Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup made with zucchini, beans and pasta has all the flavor of the original. Healthy and vegetarian too!
This is the Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe that everyone has been waiting for. Soup made from this easy minestrone soup recipe tastes just like the original, maybe even better. With a savory flavor and mouth-watering aroma, this soup is perfect to serve to your hungry family anytime.
I got this recipe from a friend of a friend of a friend, who said she got it from a chef that works in the restaurant. Playing telephone anyone?
Besides the amazing flavor, this soup is good for you too! It’s also vegetarian and is perfect for using up leftover veggies.
INGREDIENTS FOR COPYCAT OLIVE GARDEN MINESTRONE SOUP
There’s a lot of ingredients that go into making this minestrone soup recipe. It’s the key to the depth of flavor and what makes it so incredibly popular. The amazing flavor of this timeless Minestrone comes from the variety of vegetables it uses like zucchini, green beans, celery, carrots, tomatoes and spinach.
- Olive Oil
- Vegetables – Onion, Zucchini, Green Beans, Celery, Tomatoes, Carrots and Spinach
- Spices – Minced Garlic, Dried Parsley, Dried Oregano, Italian Seasoning
- Beans – Kidney Beans, Northern Beans
- Vegetable Stock
- Tomato Paste
- Shell Pasta
This recipe is one of Olive Garden’s best kept secrets. Anyway I got it, and it tastes completely like the original restaurant version!
If you love this recipe, you might want to check out our other soup recipes too!
Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 medium zucchini thinly sliced
- 12 ounce frozen Italian cut green beans
- 1 medium celery stalk diced
- 1-1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 30 ounce kidney beans 2 (15 ounce) cans
- 30 ounce Great Northern beans 2 (15 ounce) cans
- 14 ounce diced tomatoes drained
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded
- 2 teaspoons parsley flakes or 2 tablespoons minced fresh
- 1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 cups hot water
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 4 ounces pasta dry, small shells
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Add onion, celery, green beans and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more.
- Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, carrots, hot water and spices.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach leaves and pasta to the pot and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
- Allow to simmer an additional 5-10 minutes for a thicker consistency.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
Hi Melissa, that’s a great question. Diced tomatoes usually have calcium chloride added to help the tomatoes stay firm, and a fair amount of salt (depends on the brand). I drain the liquid before adding them to dishes to remove as much of these two additives as possible. Some cooks don’t drain the liquid…it’s a personal preference. Thanks for asking and have a great one! I’d love to know how your soup turns out!?
I’m planning on making a low sodium version of this! May I ask why drain the tomatoes?
HI Miz Helen, you are welcome! Have a wonderful day:)
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Hi Debbie, thanks for stopping in. This soup is super easy to make, easy enough that I make a double recipe of it about every 2 weeks! And the fact that it is vegan is a real bonus:) Have a great weekend Debbie! Hugs- Christine
Thank you very much!
Hi there, my husband love’s this soup too! And it’s healthy!! You have a wonderful weekend also:)
My husband’s favorite! Thanks for joining the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and have a blessed weekend!
My husband’s favorite! Thanks for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop.
I love minestrone but I rarely make it. This sounds so delicious. I think their soup is one of the few vegan items on the menu at Olive Garden, so I love it very much. Who says that August isn’t soup time?