Vegetable Soup

I LOVE soup. I could eat soup every night for dinner.  My hubby not so much. It takes a lot for him to get excited about soup for dinner if ever. This soup is very satisfying. It fills you up and warms you up. It is similar to the minestrone soup at Olive Garden. That was the inspiration. I do have another minestrone soup recipe on my blog but it's much different. It made enough for two nights of food which I was totally fine with. It took about an hour to make. If you chop all your veggies ahead of time it will really cut down the prep time if your afternoons are busy.

Vegetable Soup


3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped (about 2 zucchini)
1 cup (half package) frozen Italian cut green beans
4 cloves garlic, minced
32 oz vegetable broth
2 cans white beans,drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 carrots shredded
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil (I used fresh because I had some on hand. You can use dried)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3 cups water
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup small shell pasta
Pepper to taste


Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saute onion, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water, and spices. 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 20 minutes or until desired consistency.