Vegetable Minestrone Variations (Print Version)

Hearty Italian soup with seasonal vegetables, pasta, and beans. Easily adaptable for year-round cooking.

# 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 (summer) or 1 small butternut squash, diced (winter)
06 - 1 cup green beans, chopped or 1 cup chopped kale or spinach (winter)
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
09 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (optional)

→ 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 (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 fresh parsley, chopped, plus more 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 begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini or butternut squash, and green beans or kale. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, diced potato if using, and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes, then pour in vegetable broth.
04 - Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes until vegetables soften.
05 - Add drained beans and small pasta. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until pasta and vegetables reach desired tenderness.
06 - Remove bay leaf. Season with dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in fresh parsley.
07 - Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's a recipe that actually gets better when you ignore half the rules and swap vegetables around based on what you find at the market.
  • One pot, one hour, and suddenly you've got something warm enough to cure a bad mood and filling enough to satisfy actual hunger.
  • The pasta softens into the broth in a way that feels like comfort tastes, not in a fancy way, just in a real way.
02 -
  • Don't add the pasta until you're ready to eat within the next twenty minutes, because pasta keeps softening even after you turn off the heat and your soup will go from perfect to mushy if you're not watching.
  • If you're using a Parmesan rind for extra flavor, toss it in while the broth simmers, but remember to fish it out before serving or you'll have an awkward moment trying to explain why there's a hard chunk in someone's spoon.
03 -
  • Don't be afraid to taste as you go and adjust—salt, herbs, and even broth amount can be tweaked until it tastes exactly how you want it to taste right now.
  • If your soup sits in the fridge and thickens overnight because the pasta keeps absorbing broth, add more broth or water when you reheat it and it'll be perfect again.
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