Can you imagine your life without Olive Garden? This Italian-American chain restaurant has brought us so many wonderful creations, but in my opinion, their best dishes are the basic ones they have perfected over the years. One of the stand out dishes for me is their Olive Garden Minestrone Soup.
Their minestrone soup is by far my favorite! Especially when served with their legendary breadsticks and a side of crispy salad leaves.
How To Make Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and sauté the diced onions, celery and carrots for about 2-3 minutes or until the ingredients begin to sweat.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and bay leaf and mix through. Allow these ingredients to fry for about 1 minute, just to release all of the flavors.
Add the canned diced tomatoes and vegetable stock and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
Add the drained white beans, kidney beans, green beans and shelled pasta and simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked to al dente.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve the soup like you would any other, with a side of bread or freshly made salad.
Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the vegetables, it adds flavor and helps in releasing their aromas.
- Large Onion, Celery, Carrot, and Zucchini (diced): These vegetables form the base of the soup, providing essential flavors and nutrients.
- Garlic: Adds a pungent, aromatic flavor that is key to many Italian dishes.
- Tomato Paste: Concentrates the tomato flavor, adding depth and richness to the soup.
- Italian Seasoning and Bay Leaf: These herbs and spices infuse the soup with classic Italian flavors.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Adds texture and a tangy tomato base to the soup.
- Vegetable Stock: Forms the liquid base of the soup, providing flavor and allowing the vegetables to cook.
- Canned Small White Beans and Kidney Beans: These beans add protein, texture, and heartiness to the soup.
- Fresh or Frozen Green Beans: Offer a nice crunch and a fresh, green flavor.
- Small Shell Pasta: Adds a classic Italian touch, making the soup more filling and satisfying.
- Parsley (for garnish): Used for garnishing, it adds a fresh, herbal note to the finished soup.
See Also: Olive Garden Breadsticks
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Course: SoupsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes40
minutes201
kcalThis Olive Garden minestrone soup is a very easy recipe to make which really hits the spot during the colder seasons.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons 2 olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 stem celery, washed and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons 2 tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
14 ounces 14 canned diced tomatoes
32 ounces 32 vegetable stock
15 ounces 15 canned small white beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces 15 canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup 1 fresh or frozen green beans
½ cup small shell pasta
Parsley, for garnish
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions, celery and carrots and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and fry for another minute to help the vegetables sweat and release their flavors.
- Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning and bay leaf and mix through all the vegetables. Allow these ingredients to also fry for a minute or two.
- Add the canned diced tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer.
- Simmer the mixture for 8-10 minutes, and then add the white beans, kidney beans, green beans and shelled pasta. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked to al dente.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and garnish with some freshly chopped parsley.
- You can serve the minestrone soup with a side of buttered bread, breadsticks, and crackers or, my favorite, a fresh and crispy salad.
Notes
- This recipe is an incredible vegetarian soup that can also easily become vegan. The only ingredients you will have to check are the vegetable stock (which is usually vegan) and the pasta shelf.
- You can make this recipe healthier by reducing the salt content by either adding less fine salt or by using a low-sodium vegetable stock.
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Tips & Tricks
- If you do not like canned tomatoes, you can substitute it with 2 medium or 1 large tomato. Simply dice the tomatoes and add them to the mixture. You will have to cook them for about 3 minutes before adding the vegetable stock and continuing with the recipe.
- You can save a lot of time with this recipe by buying pre-prepped vegetables (already peeled and diced vegetables) or you can buy a vegetable soup mix (a mixture of prepped vegetables that goes into a minestrone soup).
- This soup will last in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days without losing its flavor and texture. Make sure to reheat the minestrone before serving.
- Like previously mentioned, you can simply add all of the ingredients in a large pot to cook until done.
- Now, you might question why there are steps in this recipe then, but the steps ensure that you release the flavors of the ingredients and that you create different textures within the soup which is not life-or-death, but it does make a difference.
See Also: Julia Child French Onion Soup
Conclusion
Now you can have a delicious Olive Garden minestrone soup without leaving your home!
This recipe is the best to use because although it is already incredibly easy, it still has a ton of shortcuts to make your life much easier. These will not affect the delicious flavor and you will still have a great tasting soup with lots of texture.
You can easily adapt the recipe and remove or add many other ingredients to make it meet your preferences.
A must-try recipe that will be a new staple in your home and an easy go-to dinner any time of the year.
