Olive Garden™ Minestrone Soup

One of my favorite items on the menu at the Olive Garden™ is their delicious Minestrone soup!  It's so good, you can make a meal out of it. So, naturally, I was excited when I found this Olive Garden™ Minestrone soup recipe.  It's perfect on a snowy day like today!


Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small minced white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup frozen cut Italian green beans
• 1/2 stalk minced celery
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained
• 2 cans (15 oz) great northern or small white beans, drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cups hot water
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup small shell pasta

Directions:

1. Measure olive oil into a large stock pot and heat on medium.
2. Put the onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini into the pot and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions become see-through.
3. Add the vegetable broth, drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water and spices to the pot.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the spinach leaves and the pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Linking up with