The Easiest Minestrone Soup Recipe

This is the best minestrone soup recipe, a hearty, vegetable-rich Italian soup made from scratch with plenty of fiber from the beans and vegetables. Perfect for serving with crusty bread.

Equipment

Dutch Oven or large pot

Ingredients

15 ounce can white beans (drained, rinsed (cannellini beans or navy beans))

32 oz container reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegan)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

2 garlic cloves (minced)

28 oz can petite diced tomatoes

Parmesan cheese rind (optional)

1 fresh rosemary sprig

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 tsp kosher salt

fresh black pepper

1 medium zucchini (about 8 oz each, diced)

2 cups spinach (chopped fresh, if frozen defrosted)

2 cups cooked small pasta such as ditalini or orzo (al dente (or gluten-free pasta)*)

extra parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and stir, saute until tender and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, parmesan cheese rind if using, salt and pepper. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, basil and parsley, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low 40 minutes.

Add the zucchini and spinach, cover and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, Parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Ladle 1-1/4 cups soup into 8 bowls with 1/4 cup pasta in each and top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

From around 4 or 5 ounces dry pasta. I like to cook the pasta separately so that it stays al dente and doesn’t soak up the broth. If you want to cook it in the soup, cook it in the end.

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