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This Minestrone Soup is loaded with garden vegetables, beans, and pasta to warm your soul and fill your stomach! Versatile for any season or taste.

Minestrone Soup with Garden Vegetables

This Minestrone Soup is loaded with garden vegetables, beans, and pasta to warm your soul and fill your stomach! Versatile for any season or taste.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Servings 8 servings
Calories 354 kcal

Equipment

  • Large Stockpot or Dutch Oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup dried fava beans peeled, can sub in dried or canned great northern or cannellini beans
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberry beans can sub in dried or canned pinto or kidney beans
  • 1/3 cup dried chickpeas or canned chickpeas
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium white or yellow onion about 1 cup chopped
  • 2 medium carrots peeled, about 2/3 cups chopped
  • 2 medium celery stalks about 1/2 cup chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes about 3.5 cups
  • 3 medium yellow potatoes I used Yukon Gold
  • 1 medium zucchini chopped
  • 1/2 medium head of cabbage sliced
  • 1 cup green beans or 1 can
  • 1 tbsp dried or fresh basil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2/3 cup Israeli couscous or any other small pasta
  • 1 tsp salt more or less to taste
  • 1 tsp pepper more or less to taste
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar can sub lemon juice or red wine vinegar, more or less to taste

Instructions
 

Prep

  • If using dried beans, measure them out and soak them in water for 8-16 hours or overnight. If you forgot to soak them overnight, place them in water, and bring to a boil. Take off heat and let soak for 3 hours.
  • Chop all of your vegetables first and set aside for easy cooking.

Cook

  • Heat up 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add in your onions, carrots, and celery and saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Add and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add in the crushed tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, basil, beans, and tomato paste until combined. If using fresh or frozen green beans, add them in now as well.
  • Add in vegetable broth and enough water to cover the ingredients by about an inch.
  • Raise the heat to high until the soup comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about and 1.5 hours or until beans are tender.
  • Add in the 2/3 cup pasta, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and cook for another 10ish minutes until pasta is cooked.
  • Once the soup is done, taste to be sure you have enough salt, pepper, and acid. Adjust accordingly.
  • To serve, drizzle 1/2-1 tablespoon of olive oil into a bowl, add the minestrone and enjoy! If you choose, top with a sprinkle of parmesan and a piece of toasted bread.

Notes

  • Use whatever vegetables you have on hand or in the garden!
  • I know you most likely can't find fava or cranberry beans in your local grocery store, but try Nuts.com or sub in whatever kind of bean you have.
Keyword garden, minestrone, soup, vegetables