Italian minestrone soup with vegetables and beans

Minestrone Soup with Italian Herb Olive Oil

Servings: 6-8 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This classic Italian minestrone soup is loaded with vegetables, beans, and pasta, all enhanced with Italian herb olive oil. It's a hearty, healthy, and comforting soup perfect for fall and winter dinners. The combination of fresh vegetables, white wine, and aromatic herbs creates a rich, flavorful broth.

The key is to sauté the vegetables slowly to build deep flavor, then simmer everything together to let the flavors meld. Cooking the pasta separately prevents it from getting mushy!

Italian minestrone soup with vegetables and beans

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp Italian herb olive oil
  • ½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 2-3 stalks celery, roughly sliced
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 tsp fennel seed
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried tarragon
  • 1 lb Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 package elbow macaroni
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Build the Base:

  1. Heat Italian herb olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add diced onions, bell peppers, and minced garlic.
  3. Sauté slowly until vegetables are tender and transparent, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add celery and carrots. Continue cooking for 3 more minutes.
  5. Add salt, pepper, fennel seed, basil, oregano, and tarragon. Cook for 1 minute more.

Simmer the Soup:

  1. Add chopped tomatoes, garbanzo beans, white kidney beans, and frozen peas.
  2. Pour in chicken or vegetable stock and white wine.
  3. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
  4. Simmer gently for 30 minutes to let flavors meld.

Finish and Serve:

  1. While soup simmers, cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain and keep separate.
  2. To serve, add a portion of cooked pasta to each soup bowl.
  3. Ladle hot soup over the pasta.

To Serve

Serve hot with warm fresh bread or a crisp salad. This hearty vegetarian soup is perfect for cozy dinners and tastes even better the next day!

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