This soup tastes a lot like Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup, though I probably add more veggies than they do. I use fresh spices and vegetables from my garden when I have them, but it can be made using frozen vegetables and dried spices in the off season. I reduce the cost of this soup by using homemade vegetable broth. It recipe is gluten free, dairy free, low fat, and vegetarian, so it is a great recipe when I have friends with a variety of dietary restrictions over for dinner.
Minestrone Soup with Quinoa Pasta
Author: Alea
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, minced
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut or frozen green beans
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup carrots, julienned or shredded
- 8 cups vegetable broth (How to Make Vegetable Broth)
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
- 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
- 2 cans diced tomatoes or 4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced or (3 teaspoons dried)
- 3 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced (or 1 teaspoons dried)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ¾ teaspoon fresh minced thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups Ancient Harvest Quinoa shell pasta
Directions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a very large soup pot.
- Add onion, celery, garlic, green beans, carrots, and zucchini and sauté in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add vegetable broth tomatoes, beans, 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.
- Serve Immediately.
I serve this soup with salad and Gluten-Free Herbed Bread Sticks.
More Soup Recipes:
Your minestrone looks delicious – just thing for these cold days.
We really like the Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta, it is the best GF pasta we have tried so far.
My family and I are vegetarian, so this recipe is perfect for us. But I’ve never heard of quinoa pasta; I should check it out.
Thank you for the recipe.
I love quinoa pasta. I don’t have to eat gluten free but I do have to watch my carbs and eat a bunch of protien so it is perfect for me. This soup sounds great!
Okay feeling under the weather and this would be the PERFECT Soup for such an occasion. Love the quinoa in it!
All those veggies, beans, pasta, this looks like a wonderful one-pot and done, Alea.
Making this now, but tell me please, I could not find 100% quinoa pasta, only Quinoa mixed with either wheat flour or corn flour. Which brand is 100% quinoa pasta?? thank you.
I buy Ancient harvest quinoa pasta which includes corn flour.
OMG!!!! I came home to my Ninja Cooking System full of minestrone soup. IT IS DELICIOUS!!! This is the best soup I have ever had that does not have salt in it! Thank you sooooo much!!
Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed the soup!
If my calculations through Bodymediafit.com are correct, this entire recipe is just over 2000 calories! I have made it 3 times and eating it for days and still love it, but am ready to move on to a new vegetarian soup/stew recipe.
The problem is, this recipe is so hearty and flavorful that every other recipe I have found pales in comparison so I have not found anything I want to make much less eat.
Any suggestions?