Minestrone Soup Olive Garden Style

This minestrone soup Olive Garden style is perfect for a quick and easy work from home lunch! Filled with pasta and veggies, this vegetarian minestrone soup recipe requires simple ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes or less.

Make Your Own Minestrone Soup Olive Garden Style

Ok, full transparency, I haven’t always been a huge Olive Garden fan. I’ve always preferred to make my own pastas at home because I love having the ability to control the seasonings, salt and flavors. That being said, I do have a soft spot for Olive Garden. Way back when, in college, Jared and I used to have soup and salad date nights at Olive Garden — it was accessible, tasty and affordable.

I’ll bet that one of us ordered Olive Garden minestrone soup at least a third of the time! Hearty and comforting, there’s just something about this soup recipe that warms you up from the inside out.

This homemade minestrone soup Olive Garden style is just as good (maybe better) than the restaurant version! Filled with all your favorite veggies and simmered in a delicious tomato broth, serve your soup with a side salad and toast for your very own soup, salad and breadstick lunch at home.

Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Style Minestrone Soup

• It’s super customizable. This minestrone soup can be customized for so many different tastes and diets! Change up the types of beans, swap out different veggies or even add a kick of heat. You can also make it more hearty by adding in some Italian sausage or, go the other direction, and make it vegan by eliminating the cheese.
• It’s easy on your wallet! Minestrone soup Olive Garden style is absolutely delicious, but I guarantee this homemade version will save you money. Embrace this restaurant-at-home recipe and enjoy a less expensive and healthier version of this classic soup.
• It’s a quick, healthy meal. Ready in just half an hour, this mouthwatering soup recipe is perfect for a quick lunch or easy weeknight dinner. You can even make your very own soup, salad and breakfast lunch right at home!

Tips & Tricks

• Easy to freeze. This minestrone soup is perfect for meal prep or make-ahead meals! Simply cook the soup, let it cool, then freeze it for 3 months. Then, when you’re ready to enjoy, you can simply move it in the fridge and allow it to thaw overnight.
• Make it vegan. An easy vegetarian soup, you can easily alter this minestrone soup Olive Garden style recipe to make it vegan, too. Simply eliminate the parmesan cheese from the soup or replace it with your favorite vegan cheese brand.
• Use a slow cooker. If you prefer allowing your Olive Garden style minestrone soup to simmer throughout the day, you can easily adapt this recipe to use your slow cooker. First add all of the liquids, seasonings and veggies then allow to cook in your Crockpot. Depending on your time frame, you’ll want to cook 2-4 hours on high or about 6 hours on low. Then, about a half hour before you want to serve your soup, add in the pasta shells and cook until the tender. Lastly, add the spinach and enjoy!

Ingredients for Minestrone Soup

• Onion
• Celery
• Carrots
• Tomato paste
• Garlic powder
• Dried oregano
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Kidney beans
• Fire roasted Italian tomatoes
• Vegetable broth
• Green beans
• Orietta pasta
• Spinach
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Baguette or toasted garlic bread

How to Make Minestrone Soup Olive Garden Style:

Step 1: Cook veggies. First, in a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium heat. Then add in onions, celery and carrots and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and have softened.

Step 2: Add tomato paste and spices. Next add in tomato paste, garlic powder, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and a few turns of black pepper. Then cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

Step 3: Pour in beans, broth and tomatoes. Now add in the kidney beans, Italian tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Then cook for 10-15 minutes or until mixture comes to a simmer.

Step 4: Add pasta and greens. Next add in the green beans and pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the beans are tender. After that, stir in fresh spinach until slightly wilted.

Step 5: Serve. Finally, serve bowls of you minestrone soup Olive Garden style with grated parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes on top, along with a toasty piece of bread.

Looking for more delicious soup recipes? Give these a try!

• Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Gnocchi Chicken Soup
• Plant-Based French Onion Soup
• Spicy Pumpkin Soup
• Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Other great comfort food recipes to try:

• White Cheddar + Kale Risotto
• Easy Spicy Chicken Ramen Soup
• Pot Roast 101
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
• Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch

Minestrone Soup Olive Garden Style

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Elizabeth Van Lierde
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 8-10
• Category: Savory
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Description

Enjoy your own soup, salad and breadsticks lunch right at home with this easy 30-minute minestrone soup Olive Garden style recipe.

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Ingredients

1-2 tbsp olive oil 

1 medium yellow or white onion, diced 

2 celery stalks, diced 

2 carrots, peeled and diced 

2 tbsp tomato paste 

1 tsp garlic powder 

2 tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes +more for topping 

1 tsp kosher salt

Cracked black pepper 

1 (15 oz) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

1 (28 oz) can fire roasted Italian tomatoes

6-8 cups vegetable broth 

8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and roughly chopped

4 ounces orecchiette pasta 

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Optional:

• Grated parmesan cheese
• Baguette or toasted garlic bread

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Instructions

1. In a large pot or dutch oven heat olive oil on medium heat. Add in onions, celery and carrots and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and have softened. 
2. Add in tomato paste, garlic powder, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and a few turns of black pepper. Cook mixture for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. 
3. Add in kidney beans, italian tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until mixture comes to a simmer. 
4. Add in green beans and pasta. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the beans are tender. Stir in fresh spinach until slightly wilted. 
5. Serve bowls with grated parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes on top along with a toasty piece of bread.

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Notes

• Easy to freeze. This minestrone soup is perfect for meal prep or make-ahead meals! Simply cook the soup, let it cool, then freeze it for 3 months. Then, when you’re ready to enjoy, you can simply move it in the fridge and allow it to thaw overnight.
• Make it vegan. An easy vegetarian soup, you can easily alter the recipe to make it vegan, too. Simply eliminate the parmesan cheese from the soup or replace it with your favorite vegan cheese brand.
• Use a slow cooker. If you prefer allowing your Olive Garden style minestrone soup to simmer throughout the day, you can easily adapt this recipe to use your slow cooker. First add all of the liquids, seasonings and veggies then allow to cook in your Crockpot. Depending on your time frame, you’ll want to cook 2-4 hours on high or about 6 hours on low. Then, about a half hour before you want to serve your soup, add in the pasta shells and cook until the tender. Lastly, add the spinach and enjoy!

Keywords: minestrone soup, olive garden minestrone soup, minestrone soup olive garden style