• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Dinner at the Zoo

  • All Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Dessert
  • One Pot Meals
  • Slow Cooker
  • Asian Food

Home » Soup » Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Published: January 29, 2019 Last Modified: March 4, 2019 By Sara 199 Comments

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe | Minestrone Soup | Copycat Recipe #minestrone #soup #italianfood #vegetarian #dinner #dinneratthezoo

This Olive Garden minestrone soup is loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta in a tomato broth. It’s a copycat of the restaurant version that tastes even better than the original recipe!

Every time I go to Olive Garden I order the soup, salad and breadsticks. I just can’t get enough of their minestrone soup, it’s my favorite! This homemade version is easy to whip up and is a great way to get the family to eat their veggies. Serve your soup with garlic knots for a complete meal.

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe | Minestrone Soup | Copycat Recipe #minestrone #soup #italianfood #vegetarian #dinner #dinneratthezoo Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe | Minestrone Soup | Copycat Recipe #minestrone #soup #italianfood #vegetarian #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A pot of Olive Garden minestrone soup loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta.

Every time I go to Olive Garden, I have to get the minestrone soup. It’s filled with tons of great flavors and textures, yet is light enough not to fill me up before the main course arrives. This recipe is an Olive Garden minestrone soup copycat, and I have to say, it’s as good (or better!) than the original.

How do you make Olive Garden Minestrone group?

This recipe calls for a variety of vegetables cooked in a savory broth. Onions, carrots, celery and zucchini are sauteed, then tomatoes, vegetable broth, pasta and beans go into the mix. Let everything simmer and dinner is served!

A soup pot full of sauteed onions, celery, carrots and zucchini.

 What vegetables go into minestrone soup?

This soup is loaded with veggies, it contains onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans and spinach. This is the same blend of vegetables that Olive Garden uses, but you can absolutely change up the veggies depending on what’s in season and what you have on hand. Other great vegetable choices are

  • Russet potatoes
  • Butternut squash
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Leeks
  • Kale

A soup pot full of onions, carrots, zucchini, beans and tomatoes.

Slow cooker Minestrone Soup

This soup can easily be made in the slow cooker if you’d prefer to go that route. You can add all the ingredients to the slow cooker minus the pasta, spinach and parsley, then let everything simmer for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. Stir in the pasta and spinach and let everything cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

A bowl of Olive Garden Minestrone soup full of pasta, green beans, vegetables and broth.

Tips for Minestrone Soup

  • You can use fresh or frozen green beans, whatever you prefer.
  • Try to cut all the vegetables the same size so that they cook at the same rate.
  • This soup freezes well, although the pasta and vegetables may be a little softer upon thawing and reheating.
  • Be sure to drain and rinse your beans before adding them to the soup, you want to get rid of all that extra sodium!
  • This soup is hearty enough to serve as a main course, but if you’d like an extra dose of protein, try adding some cooked Italian sausage.

A bowl of Olive Garden minestrone soup topped with parmesan cheese.

This Olive Garden minestrone soup hits the spot on a cold day, and it’s so easy to make too! Add a sprinkle of parmesan and some warm bread and you’ve for a quick dinner that everyone is sure to love.

More great soup recipes

  • Hamburger Soup
  • Mexican Meatball Soup
  • Sausage Tortellini Soup
  • Beef Noodle Soup
  • Chicken Taco Soup

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Video


A pot of Olive Garden minestrone soup loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta.
Print Pin
5 from 152 votes

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

This Olive Garden minestrone soup is loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta in a tomato broth. It's a copycat of the restaurant version that tastes even better than the original recipe!
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 300kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 cup celery sliced
  • 1/2 cup carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
  • 1 zucchini quartered and sliced
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 15 ounce can small white beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup frozen cut green beans
  • 1/2 cup small shell pasta
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and zucchini to the pot.
  • Cook until the vegetables are tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste and Italian seasoning to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
  • Add the white beans, kidney beans, green beans and pasta to the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender.
  • Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the spinach leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes or until wilted.
  • Sprinkle the parsley over the soup and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 1047mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3335IU | Vitamin C: 14.3mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 5.9mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @DinnerAtTheZoo or tag #dinneratthezoo!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Dinner, Soup

FREE TOOLKIT: 5 Secrets to Meal Planning

Learn my 5 Meal Planning Secrets & get my Meal Planning Toolkit...FREE!

    ​
    ​

    Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

    « Pizza Pasta
    Banana Pancakes »

    Comments

    1. Karen says

      January 26, 2023 at 10:52 am

      5 stars
      Delicious and healthy! I just made this exactly as written but used no salt broth and tomatoes, a little more generous with the spices. I never had this at the Olive Garden but am sure this beats it. Thanks for the recipe, will make it again, unlike other recipes I’ve tried on line.

      Reply
    2. Carol says

      January 20, 2023 at 10:04 pm

      5 stars
      I made this when I had Covid and it was just what the doctor ordered. It was delicious and soul warming, but I think it is better than Olive Garden!😋 Thanks so much for the recipe I for sure will be making this again!

      Reply
    3. Maria says

      January 15, 2023 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      I made the soup using this recipe recently. It was delicious! I’m craving it now.

      Reply
    4. Aida says

      January 14, 2023 at 3:36 am

      Thanks for sharing this recipe with us! Never had it before but I want to make this now. Can this be made with frozen veggies too? Have to empty our freezer a little bit. We froze so much from our garden last summer.

      XOXO from Salt Lake City

      Reply
      • Sara says

        January 17, 2023 at 9:15 am

        Yes it’s fine to use frozen vegetables!

        Reply
    5. Acacia says

      January 5, 2023 at 9:30 am

      5 stars
      Is the nutrition information for the entire recipe or per serving?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        January 10, 2023 at 8:45 am

        It’s per 1 1/2 cup serving.

        Reply
    6. Sam says

      December 9, 2022 at 6:04 am

      5 stars
      One of my favorite foods ever is the minestrone from Olive Garden. This tastes just like it. Now I can have it all the time, thank you!

      Reply
    7. steve says

      December 8, 2022 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      great recipe!! takes me way longer time to make it since i make my own vegetable stock. followed it exactly other than my veg stock .. this is definitely an outstanding recipe.

      Reply
    8. Nick says

      November 26, 2022 at 1:57 am

      5 stars
      This is excellent. My only modification was parsnip instead of zucchini.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More

    Winter Soups

    A bowl full of slow cooker chicken tortilla soup with avocado, sour cream and tortilla strips.

    Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

    A bowl of creamy gnocchi soup topped with chopped parsley.

    Chicken Gnocchi Soup

    A pot of creamy chicken and wild rice soup with vegetables and bacon.

    Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

    A bowl of pumpkin soup topped with bacon and pumpkin seeds.

    Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

    A bowl of cheeseburger soup

    Cheeseburger Soup

    A bowl of matzo ball soup with chicken, garnished with parsley.

    Matzo Ball Soup

    More Posts from this Category

    Featured Recipes

    A pot full of cabbage roll soup garnished with parsley.

    Cabbage Roll Soup

    A serving bowl of cowboy caviar made with beans and veggies, and garnished with cilantro.

    Cowboy Caviar

    This recipe for lemon asparagus pasta combines tender asparagus and grilled chicken with pasta in a lemon cream sauce. It's a delicious and hearty entree that everyone will want seconds of!

    Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Grilled Chicken

    This recipe for shrimp pesto pasta is spaghetti tossed in a flavorful pesto sauce, then topped with sauteed shrimp and tomatoes. A fresh and easy dinner that's quick to make and packed with flavor!

    Shrimp Pesto Pasta

    FREE TOOLKIT: 5 Secrets to Meal Planning

    Learn my 5 Meal Planning Secrets & get my Meal Planning Toolkit...FREE!

      ​
      ​

      Categories

      Sites I am featured In
      PRIVACY POLICY ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT © Sara Welch and Dinner at the Zoo® LLC, 2015-2022.
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
      • RSS
      • Twitter
      • About Me
      • Contact Me
      • All Recipes
      • Dinner
      • Appetizers
      • Dessert
      • One Pot Meals
      • Slow Cooker
      • Asian Food