Olive Garden Minestrone Soup is loaded with tender pasta, flavorful tomato-based broth and healthy vegetables. This Olive Garden copycat soup recipe can be made on the stove, slow cooker or instant pot. Pair it with Stuffed Ziti Fritta, or Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce, for a complete meal.
Minestrone is an Italian soup with thick tomato-based broth, tons of vegetables, beans and a bit of pasta. This vegan soup recipe is ideal when you have vegetables to use up before they perish.
What Vegetables Go In Minestrone?
Speaking of vegetables, this Olive Garden copycat soup recipe is loaded with a mix of fresh vegetables. Here are a few vegetables that work in the Olive Garden recipe:
- Green Beans (Olive Garden does include green beans in their soup)
- Potatoes
- Kale
- Sweet Potatoes
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
How To Make Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
This recipe can be made on the stovetop, slow cooker or instant pot. Check out the recipe card below for full instructions.
Slow Cooker
Making Minestrone Soup in the slow cooker is just as easy as making it on the stove top. As with Instant Pot minestrone soup, slow cooker minestrone soup just mixes up the order in which you add the ingredients and when you add them in. Check out the recipe card below for the slow cooker instructions.
Instant Pot
Making Minestrone Soup in the Instant Pot is just as easy as making it on the stove top. As with slow cooker minestrone soup, instant pot minestrone soup just mixes up the order in which you add the ingredients and when you add them in. Check out the recipe card below for the Instant Pot instructions.
Darcey’s Expert Tips
- Don’t cut corners when making soup recipes. Make sure to use high quality vegetable stock or the end result will suffer. Our Instant Pot Bone Broth would also work, if you’re not concerned with keeping this soup recipe vegan.
- Vegetables – dice up the veggie’s as close in size as possible for even cooking. Fresh spinach works best. Frozen spinach will turn to mush.
- Use no or low sodium broth, beans and tomatoes. Canned beans and tomatoes are LOADED with sodium. We make Instant Pot Kidney Beans, when possible, to use.
- Storage – Olive Garden minestrone soup lasts up to one week in the refrigerator. To re-heat, just transfer the soup to a medium sauce pan and heat low and slow.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few variations to consider when making Olive Garden Minestrone Soup:
Gluten-Free Minestrone – Either use gluten-free pasta or rice in place of the regular pasta.
Spicy Minestrone Soup – Add some red pepper flakes.
Meat Lovers – add some browned Italian sausage.
Broth Lovers – Add more broth for a “soupier” soup.
Frozen Vegetables – replace any fresh vegetables with frozen, if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
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Side Dish Ideas
The only thing we eat with Minestrone Olive Garden Soup is bread: one hour dinner rolls, slices of French bread or even muffaletta bread if we have some on hand. Of course you can always whip up a batch of Olive Garden Breadsticks or Zucchini Fritters.
What Soups Does Olive Garden Have?
Olive Garden serves 4 different soup recipes, and we have them all posted right here! So pick your soup and your Best Italian pasta bowls and get to grubbing!
Zuppa Toscana – Olive Garden’s most popular soup.
Pasta e Fagioli – Similar to this Minestrone recipe, but more tomato and bean forward ingredients.
Chicken and Gnocchi – The name says it all!
Minestrone –What is the difference between Pasta e Fagioli and Minestrone? More vegetables!
What Is The Healthiest Soup at Olive Garden?
You’re looking at it. The minestrone soup is, by far, the healthiest of the four staples soups Olive Garden offers. As with most soups, the sodium content can be quite high, so we highly recommend sticking with sodium-free broth, tomatoes and beans. This way you can control the final sodium level.
More Soup Recipes
Jambalaya Soup
Sancocho Dominicano
Clam Chowder
10 Minute Egg Drop Soup
Unstuffed Cabbage Soup
Wine Pairings
Chiante, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio.
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.), not drained
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable stock (*Note 1)
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 can great northern beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
- 1 can red kidney beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed (*Note 2)
- ½-1 cup small shell pasta (*Note 3)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
OPTIONAL:
- parsley (garnish)
- parmesan cheese (garnish)
Instructions
Stoptop Version:
- Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and zucchini to the pot and cook until tender (about 4-6 minutes).
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and Italian seasoning and bring to a simmer.
- Add the Great Northern beans, kidney beans and pasta to the pot and simmer until pasta is tender (about 12-15 minutes)
- Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in the spinach and cook for about 2 minutes, or until wilted.
- Transfer the soup to individual bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Slow Cooker Version:
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, except the pasta and spinach. Let simmer for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
- Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Add the pasta and cook until pasta is tender (about 25-30 minutes).
- Right before serving, add the spinach and stir. Spinach will wilt within 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the soup to individual bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Instant Pot Version:
- Turn the Instant Pot on to "sauté" setting and add the oil. Let pre-heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery, carrot and zucchini and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, broth, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and pasta shells and stir to combine.
- Put the lid on the pressure cooker and cook for 6 minutes at "high" pressure. Make sure the valve is in the sealed position.
- Once the cooking is done, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in the spinach and let wilt (approx. 2-3 minutes).
- Transfer the soup to individual bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.