This minestrone soup recipe is loaded with fresh vegetables!
Vegetable Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe
An Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Copycat Recipe Using Fresh Vegetables.
I make this minestrone souprecipe a lot during the summer. I make it primarily because my family loves this Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Copycat recipe, but I also make it because it is “a bit of this and a bit of that” soup recipe which makes it perfect for using up the odd vegetables and herbs from my garden.
My recipeis my attempt to mimic the flavors of Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup. I believe the flavor is very close, but I have used fresh vegetables and fresh herbs where I can. I do provide measurements for dried herbs in case you don’t have access to fresh herbs.Here are tips for substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs in recipes.
Kitchen Tips:
If a recipe calls for you to boil the vegetables in liquid for more than ten minutes, replacing frozen or canned vegetables with fresh vegetables will not increase the cooking time (but does increase the prep time). Most fresh vegetables will cook in boiling liquid in less than ten minutes. Some vegetables, like potatoes, will need to be cut into bite size pieces to cook in that amount of time. If a recipe does not require 10 minutes of boiling, you can steam your raw vegetables in a double boiler for 7 – 10 minutes before adding them in place of canned or frozen vegetables in your recipe. Since this recipe calls for a total of 30 minutes of boiling, I do not have to make any adjustments for the fresh vegetables.
Vegetable Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, minced
½ cup zucchini, chopped
½ cup fresh green beans, cut
1 stalk celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
7 – 8 cups Vegetable Broth
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (or 2 cans with juice)
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a very large soup pot. Add onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini and sauté in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
Add vegetable broth tomatoes, beans, carrots, and spices to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
¾cupsmall shell pasta* or spaghetti* broken up in small pieces
Instructions
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a very large soup pot. Add onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini and sauté in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
Add vegetable broth tomatoes, beans, carrots, and spices to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
Notes
*You can use gluten-free pasta to make this soup gluten-free.
I usually fall back on soups and chili to use up the odds and ends; my mother-in-law uses up the remnants in hash. Do you have a favorite “a bit of this and a bit of that” recipe?
You can prepare it at home or buy it in a tube and mix it with other food ingredients as needed. If your minestrone is too thin, add a few tablespoons of tomato paste while it's cooking. Start with 1 to 2 tablespoons, stir well, and see how it turns out.
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.
Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based soup base (such as chicken stock).
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.
Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.
A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.
Minestrone soup is unique because it typically includes beans, pasta, or rice, as well as vegetables, and the ingredients are always left chunky (it's never blended), making it a heartier option. Vegetable soups are usually simpler and don't typically include beans or pasta, and you could have a blended vegetable soup.
Made with lots of vegetables, greens and various beans, this dish can provide you with super nutrients that slow aging and help you stay fit. Minestrone has always been a symbol of traditional Italian cuisine and the Mediterranean diet. Made with vegetables, greens and beans, it is a super-healthy mixture.
Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.
This completely versatile starch is used in savory and sweet dishes alike: gelatinizing fruit pie fillings or thickening your hefty, stick-to-your-bones soups.
The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.
It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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