This perfect 5-star rated minestrone soup recipe is the absolute best minestrone soup recipe you can make at home. The one pot clean up of this veggie packed soup, is perfect for those cold weather days!
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Trying to recreate restaurant classics can be tricky and complicated. I spent dozens of bowls comparing Olive Garden’s version side by side to get this comforting classic for you to make at home.
After spending time refining the perfect balance of hearty vegetables, rich broth, and Italian herbs, I know after one bite you will agree that this is just as good—if not better—than their original version.
Everyone will be reaching not just for a second bowl, but for the recipe—no reservations needed!
What is Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone is a chunky soup with Italian origins. While the Olive Garden copycat recipe is not the same as the Italian versions, there is much crossover. This is especially true because the history and variation of minestrone is vast and there is no set recipe that many chefs go by.
It’s typically made with beans, onions, celery, carrots, leafy greens, tomatoes, stock and parmesan. It’s a true clean-out-the-fridge recipe, where it can be adaptable with what you have on hand.
Jump to:
- What is Minestrone Soup?
- Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- Ingredients for The Best Minestrone Soup
- How To Make Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- Best Minestrone Soup Recipe Variations
- How To Serve This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- How to Store
- Recipe FAQs:
- Other Vegan Soup Recipes to Consider:
- 🥳 Get the Full Recipe
- 💬 See What People Are Saying
Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- Budget Friendly – This is a great, versatile recipe that allows you to clean out your fridge. Use the base of the recipe and swap out the vegetables to have a delicious recipe that is low waste but great for your wallet as well
- Vegetable Packed – Thanks to more than a half dozen vegetables, there are a lot of vitamins, minerals, and goodness packed into this dish which is perfect for the colder weather season
- Meal Prep Perfection – This recipe can be made days in advance, or even frozen so it’s ready whenever you need
Ingredients for The Best Minestrone Soup
Gather your ingredients!
- Vegetables – The onions, celery, carrots and garlic are the base of our soup and the aromatics of the dish. They add nutrients, flavor, and depth to the soup. Zucchini is also added for more vegetables and a component for the copycat version
- Beans – We are using kidney beans and great northern beans to this dish to keep it similar to the Olive Garden version
- Leafy Greens – The Olive Garden version has kale in it, but we are using spinach. Either works!
- Pasta – small shells are what we are using and what’s in the copycat version.
- Tomatoes – Minestrone is a tomato based broth, so we are using both canned tomatoes and tomato paste for that depth of flavor that we want the tomatoes to bring to this soup
- Brewers Yeast – the Olive Garden version has a yeasty/fermented taste to it when we compared it side by side. We are adding Brewers yeast to give us that same taste. This is optional and can be added to taste.
- Lemon Juice – not only amplifies your other ingredients, but it also helps balance out the flavors
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Step 1: In a large pot, over medium heat, add the oil. Once heated, add in onions, celery, carrots, and zucchini. Saute for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 30 more seconds.
Step 2: Add seasonings and let cook for 30 seconds. Add vegetable broth, water, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
Step 3: Add the white beans, kidney beans, and pasta. Allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
Step 4: Add greens and lemon juice (to taste) and allow to cook until softened and wilted (about 4-5 minutes). Taste and add more seasoning as desired. Remove from heat and serve topped with fresh parsley and vegan parmesan on top.
Best Minestrone Soup Recipe Variations
- Vegetables – You can’t go wrong with adding more vegetables to this dish, but also switching it up. Snap Beans, Green Beans, Peas, Mushrooms, Corn, Potatoes, Squash (like Butternut) – whatever your favorites are, feel free to clean out and use up!
- Beans – You can mix up and beans or chickpeas that you enjoy!
- Leafy Greens – Spinach, kale, collard greens or even bok choy will work great in this recipe
- Pasta – you want to keep the noodles small, but any will work like ditalini or elbows
How To Serve This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
This soup is perfect with a Copycat Olive Garden breadstick for the full affect of Olive Garden at home or you could just make a simple baguette. Make a full meal by pairing it with our kale salad or arugula salad.
New H2: How to Store Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
You’ll want to completely let your soup cool and then store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The longer that the soup sits, the more the flavors will develop.
Tip: The small pasta shells will continue to soak up the liquid from the soup. When reheating, you may want to add more vegetable broth.
Alternatively, you can freeze this soup by storing in an air tight, freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
How to Store
Can this be frozen?
Yes. You can let it cool completely and then store it in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Feel free to portion it into individual containers so you have just enough each time. Note: If using gluten free noodles, we recommend adding the pasta when thawed.
Recipe FAQs:
The only top allergen in this dish is gluten from the noodles. You can use gluten free noodles in this recipe. We have found that it’s best to make the soup and gluten free noodles separately and add the noodles at the time of serving.
Yes, this recipe can be made 4-5 days in advance. Some of the liquid may soak up, but you can add more stock as needed/desired.
There are a lot of similarities between pasta e fagioli and minestrone soup, however they are very different soups.
Pasta e fagioli literally translates to pasta and beans and that is the focus while also adding in vegan meat crumbles. This minestrone soup though focuses on the vegetables and enhances their natural flavors to bring a deliciously comforting meal. In fact, there’s 7 different vegetables added to this soup!
Other Vegan Soup Recipes to Consider:
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Best Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, julienned or shredded
- 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
- 1 small to medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsps brewers yeast optional (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 4 cups vegetable broth (960g)
- 2 cups water (480g)
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes (910g)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 15 oz canned Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (260g)
- 15 oz canned Kidney beans, drained and rinsed (270g)
- 1 ½ cups small shells (225g)
- 2 cups collard greens, chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
- fresh parsley
- vegan Parmesan cheese, grated for topping
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot (we use a dutch oven), over medium heat, add the oil. Once heated, add in onions, celery, carrots, and zucchini. Saute for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add bay leaves, Brewers yeast (if adding), Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if adding). Stir together and let cook for 30 seconds.
- Add vegetable broth, water, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the white beans, kidney beans, and pasta. Allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Add greens and lemon juice (to taste) and allow to cook until softened and wilted (about 4-5 minutes).
- Taste and add more seasoning as desired. Remove from heat and serve topped with fresh parsley and vegan parmesan on top.
I am checking out ingredients and I noted it says Brewers yeast and that surprised me. Is that correct and it’s not nutritional yeast?
yes it’s correct
This is deicious! I used nutritional yeast because that’s what I had, but I’ll try brewer’s yeast next time. Your recipes are awesome!
Thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
The whole family loves this soup. It’s on regular rotation during the colder months.
This is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for making our recipe a part of your family’s regular rotation!
Truly the best minestrone soup recipe I have tried. Thank you!
Thank you so much! We appreciate you trying out the recipe!