Hearty Vegetable Minestrone Variations (Printable Version)

Hearty Italian soup with seasonal vegetables, pasta, and beans. Perfect for year-round comfort and easy variations.

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

→ Broth & Beans

10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
12 - 3.5 ounces small pasta such as ditalini, elbow, or shells
13 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Herbs & 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

# How to Prepare:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini or squash, and green beans or kale. Cook for 3 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, diced potato if using, and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes, then pour in vegetable broth.
04 - Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until vegetables are partially tender.
05 - Add drained beans and pasta. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until pasta and vegetables are completely tender.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in oregano, basil, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired and additional fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's the kind of meal that tastes like you've been cooking all day, even when you haven't.
  • Every season gets its own version, so you're never bored and always using what's fresh.
  • The leftovers somehow taste even better the next day, making it perfect for those weeks when you need a head start on dinner.
02 -
  • Don't rush the initial vegetable softening, because those five minutes of patient sautéing create a foundation that carries the entire soup and makes it taste less watery and more developed.
  • Add your pasta to the simmering broth without cooking it separately, so it absorbs all those vegetable and herb flavors as it softens, which is why it tastes so much better than pasta cooked in plain water.
03 -
  • Toss a Parmesan rind into the broth as it simmers if you have one, letting it soften and infuse the whole pot with umami depth, then remove it before serving for a restaurant-quality shortcut.
  • Don't be afraid to taste and adjust seasoning multiple times throughout cooking, because what worked ten minutes ago might need tweaking now that everything has melded together.
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