Tomato Basil Minestrone Soup (Printable)

A savory blend of vegetables, pasta, and herbs in a tomato basil broth for a warm, satisfying dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
08 - 1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes
09 - 1 (14-oz) can crushed tomatoes

→ Broth & Flavorings

10 - 4 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
14 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15 - ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
16 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste

→ Pasta & Beans

17 - 1 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)
18 - 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

→ Finish

19 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
20 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
21 - Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, diced zucchini, and green beans. Sauté for 3 minutes.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, dried oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Stir well and bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes to develop flavor.
05 - Stir in small pasta and rinsed cannellini beans. Continue simmering for 10 to 12 minutes until pasta is al dente.
06 - Incorporate chopped basil and parsley. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
07 - Ladle hot soup into bowls and optionally garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in less than an hour and tastes like you've been cooking all day.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup, which might be the best part of any weeknight dinner.
  • Naturally vegetarian, but hearty enough that no one will notice the lack of meat.
  • Each spoonful is loaded with vegetables and pasta, making it genuinely satisfying.
02 -
  • Add the pasta only when you're ready to eat it, or it will continue absorbing liquid and turn into mush—save your leftovers in a separate container and store the broth on its own if you can.
  • Fresh herbs at the end make an enormous difference; the heat of the soup will slightly wilt them, but they'll still bring that bright, alive quality that separates good minestrone from great minestrone.
  • Don't be shy with the salt—minestrone needs it to taste like itself, but taste as you go because you can always add more.
03 -
  • If your tomato paste has been sitting in the fridge for a while, bloom it in the oil for a minute before adding the broth—it deepens the tomato flavor in a way that feels almost magical.
  • Keep your vegetable broth warm in a separate pot if you can; adding cold broth to hot vegetables slows down the cooking process and dilutes the flavors you've already built.
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