Welcome back to another amateur recipe by a home cook. If I can do it, so can you!
Let’s Talk about Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
If you live in the US or have vacationed there, then you know about Olive Garden. For my Canadian friends, it’s the equivalent of East Side Mario’s. Olive Garden is known for their unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks & of course, their minestrone soup!
Minestrone soup is the perfect vegan soup option that is packed with vegetables & legumes to help get your protein without using any meat!
When it comes to Olive Garden’s minestrone soup, there’s a few things of note to make this just as good as the original. First, Olive Garden uses zucchini, grated carrots, tomato & spinach- all of which will be featured in this recipe.
Secondly, Olive Garden’s version has white and red beans, whereas normally, minestrone soup only has red kidney beans.
And of course, last but not least, this minestrone soup recipe is finished with shell-shaped pasta noodles and tied together in a delicious tomato broth.
Is it Vegan and Vegetarian?
As a matter of fact, is it! For this recipe, I suggest using vegetable or chicken soup cubes. If you’re keeping it vegan, then stick to vegetables. If you’re sticking to vegetarian, use romano or parmesan cheese for serving; if you’re vegan, you can use nutritional yeast as a substitute!
Why You’ll Love This Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
If you hate the idea of having to sit at a restaurant or are determined to make this delicious soup recipe yourself, this copycat recipe is the perfect way to bring the taste of Olive Garden to your kitchen. As a true Italian, minestrone soup is a great way to use up the vegetables in your fridge while having a hearty meal even nonna will enjoy!
If you’re someone who’s trying to eat healthier, this soup is packed with all the essentials, and I promise will not feel like you’re- because you’re not!
We talked about the essentials, now are you ready to make this recipe right at home? Let’s get into it!
Watch Tutorial
Let's Get Cooking
Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Zucchini
- 1 Can White Beans
- 1 Can Red Beans
- 1 Can Whole Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Grated Carrots
- 1 Cup Spinach
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 4-5 Cups Water
- 1 Chicken or Vegetable Stock Cube
- 1 Cup Shell Pasta
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 TBSP Chili Flakes Optional
- Handful of Basil
- 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Begin by mincing your garlic, dicing your onions, grating your carrots, and slicing your zucchini. If you bought whole tomatoes slice them up as well
- In a large pot on medium add in your olive oil, garlic, onions, and chilli peppers & cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in your zucchini, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil & water & cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in your soup cube & cook for 10-15 minutes, and reduce temperature to medium-low.
- Add in your shell noodles & cook for 10 minutes, or as directed by packaging.
- Serve as is or with romano cheese and enjoy!
Notes
- If you prefer a more brothy soup add in 5+ cups of water.
- If you're looking to make this a vegan option make sure you're using a vegetable soup cube.
- For best results by whole canned tomatoes, and cut up into pieces.
- If you don't tolerance spice well, put in less or no chilli flakes.
Nutrition
