Vegetable Minestrone Variations (Printer-friendly)

Hearty Italian soup with seasonal vegetables, pasta, and beans. Adaptable for year-round enjoyment.

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

→ Broth and Beans

10 - 6.3 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (14 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 and Seasonings

14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
17 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus more for serving
18 - Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, zucchini or squash, and green beans or kale. Cook for 3 minutes to develop the aromatics.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, diced potato, and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes, then pour in vegetable broth.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to allow vegetables to partially soften.
05 - Add drained beans and small pasta. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until pasta and vegetables are tender.
06 - Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in chopped 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 advice:

01 -
  • It transforms simple vegetables into something so warming and complete that you'll find yourself making it every week without planning to.
  • The pasta and beans quietly become silky and tender, making this soup feel unexpectedly luxurious despite being entirely unpretentious.
  • You can swap almost any vegetable and it still tastes like home, which takes the pressure off cooking.
02 -
  • Don't add the pasta until the very end, or it will absorb broth and turn the soup into something closer to risotto, which isn't terrible but isn't minestrone.
  • If your soup seems too thick as you eat it, that means the pasta continues to absorb liquid even after you've ladled it, so don't add all your broth at once if you're planning leftovers.
03 -
  • Taste your broth before you buy it if possible, because it's the foundation of everything else and deserves to be good on its own.
  • Don't be timid with the herbs at the end; they're not garnish, they're what bring the whole thing into focus and make you taste how much care went into it.
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