Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

A bowl of veggie loaded minestrone soup with a gold spoon.

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe is a copycat recipe for the popular Olive Garden soup - Tender pasta shells, fresh vegetables, beans, in a savory broth that is perfectly seasoned with fresh garlic and dried herbs.

Course Dinner, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword olive garden minestrone soup

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 142kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion (white, yellow, or sweet)
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced & quartered zucchini
1/2 cup trimmed green beans (cut into 1-inch pieces)
4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans drained
1 can (15.5 oz) white cannellini beans drained
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dried small shell pasta
2 cups fresh baby spinach

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot, or dutch oven, over medium heat.
1 tablespoon olive oil
Add the diced onion, diced celery, and sliced carrots. Cook until the onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
1/2 cup finely diced onion, 1/2 cup finely diced celery, 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
Stir in the zucchini, green beans, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
1/2 cup sliced & quartered zucchini, 1/2 cup trimmed green beans, 4 cloves garlic
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Add the vegetable stock, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, petite diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil (you may want to increase the heat to medium-high heat).
^{*If your vegetables (carrots, zucchini, green beans, etc) are not as soft as you prefer, keep cooking the soup at this step until they are soft. Then add the pasta to the boiling water in the step below.}
4 cups vegetable stock, 1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, 1 can (15.5 oz) white cannellini beans, 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Once boiling, stir in the small shell pasta and cook for 15 minutes.
1 cup dried small shell pasta
Stir in the baby spinach and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Serve warm & enjoy!

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions : This soup can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time, refrigerated, and then reheated on the stove top for serving. You may need to add additional stock or broth when reheating, because as the soup sits in the fridge the beans and pasta will soak up the broth.

Another thing I have done often, is make the soup per recipe directions, transfer it to a slow cooker on warm heat, and let it warm for several hours until dinnertime. This is especially useful if everyone needs to eat at different times.

Flavor Tip : For the best flavor I recommend using full salted vegetable stock (use stock instead of broth), fresh whole carrots that you dice/slice, and fresh garlic that has been minced or pressed.

Nutrition