Vegan Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

This copycat Olive Garden minestrone soup comes together in about 30 minutes and it cooks all in one pot! This easy soup is loaded with fresh veggies, beans, and al dente pasta in a delicious tomato broth. It's perfect for meal prep or an easy weeknight dinner!

You Will Love This

• This is one of those perfect meal prep recipes to make on a Sunday night and enjoy all week! It's loaded with veggies and is super hearty while being totally vegan. The best part is you switch up the veggies based on what you've got on hand and use it to clean out the fridge!
• If you loved this veggie loaded soup, be sure to check out my Vegetarian Beer Cheese Soup, my One Pot Vegan Chickpea Soup, or my One Pot Creamy Vegetable Soup!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Onion, Carrot, Celery - This aromatic trifecta is the base for this delicious one pot minestrone soup! If you're looking to save time, keep an eye out for a pre-chopped mirepoix at the grocery store.
• Fresh Garlic - I like to use freshly minced garlic for this recipe, but if all you've got is garlic powder, add ½-3/4 of a teaspoon or more to taste.
• Italian Seasoning - I love the versatility of Italian seasoning but if you don't have any on hand, you can use a mixture of dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried rosemary in its place.
• Zucchini - Fresh zucchini is another way to get extra veggies in this soup. If you don't have any you can skip it all together or add more beans or spinach instead.
• Green Beans - I like to use frozen green beans for this recipe because we've usually got a bag in the freezer. You could use fresh green beans instead. I wouldn't recommend using canned green beans for this recipe as they will end up getting too mushy in the soup.
• White Beans - If your grocery store doesn't have small white beans, look for Great Northern beans instead.
• Dark Red Kidney Beans - You could also use light red kidney beans, but I love the color and texture of the dark red kidney beans.
• Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes - If you can't find fire roasted diced tomatoes no worries - regular will work just fine. You could also use diced tomatoes with basil and garlic mixed right in.
• V8 or Tomato Based Vegetable Juice - Many recipes call for tomato paste to get that tomato flavor in the broth, but I prefer to use V8 juice as it gives the tomato flavor and a slightly heartier broth base.
• Veggie Broth - If you aren't worried about this recipe being vegan or vegetarian, feel free to use chicken broth in place of the vegetable broth.
• Ditalini - You can use any type of small pasta. I like to use ditalini but small shell pasta works well too!

Instructions

Sauté onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil.

Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and zucchini.

Cook for a couple minutes.

Add green beans, white beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and pasta.

Add vegetable juice and vegetable broth, along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.

Stir to combine and add bay leaves.

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until pasta is al dente. Stir in fresh spinach until it wilts. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!

Tips

• Don't simmer the soup for too long or it will overcook the pasta. When you're using a small cut of pasta like ditalini or small shells, they are going to cook super quick in the soup. It will take just a few minutes - 5 at the most - to get the pasta perfectly al dente.
• Switch up the veggies based on your family's taste! Sometimes we don't have frozen green beans so I'll use frozen broccoli or corn instead. I also like to add leftover roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash if I've got some in the fridge. This recipe is super forgiving. Just keep the ratios the same and it will taste delicious!
• If you've got leftover V8 juice, you can use it to make my One Pot Taco Soup, my Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup, or my Vegan Black Bean Chili.

Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make Ahead: This soup is a delicious meal prep recipe because it just gets better with time so you can definitely make it ahead of time. If you know you'll be enjoying the soup at a later date, you can cook the pasta a minute or two less than al dente as the noodles will continue to soak up the liquid as it sits.
• Storage: This minestrone soup will stay good in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. And the best part is the flavors just get better with time!
• Freezing: You can freeze this easy minestrone soup for up to 3 months in an airtight container, however - if you're planning to freeze this soup, do not add the pasta! The frozen pasta doesn't hold up well when it's reheated in the soup. If you know you'll be freezing this soup to enjoy later, omit the pasta when cooking it. Then when you reheat and serve the soup, add cooked pasta right to each serving!
• Reheating: If thawing from frozen, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat thawed leftover soup in a small saucepan over medium heat. You'll need to add a splash of broth or V8 just to loosen up the soup a bit. Heat, stirring frequently until warmed through. Then season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks

Recreate Olive Garden's soup, salad, and breadsticks meal right at home by pairing this easy soup recipe with my:

• Simple Garlic Bread
• Caprese Garlic Cheese Bread
• Cheesy Olive Garlic Bread
• Easy Arugula Salad
• Quick Beet Salad with Feta

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