Minestrone Soup
Last Updated on January 16, 2022 by Annie
This thick, hearty Minestrone soup recipe tastes just like Olive Garden! It’s a vegan recipe packed with nutritious vegetables, beans, and pasta!
Olive Garden holds a special place in my heart. My older sister and I would have sister dates at Olive Garden where we would indulge in soup, salad, and all the breadsticks our stomachs could handle. One of the most ordered items during these outings was the Minestrone soup.
A few years later I was working on a recipe box for a Christmas gift and I wanted to include a recipe for Minestrone soup. I found a recipe on Pinterest, or maybe it was FoodGawker… Ah 2010 was such a simple time… I tested the recipe and decided it was a winner. I wrote it on a card and carefully placed it in the box, never to think of it again.
Flash forward 10 years when I went to stay with my sister after she had her son. She told me she bought all of the ingredients to make Minestrone Soup. That minestrone soup. She pulled out that old recipe card and said here, we can use this recipe. MY LANTA! That recipe was so BARE. I knew that with a little help we could make it better than the Olive Garden recipe from our old sister date days.
With more spices, a dash of tomato paste, and a little simmer time, we finally created a Minestrone Soup that rivaled Olive Garden’s!
What is Minestrone Soup?
This vegetarian dish is a traditional Italian vegetable soup packed with beans, veggies, and fresh pasta or rice. It differs from a traditional vegetable soup because of the beans and pasta.
I would also like to say this version of Minestrone soup is not ultra liquid-y if you want to thin it out, I would suggest using more vegetable broth.
How To Make Minestrone Soup
This vegan minestrone soup recipe features a mix of fresh vegetables and pantry staple ingredients making it the perfect, heart winter soup.
Ingredients
Fresh Vegetables- Diced onion, zucchini, garlic, and spinach add some fresh vegetable goodness to the soup.
Tomato Paste- Gives a little tomato-y umpf to the base of the soup.
Canned Goods- Diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, and vegetable broth bulk up this filling soup. Using canned beans helps cut down the cook time and gets your soup to you much quicker.
Seasoning- A blend of basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper takes this soup from bland to bold.
Pasta- I have used both shells and ditalini in this recipe and loved the outcome both ways!
Directions for Vegan Minestrone Soup
Begin by dicing your onion and zucchini, microplane your garlic, and set aside.
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes.
Next add the garlic and tomato paste with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Once the garlic and tomato paste are fragrant, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, vegetable broth, water, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine.
Pour in the pasta, stir to mix evenly into the soup. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through.
Before serving add fresh spinach and cook about 2 minutes or until wilted.
Ladle into bowls and serve with chopped green onion and sliced bread.
Dairy-Free Changes
Olive Garden minestrone soup is often topped with a mountain of parmesan cheese. By leaving out the cheese we keep this hearty soup deliciously dairy-free.
If you love that cheesy topping try swapping out the parmesan for a vegan alternative such as Violife’s Just Like Parmesan Wedge.
What to Eat With Minestrone Soup
If you are looking for a bread that tastes just like Olive Garden breadsticks, these Garlic Knots will do just the trick!
Other Hearty Winter Recipes
Turkey Mac– This hearty Turkey Mac combines well seasoned ground turkey, creamy tomato sauce, and macaroni to make an unforgettable winter staple.
Mom’s Homemade Hamburger Helper– Homemade Hamburger Helper makes the perfect pantry staple recipe for a busy weeknight. Filling, flavorful, and dairy free, this is a comfort food classic.
Red Beans and Rice– Make a quick and easy pot of Red Beans and Rice with simple ingredients from your pantry with this delicious cajun recipe.
Did you make this delicious Minestrone Soup?? I would love to hear how it went! Leave a comment below or snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can share your life after dairy adventures!
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Minestrone Soup
A thick, hearty Minestrone soup recipe packed with vegetable, beans, and pasta perfect for cold winter days.
Ingredients
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Zucchini diced
- 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 2 pods Garlic microplaned or diced
- 2 cans Diced tomato 15 oz cans
- 1 Tbsp. Basil dried
- 2 tsp. Parsley dried
- 1 tsp. Oregano dried
- ½ tsp. Thyme dried
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Pepper
- 15 oz. Kidney Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 c. Vegetable Broth extra if you want a thinner soup
- 1 c. Water
- 1½ c. Uncooked Pasta shells or ditalini
- 1 c. Spinach
Instructions
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Begin by dicing your onion and zucchini, microplane your garlic, and set aside.
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In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes.
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Next add the garlic and tomato paste with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
-
Once the garlic and tomato paste are fragrant, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, vegetable broth, water, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine.
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Pour in the pasta, stir to mix evenly into the soup. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through.
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Before serving add fresh spinach and cook about 2 minutes or until wilted.
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Ladle into bowls and serve with chopped green onion and sliced bread.
Recipe Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
