Vegetable Minestrone Variations (Print version)

Hearty Italian soup with seasonal vegetables, pasta, and beans. Adaptable for winter or summer ingredients.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 1 small zucchini, diced or 1 small butternut squash, diced
06 - 1 cup green beans, chopped or 1 cup chopped kale or spinach
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
09 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced

→ Broth and Beans

10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
12 - 3.5 ounces small pasta such as ditalini, elbow, or shells
13 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Herbs and Seasonings

14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
17 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for serving
18 - Grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened and translucent.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini or butternut squash, and green beans or kale. Cook for 3 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, diced potato, and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes, then pour in the vegetable broth.
04 - Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
05 - Add the drained beans and pasta. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until pasta and vegetables reach desired tenderness.
06 - Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in chopped fresh parsley.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's endlessly flexible, so you can raid your vegetable drawer without guilt and still end up with something incredible.
  • One pot means one pot to wash, which feels like a small victory on busy weeknights.
  • The pasta and beans create this naturally creamy texture without any cream, making it feel indulgent and nourishing at once.
02 -
  • Don't add the pasta until the very end or it'll turn to mush and drink up all your broth, leaving you with more of a paste than a soup.
  • If you have a Parmesan rind hanging around, toss it in while the broth simmers and your soup will taste like you spent all day on it.
03 -
  • If your pasta has already cooked before the vegetables are tender, it's fine to fish out the pasta and finish the vegetables alone, then add the pasta back at serving time.
  • A drizzle of really good olive oil on top right before serving is the difference between good minestrone and minestrone people actually crave.
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