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When I was a kid, our extended family used to love meeting up for big dinners regularly at our neighborhood Italian restaurant, DeFazio’s. Everyone would order these huge steaming plates of delicious pastas, salads, sides and more. And Yours Truly would order…”plain spaghetti”. Oh yes. I was the token picky eater in the family. And no thank you, I did not want to “just try it”. ;)
Luckily, though, everyone at DeFazio’s always received a steaming bowl of minestrone soup as an appetizer. And over the years, I began to grow more and more fond of this yummy pasta soup, even though I would have had a small heart attack at age 10 if anyone had told me that there was zucchini snuck in there!
Years later, I still adore a good bowl of classic minestrone soup. And as a veggie-lover, I often use this soup as a delicious and easy way to use up various extra or leftover veggies that I may have on hand. And even better, while this is simple to make on the stove, you can also easily throw everything in a slow cooker and come home to a wonderful dinner all ready to go. So comforting, and always delicious.
I may or may not even make a bowl of “plain spaghetti” to go with it sometimes. ;)
2 (15 oz) cans beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1 can each of black beans and Great Northern)
3 cups chopped fresh baby spinach or kale
1/2 cup dried pasta
salt and pepper
freshly-grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender. Add the red wine and stir to deglaze the pan, using a spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
Then add the chicken or vegetable stock, oregano, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, tomatoes, and beans. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for at least 15-20 minutes.
10 minutes before serving, stir in the spinach (or kale) and pasta noodles. Stir occasionally until al dente. Remove the bay leaves and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Serve hot garnished generously with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
Your photos of the soup are beautiful. So often we think of winter food as lacking the same vibrant colors of spring or summer produce, but that’s clearly not the case for this recipe. I’ve added it to my must-make list of winter recipes. Thank you for sharing.
Have you read the comic books of Alexandra Trese and do you believe in the weird world of aswang, etc.?….. visit https://goo.gl/HNBgn to watch pinoy tv shows
Just a note about this recipe:
kale and pasta take a lot longer than 10 minutes at the end to cook.
Put it in the soup when everything else goes in at that 20 minute mark.
The last 10 minutes should be the beans which do not need cooking at all.
Great soup overall.
The best minestone soup I’ve had! I made this soup last night. The only change I made was to double it as my husband and I eat a ton of soup! I also purchased low sodium or salt free products and as many fat free options as possible. It was incredible! My only complaint is with my husband… who forgot to put it in the refrigerator before he went to bed last night so it sat out over night!! I am making another batch this evening though. :)
What a small world! I pinned this Minestrone Soup receipe several months ago and now that the cool weather of fall is approaching, I opened this receipe to make for company coming over later this week. As I read the introduction, I was in complete and utter shock that you used to go to DeFazios, as I worked there as a waitress all thru my college years. I still go back every year for my birthday, as it is hands down the best Italian food in Wichita!! Even after working there for 4 years and eating there every night, I still crave the food on a weekly basis!! I can’t wait to make this soup and share the story with our friends who will partake in the deliciousness!
Such a small world!!! My parents’ office is now just down the street from DeFazio’s, and we go there often. I bet our paths crossed many times without us even knowing it! :)
I grew up going to DeFazio’s too!! Did you like the pickled beets in their salads? My go-to was the cheese manicotti – yumm!! And of course had to get an Andes mint at the front before we left. Great place!
Getting ready to try this recipe for the first time this week. It looks delicious!
I made TWO of your soups this weekend. French Onion on Saturday and this Minestrone on Sunday. They were both super delicious but this Minestrone was the clear winner of the two. It was a snow day for us yesterday and my daughter, who typically doesn’t choose leftovers, picked the leftovers of the Minestrone for dinner last night. That is a HUGE WIN for both of us!! Thanks for the continued great content, your site is a big “go to” in our house!!
This is my go-to minestrone soup recipe (and I’ve tried many)! I have to double this recipe for my family, which also shows how much it’s loved. We have one gluten-free eater, & the pasta is not missed. Thank you for such a healthy, flexible, dependable recipe!
My husband would LOVE this – looks delish. Love the greens.
This is so colourful! What a lovely, healthy, soup!
One of my favorite soups! And I love how veggie-packed it is. :)
This looks so delicious and I love how many veggies you managed to pack in there. It makes such a great meal in a bowl.
I love minestrone, this looks loaded with heatlhy goodness!
I can’t tell you how delicious this soup was!! Love love love it
Minestrone is an amazing soup, love this one!
I just love how hearty this soup is!!
I love that this recipe uses up leftover veggies! It’s the perfect way to clean out the fridge, plus it’s healthy!
I really love minestrone. This looks beyond fabulous!
Your photos of the soup are beautiful. So often we think of winter food as lacking the same vibrant colors of spring or summer produce, but that’s clearly not the case for this recipe. I’ve added it to my must-make list of winter recipes. Thank you for sharing.
Have you read the comic books of Alexandra Trese and do you believe in the weird world of aswang, etc.?….. visit https://goo.gl/HNBgn to watch pinoy tv shows
Just a note about this recipe:
kale and pasta take a lot longer than 10 minutes at the end to cook.
Put it in the soup when everything else goes in at that 20 minute mark.
The last 10 minutes should be the beans which do not need cooking at all.
Great soup overall.
The best minestone soup I’ve had! I made this soup last night. The only change I made was to double it as my husband and I eat a ton of soup! I also purchased low sodium or salt free products and as many fat free options as possible. It was incredible! My only complaint is with my husband… who forgot to put it in the refrigerator before he went to bed last night so it sat out over night!! I am making another batch this evening though. :)
I, too, have a similar experience with minestrone soup. It makes me smile everytime I think about it. Thanks for sharing! I cannot wait to try it!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Jess, so glad you liked it!
What a small world! I pinned this Minestrone Soup receipe several months ago and now that the cool weather of fall is approaching, I opened this receipe to make for company coming over later this week. As I read the introduction, I was in complete and utter shock that you used to go to DeFazios, as I worked there as a waitress all thru my college years. I still go back every year for my birthday, as it is hands down the best Italian food in Wichita!! Even after working there for 4 years and eating there every night, I still crave the food on a weekly basis!! I can’t wait to make this soup and share the story with our friends who will partake in the deliciousness!
Such a small world!!! My parents’ office is now just down the street from DeFazio’s, and we go there often. I bet our paths crossed many times without us even knowing it! :)
I grew up going to DeFazio’s too!! Did you like the pickled beets in their salads? My go-to was the cheese manicotti – yumm!! And of course had to get an Andes mint at the front before we left. Great place!
Getting ready to try this recipe for the first time this week. It looks delicious!
Yes, yes, yes, and YES! Love it! :)
This soup is DELICIOUS!!!!! I love ALL your recipes. Everything I have made of yours has been incredible!
I made TWO of your soups this weekend. French Onion on Saturday and this Minestrone on Sunday. They were both super delicious but this Minestrone was the clear winner of the two. It was a snow day for us yesterday and my daughter, who typically doesn’t choose leftovers, picked the leftovers of the Minestrone for dinner last night. That is a HUGE WIN for both of us!! Thanks for the continued great content, your site is a big “go to” in our house!!
This is my go-to minestrone soup recipe (and I’ve tried many)! I have to double this recipe for my family, which also shows how much it’s loved. We have one gluten-free eater, & the pasta is not missed. Thank you for such a healthy, flexible, dependable recipe!
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s always a huge hit with my family! Loaded with veggies, it feels like a hug in a bowl.
This soup was amazing!!!! I have made a few of your recipes and loved every one. Very easy to follow and super delicious 😋.
Hi! This looks delicious! A question—what timeframe would you use if you were doing it in a slow cooker Thanks! Love your recipes! :)