Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe is warm and comforting, perfect for chilly nights. Loaded with plenty of veggies, plus tender beans and pasta, it’ll fill you right up! Recreate this popular menu item at home in 30 minutes.
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
This is one of our favorite Olive Garden™ soups!! The recipe is budget-friendly and can be customized based on what you have on hand.
Fresh vegetables, red and white beans, and tender pasta are simmered in a rich tomato broth for a hearty, filling meal.
If you love this copycat Olive Garden minestrone soup recipe, try our homemade versions of their Zuppa Toscana or Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
I’ve even got a Chicken Vino Bianco recipe, which was my favorite dish before they pulled it from the menu!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Fresh Veggies – Known as the “holy trinity” in many cuisines, onions, celery, and carrots create the base of flavor for soups and stews.
You will get much better results with fresh versus frozen. - Green Beans – Fresh veggies always taste best in this minestrone Olive Garden copycat, but using frozen green beans works perfectly too.
You can also use canned, but if so, we recommend rinsing them so they aren’t too salty. - Broth – Chicken broth is the gold standard for soups because it generally adds more flavor.
However, this is often served as a vegetarian dish, so feel free to use vegetable stock instead. - Pasta – While ditalini is the traditional choice, I like small shells for this recipe. Orecchiette is another good option.
Feel free to use whichever variety you prefer, though smaller shapes will be ready faster.
Pay close attention to the measurements — the noodles soak up more broth than you’d expect!
Prep Ahead
- Chop veggies
- Drain and rinse the beans
- Measure out ingredients
Tips and Tricks to Make Perfect Minestrone Soup Like Olive Garden
- Saute onion and celery first.
Doing so brings out the flavor and natural sweetness.
Plus, it helps soften both veggies so there’s no crunch in your homemade Olive Garden minestrone soup.
- Keep heat at a simmer.
Once the soup comes to a boil, turn that heat down so it just lightly bubbles.
More than that and you’ll end up cooking off too much liquid!
- Add zucchini, spinach, and pasta at the end.
Squash and noodles cook quickly and will become soggy if they are in the pot the entire time.
The spinach simply needs to wilt, so you can easily stir it in just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
No minestrone soup Olive Garden meal would be complete without salad and breadsticks!
While they may not be bottomless, you’ll save plenty of money by recreating your restaurant favorites right at home.
You could also pair this Italian minestrone soup with a gourmet grilled cheese for your very own lunch combo.
Or, keep it simple by crushing a handful of crackers over the top.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Large Stock Pot or Dutch Oven – Perfect for soups, roasts, and one pot meals!
- Quality Knives and a big solid Cutting Board make prepping a breeze and are well worth the investment.
- Ladle – A must for dishing up this minestrone Olive Garden copycat!
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe FAQ
Feel free to change up which vegetables you add to this soup. Choose whatever you like and what is in season.
Some great choices would be sweet potatoes, leeks, kale, and russet potatoes.
While we can’t know exactly how the restaurant prepares its recipes, we know the main ingredients are essentially the same.
The restaurant has updated its menu in recent years and now shows this dish as a vegan option. A simple swap of vegetable stock for the chicken broth will give you the same results!
Take a look at this slow cooker version of this minestrone soup Olive Garden copycat for detailed instructions.
While the ingredients and measurements are a little bit different, the end result is pretty much the same.
Storing and Reheating Italian Minestrone Soup
Allow leftover copycat Olive Garden minestrone soup cool before transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat on the stove until warmed through, adding extra broth if needed.
You can also freeze Italian minestrone soup, but I recommend cooking the noodles separately and adding in a handful just before serving.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
Don’t miss a thing! Follow us on
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced (1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, diced (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes (including the juices)
- 15 ounce can white beans (navy or cannelini), drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 zucchini, lightly peeled and sliced
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2/3 cup small shell pasta
- parsley for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, saute onion and celery in the olive oil until softened.
- Add the carrots, green beans, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, white beans, kidney beans, broth, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add zucchini, spinach, and pasta and continue cooking until the pasta is al dente tender (about 10 minutes longer).
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published November 2021, updated and republished January 2024
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
Your copycat recipes are always on par, or better than the original! In this case it’s so much better. Soups are so easy to make and I love how you can change them up to suit your needs. I make at least one of your soup’s every week!
I had a minestrone years ago with a more beefy broth, almost like thin gravy. Can I use some beef broth. Maybe thickened?
use some cornstarch, mixed with water to thin consistency to desired broth thickness
I just made this soup and it was delicious! My only tweaks were to add more vegetable broth, cut the the zucchini slices in quarters and used elbows since I couldn’t find “mini” shells in the store. Thanks for the recipe! I will make this again.
Wonderful soup. Thank you
Hi Nancy!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
donna and chad’s recipes never disappoint! This Olive Garden Minestrone Soup was so easy to make and incredibly delicious. A real crowd-pleaser!
Hi Nora!
We’re glad you enjoyed!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
This soup was a game-changer for me! I followed Donna and Chad’s recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian, and it turned out just like the restaurant version. So good!
Hi William!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn