This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup copycat recipe is my go-to when I'm craving a cozy bowl of hearty, vegetable-packed goodness. Loaded with zucchini, carrots, beans, and pasta, it has all the flavor of the classic restaurant version, but made fresh right at home!
1squash or zucchiniquartered, cut into ½-inch pieces
1(15-ounce) cannelini beanscanned, rinsed and drained
1(15-ounce) red kidney beanscanned, rinsed and drained
½cupditalini pastaor elbow
¾cupfrozen green beans
2cupsspinachcoarsely chopped
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Instructions
Add oil to a large Dutch oven along with the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables become translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
2 tablespoons oil, 1 cup onion, 2 stalks celery, 1 cup carrots, 3 cloves garlic
Pour in the vegetable broth and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, oregano, parsley, sugar, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix until it is all well combined. Increase the heat to high and bring everything to a boil.
6 cups vegetable broth, 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes, 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon Parsley, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Once boiling, add the squash and the rinsed and drained beans. Bring everything back to a boil and then add the pasta and frozen green beans. Reduce the heat to medium-high and boil for 7-8 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
1 squash or zucchini, 1 (15-ounce) cannelini beans, 1 (15-ounce) red kidney beans, ½ cup ditalini pasta, ¾ cup frozen green beans
Stir in the chopped spinach and turn off the heat. Let the soup sit for a few minutes before serving.
2 cups spinach
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Notes
Spices. Make your own Italian seasoning for the best flavor.
Noodles. Elbow pasta is the best option.
Spinach. Don't add the spinach too early.
Storage. Allow the soup to cool before transferring to an airtight, resealable container. Keep leftover minestrone in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
Freeze. You can either freeze this soup in a large container or freezer-safe bag, or portion out individual servings for easy reheating. Keep in the freezer for up to 4 to 5 months.