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.
- Noodles Make Broth Disappear! – Noodles are notorious for sucking up liquid. As your leftover minestrone sits in the fridge, you may notice that your noodles 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 noodles
- 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, noodles, 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 tried this soup Yesterday, It was so tasty and loved this dish so much . What kind of vegetable broth is good for to buy it in stores in case if I can't find the vegetable broth as shown in the recipe?
Hi Jyothi, Any organic vegetable broth is going to work just fine. Thank you for reaching out!
We love this recipe. I always add Italian meatballs. Such a hearty meal.
Hi Michele, I love the added meatball idea! Thank you so much for sharing! Enjoy!
Wow! That’s really a easy recipe, I will definitely try it. Thanks.
Hi Kaniz, I hope you love it as much as we do! Good luck!
I love minestone! I cook my pasta separately & add to my bowl of soup. If I have spinach handy, I will throw a handful in my bowl as well. The hot soup wilts it right down. Good recipe!
Hi Cindy! A lot of people do the same thing with the pasta. I think it's a great idea! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. Enjoy!
Could this be made in an instant pot?
Hi, I think it can but I have never tested it. I would think noodles may need to be added in later or they will be overcooked. If you try it, please share your feedback. Thank you!
Didnt seem like it had any flavor
Hi Marlene, I am sorry to hear that the recipe wasn't to your liking. Soups are so versatile. You are welcome to add the spices that you like, to fit your needs better. Thank you for your feedback.
I know this doesn't have meat in it, but I had left over goulash and turned it into soup I just had to add the carrots, beans and more liquid. Turned out great.
Hi Diane! That is such a brilliant idea!! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I love a good, easy, left over meal idea. I am thrilled you were able to use this soup and really made it your own.
Delicious!!! Made as per recipe. I will cook noodles as I eat since I plan to freeze most in 2 people portions. Thank you.
Hi Katie, I am so thrilled to hear the recipe was a success! That's a great idea with the noodles! Thank you for sharing. Enjoy!
Really great recipe! I added a rind of fresh parmesan and added some onion and garlic powder, too. I did have to add more broth, so buy extra. Today, I am doing the recipe again and doubling it for my dad.
Hey there! I am so thrilled to hear this recipe was a success! Thank you for sharing your process. Your dad is going to love this soup! Enjoy!
I am excited to try this recipe. I am planning on making it for a family pot luck, but wanted to know do the noodles hold up for awhile? It will more than likely be about an hour from the stove top to dinner with travel time. Curios if you have done it ahead of time. Thank you!
Hi Pam- I think the noodles would be okay for an hour. They would get mushy only after several hours. Enjoy!
Thank you the noodles did hold up and it was a hit. I made 2 batches. I made one with spicy chicken broth (my store stopped selling the spicy vegetable broth) and one just how you wrote the recipe. Definitely a keeper both ways.
Thanks for sharing this, so happy to hear!
Can you do this recipe in a slow cooker?
Hi Marilyn, I have not done it in a slow cooker myself, But I have had people tell me that they have tried that and it was amazing! I would love to hear how it went, if you give it a try.
thank you for the great soup recipes. I am a senior citizen and a pretty good cook and I needed some diversification in my menus. These recipes are like main dishes.
Hi Don, I am so delighted you were able to find recipes that you love! Thank you for your feedback! Enjoy!
Way too much basil IMHO.
Hey Kelly, thank you for sharing your feedback. Hope you loved the recipe otherwise. Thanks
Excellent Recipe! It was thick but instead of adding water that would water down the soup I added 2 12oz cand of V8. I also added some rind off of some Parmesan cheese while simmering.
Hi Homero, That sounds so delicious! Thank you for sharing that! I am glad you were able to really make this recipe your own! Enjoy!
Loved this recipe! Used your suggestions and added a pinch of red pepper flakes and some spinach at the end. Might add more pasta next time. Thank you!
Hi Lauren, I am so glad to hear this recipe was a success! Thank you for the feedback, Enjoy!
I've been using this recipe for the last 2 years and my whole family loves it! I make it in the crockpot, on low for about 8 hours or high for 4-5, to get the carrots nice and soft. Sometimes I add ground Italian sausage and extra broth if we want it to be more hearty and filling.
Do you add everything but the pasta and then add the pasta at the end? If yes at what point/time do you add the pasta? TIA
Hi Brenna, I love that! Thank you so much for sharing, sounds like it turns out so delicious! Happy holidays!
Hi Natalya thanks for sharing. If I use rice instead is it still a 1/2 cup?
Hi Krystal, I have not used rice for this recipe, but I think the half cup should be fine. If you end up using rice, I would love to know how the recipe turns out. Good luck and Happy holidays.
I don’t see any mention of any salt. Do you just add seasoning as you go? Do you have an estimate of how much you add?
Hi Joanne, You are totally welcome to salt the soup, to taste. I don't have any salt listed because of all the other seasonings. This recipe is so full of ingredients and different flavors that I found extra salt unnecessary. Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy!
Celery sticks? Did you mean stalks?
Hi Patricia, Yes. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Have a great day!
Is no pressure cooking required. As olive garden's soup veges are very soft
Hey there! For this recipe you dont need to. The veggies will be very soft this way as well. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Hi there! Roughly how many people would this serve?
Hi Alex, The serving size for this soup is 10. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Do you mince the garlic or add the cloves whole?
Hi Dorothy, thank you for the question, I minced the garlic. I will make sure to make that clear in the recipe.
Just made this to have for the next week (and freeze what I don’t eat) - still hot, and it is SO tasty!! Dinner time is going to be a great one, thank you!!
Hi Sarah, I am so glad the recipe was a success! Enjoy!
Hi! How would I need to tweak the recipe to make it in the crockpot in the morning to have ready for dinnertime?
Hi Jordan, I have not tried this recipe in the crockpot. Its a great idea! If you give it a try, let me know how it went. I would love to give it a try myself!
I will, thanks!
Thank you Natalya! I love Olive Garden's Minestrone...will pass on salad and even pasta, at times, to eat all my Minestone. Everything else comes home for later. Thank you so much for this recipe. Will try soon as I get to the store.
Hi Jeannie, That awesome! Its one of my favorite soups as well! So filling. I hope it works out well for you! Enjoy!
Hello, new at being a diabetic and I can have this. So I made it today, nice and cool outside. At our local small town store they didn't have veg. broth so I went with beef, shredded carrots, because my family don't like cooked ones. Fr.style gr.beans, I didn't have it.seasoningor dry basil. Should I add a bay leaf? I did have onions, celery salt, I really kinda messed the whole thing up. I add It.diced tomatoes thinking that would help with the seasoning. What to do ?
Hi Susanne, It seems like the ingredients you have would not make a Minestrone soup, I would recommend checking out our vegetable soup. Its probably the closest one you can make with the ingredients you have. I will link it below for you. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
https://momsdish.com/recipe/2…
This soup was delicious! I added some fresh mushrooms and some spinach. It was sooo good!
Hi Karla- thank you for trying this recipe and leaving feedback. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it 😀
New to cooking but it doesn’t say if you cook noodles before adding it to the pot or if it cooks after adding? I’m guessing cook first.
Hi Dawn- actually you would add in raw noodles in step 3! They will cook in the broth. If you've already cooked the noodles, you can just add them at the very end. 🙂
It didn’t say when to add the garlic, so I forgot 😩
Hey Ronnie, you add the garlic in step 4. Sorry that you missed it! I hope you still enjoyed this soup 🙂
I made up my version of Olive Gardens Minestrone after eating there quite a few times. I use whatever veggies I have. I make my noodles in a separate pot & we put however much noodles each of us want. Then for leftovers, we just heat up the soup & add noodles. This keeps the noodles from swelling too much & also from getting too mushy.
Hello Josie- very nice! Sounds like you know what you are doing. 😀