Minestrone Soup Recipe (Olive Garden inspired)
This hearty minestrone soup recipe is a comforting tomato broth soup loaded with fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta. Feed your army on a budget with this delicious soup inspired by the famous Olive Garden minestrone!
Servings: 12 cups
Calories: 65kcal
Equipment
- 4.5-quart Dutch oven or stockpot or 6-quart pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 2 ribs Celery diced
- 3 medium Carrots diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 (15-ounce can) Red Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce can) White Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 (28-ounce can) Crushed Tomatoes
- 6 cups Vegetable Broth or more to adjust consistency
- 1 cup Shell Pasta or pasta of choice
- ½ pound Zucchini 2 small, halved and sliced
- 2 cups Fresh Spinach or Kale finely chopped
Optional Toppings
- Fresh Parsley, Croutons, Parmesan Cheese.
Instructions
- Heat a 4.5-quart soup pot over medium-high heat and add OLIVE OIL.
- Sauté ONION, CELERY, CARROTS, and GARLIC until tender.
- Stir in KIDNEY BEANS, WHITE BEANS, OREGANO, ITALIAN SEASONING, SALT, PEPPER, CRUSHED TOMATOES, and VEGETABLE BROTH. Bring to a boil briefly.
- Reduce heat, add SHELL PASTA and ZUCCHINI, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- In the last 5 minutes, stir in the SPINACH.
- Serve warm, garnished with your favorite toppings.
- To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
See footnotes for pressure cooker instructions.
Video
Notes
Pressure cooker method
Select "Sauté" on the pressure cooker and heat OLIVE OIL until shimmering. Add ONION, CELERY, CARROTS, and GARLIC. Sauté until tender. Press "Cancel" and stir in BEANS, SEASONINGS, TOMATOES, BROTH, and PASTA. Secure the lid, set the valve to "Sealing," and pressure cook on HIGH for 1 minute (or 2 minutes if using thicker pasta). Use a long utensil (not your hand) to open the pressure release valve to quick-release all steam from the pot. Continue with line #5 in the above recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 687mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3341IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg