Italian Herb Vegetable Soup (Printable Version)

Hearty Mediterranean soup with fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, and warming Italian flavors in every spoonful.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
05 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
09 - 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz) with juices
10 - 4 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
12 - 2 cups baby spinach leaves

→ Herbs & Seasonings

13 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
15 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
17 - 1 bay leaf
18 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Additions

19 - 1 can cannellini beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
20 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
21 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# How to Prepare:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and minced garlic; sauté for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and softened.
02 - Stir in sliced carrots, celery, diced zucchini, diced red bell pepper, and trimmed green beans. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften.
03 - Add diced tomatoes with juices, vegetable broth, and diced potato. Stir in oregano, basil, thyme, crushed rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes until vegetables are tender.
05 - If using cannellini beans, add drained and rinsed beans and simmer for another 5 minutes to heat through.
06 - Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in spinach leaves and cook for 1–2 minutes until wilted.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, making weeknight dinners feel less like a chore and more like something you actually want to make.
  • The herbs do the heavy lifting here, so you're tasting real depth without any cream or complicated fussing.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, which means you're basically giving yourself a gift tomorrow.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step of sautéing the onion and garlic first—it creates depth that you literally cannot get any other way, and it only takes three minutes.
  • The spinach goes in at the absolute end; adding it early means it loses its color and becomes an invisible part of the broth instead of staying vibrant and identifiable.
  • If your soup tastes flat after cooking, it's usually because it needs salt, not more herbs—taste before you adjust.
03 -
  • If you have fresh herbs available, use half the amount of fresh compared to dried—fresh herbs are more delicate and potent, and you can always add the dried stuff if you need more depth later.
  • Buy your vegetables when they're in season and still have character; winter tomatoes and summer zucchini taste completely different, and the seasonal version will always taste better.
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