
8 ounces
Hey Mary, A serving is just about 1.5 cups of soup. I hope this helps! Enjoy!
I absolutely love this recipe!! I did add green beans and a teaspoon of tomatoe paste and better than bouillon roasted chicken flavor. Extremely great recipe, thank you!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks Sheryl! Sounds like the soup turned out flavorful and delicious!
I found this to be incredibly bland, even having doubled the spices.
Sounds like it really missed the mark for you -sorry to hear that! I'm surprised you found it bland even after doubling the spices. Maybe next time will have to add even more?
At first glance, I read the recipe as adding one teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning and basil after I had already added Italian seasoned diced tomatoes. It’s on the stove now. Fingers crossed, I don’t have too much seasoning! 🙂
I'm sure it'll be tasty either way! Do report back though how it turned out.
Spot-on to Olive Garden and now my go-to recipe. The amounts of Italian Seasoning and Basil are perfection. Even my picky father, who wouldn't dare eat anything vegetarian, couldn't get enough of this. It really is super hearty, comforting and filling.
I served it with fresh grated Parmesan on top and some freshly cracked black pepper with crusty garlic bread for dipping and scooping.
I used Better than Bouillon roasted vegetable stock base for my broth and Hunts Fire Roasted Garlic tomatoes. The rest was fresh vegetables, per the recipe, and the cans of beans.
It was delicious! Well done!
I’m so glad to hear it turned out so well and that even your picky father enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing all your tips, and I’m thrilled it’s now your go-to recipe!
I forgot to add, I tossed in a few small handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the end to wilt into the soup. That was a must do!