This quick minestrone soup comes together in less than 30 minutes which is one of the reasons I love it so much. I am a soup lover and the only thing I don’t like about soup is how long it usually takes to make. I’m always looking for new ways to speed up the cooking process without compromising taste. Here is my take on this Italian classic soup.
What is minestrone soup?
Minestrone soup is a thick soup that originated in Italy. It’s full of vegetables like carrots, onions, celery, and tomatoes plus beans and pasta. The addition of beans and pasta is what makes it different than a common vegetable soup. You can pick any vegetable and it will work in minestrone soup, but I prefer to keep mine simple by adding only zucchini and spinach to the base of carrots, onions, celery.
What you need to make this minestrone soup:
The ingredients for this soup are simple and easy to find. First, you need the classic soup base of diced onions, carrots, and celery. This is called a mirepoix. Next, four minced cloves of garlic are added with some dried herbs of parsley and oregano. After that, I use red wine vinegar to deglaze the pot, and then, I add in the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and zucchini. You’ll finish the soup by adding in some fresh spinach and cooked macaroni.
Some secret add-ins that take this soup to the next level!
After I have ladled the hot soup into my bowl I definitely grate fresh parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper over the top and a drizzle of olive oil too. In addition, I also love to add is a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I know it sounds weird, but I love the freshness it adds to the soup and it makes it oh so good. Try it and let me know what you think.
Watch me make the recipe here! https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca2nnbkg0qw/
Quick Minestrone Soup
This quick minestrone soup is so tasty and it's ready in less than 30 minutes. Full of carrots, zucchini, onion, white beans, spinach, and macaroni this Italian classic will warm you up and keep you full.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2-3 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 5-6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 zucchini chopped into half moons or quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups cooked macaroni pasta
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated plus more for topping each bowl of soup
- *Optional* Rind of parmesan cheese (see note)
- *Optional* 2 cups of fresh spinach or kale
Instructions
1. In a large soup pot warm 1 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add garlic, oregano, and parsley; stir to combine and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Deglaze the pan by pouring in vinegar and using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add vegetable broth, white beans, tomatoes including juices, zucchini, bay leaf, and a parmesan rind, if using. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes until vegetables are fork-tender. Remove the parmesan rind.
6. If using spinach or kale add it here. Stir until combined and cook until just wilted.
7. Add cooked macaroni pasta and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
8. Taste for seasoning. Adjust if needed. Serve in large bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- The recipe calls for the optional addition of a parmesan cheese rind. What I'm referring to is once all of the cheese has been used you are left with just the rind. Adding the rind to soups really adds a delicious flavor. Be sure to remove the rind before serving.
- Be sure to add cooked macaroni pasta to the soup. I find that if you add in uncooked pasta it will absorb a lot of the broth making it very thick and not brothy.
Some other soups you might enjoy from the blog are:
I loved the garlic spaghetti ! Only made half the recipe and still ate it for 3 meals! Was a bit dry so I kept adding a little water.
PS I’m Diane, your Mom’s desert friend!!
Making mock lasagna soon. Great idea.
Diane!! I am so glad you liked the recipe. The pasta water will help it from getting dry when you initially make it. If reheating leftovers I find that adding olive oil helps too.