Help yourself to ever-ending refills of this copycat Olive Garden minestrone soup.
Instructions
1
Saute the soffritto
2
Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook until the vegetables are slightly soft, four to five minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and cook until they're fragrant, one to two minutes. Editor's Tip: The combo of onion, celery and carrots is also known as mirepoix, while the Italian soffritto adds garlic.
3
Add the tomato paste
4
Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it’s bubbly, one to two minutes.
5
Add the broth and tomatoes
6
Add the diced tomatoes and the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer.
7
Toss in the beans and pasta
8
Stir in the white beans, kidney beans and pasta shells. Simmer the soup until the pasta is almost cooked, six to seven minutes.
9
Stir in the greens
10
Stir in the zucchini, green beans and spinach. Cook the soup for an additional two to three minutes, or until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the pasta is al dente. Editor’s Tip: If you prefer your zucchini and green beans to be extra tender (no crunch) you can add them to the soup when you add the beans and pasta to extend their cooking time.
11
Garnish the minestrone
12
Stir the fresh minced basil and parsley into the soup. Garnish it with Parmesan and if desired, additional minced fresh basil.
