Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup (Printable version)

Italian vegetable soup with beans, pasta, and fresh herbs. Comforting, nutritious, and ready in 1 hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, chopped
09 - 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes

→ Legumes & Pasta

10 - 1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
11 - 1 cup small pasta, ditalini or elbow macaroni

→ Broth & Seasonings

12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs, oregano, basil, and thyme blend
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finishing Touches

16 - 2 cups baby spinach or chopped kale
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
18 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

# How to Prepare:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in garlic, zucchini, potato, and green beans. Cook for 3 minutes.
03 - Add diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, vegetable broth, dried herbs, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
05 - Stir in pasta and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until pasta and vegetables are tender.
06 - Remove bay leaf. Add spinach or kale and cook for 2 minutes until wilted.
07 - Season with salt and pepper to your preference.
08 - Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It transforms simple vegetables into something deeply satisfying that tastes like someone actually cared while making it.
  • You can have a full pot ready in under an hour, which means weeknight dinner sorted without stress.
  • The pasta and beans make it filling enough for a complete meal, no side dishes required unless you want crusty bread.
02 -
  • Don't add the pasta until the vegetables are actually tender, or you'll end up with crunchy carrots and mushy pasta instead of everything finishing at the same moment.
  • If your soup seems too thick after sitting, that's the pasta absorbing broth—just add more broth or hot water when you reheat it.
  • Taste before serving because sometimes canned broth can be salty and you need to know what you're working with.
03 -
  • Sauté your vegetables properly before adding broth—those five minutes of browning and softening is the difference between soup that tastes like dinner and soup that tastes like punishment.
  • Add the pasta at the end instead of cooking it separately because it releases starch into the broth, thickening it naturally and making everything taste more connected.
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