Description
This cozy, veggie-packed soup is brothy, savory, and full of tender beans and garden vegetables. Cooking the pasta separately keeps it perfectly al dente and stops leftovers from turning thick and mushy.
Ingredients
🥕 Vegetables & Aromatics
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 2 carrots (peeled, diced)
- 2 celery ribs (diced)
- 3 cloves – garlic (minced)
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato (1/2-inch dice)
- 1 cup / 120 g – green beans (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 small zucchini (diced)
- 2 cups / 140 g – green cabbage (shredded)
- 2 cups / 60 g – kale (stems removed, chopped) or baby spinach
- 2 tbsp / 8 g – fresh parsley (chopped)
🥫 Pantry, Beans & Pasta
- 2 tbsp / 33 g – tomato paste
- 1 can (14.5 oz) / 411 g – diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 1 can (15 oz) / 425 g – cannellini beans (rinsed, drained)
- 1/2 cup / 80 g – small pasta (ditalini, small shells)
🥣 Broth, Herbs & Finish
- 6 cups / 1,420 ml – low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 1 – bay leaf
- 1 tsp / 1 g – dried oregano (optional)
- 1 tsp / 1 g – dried thyme (or Italian seasoning)
- 1 piece – Parmesan rind (optional)
- 1 tbsp / 15 ml – lemon juice (optional)
- 2 tbsp / 10 g – grated Parmesan (for serving, optional)
Instructions
Build the Base
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrots, celery, and black pepper. Add kosher salt as follows: if using low-sodium broth AND low-sodium/no-salt-added beans, add the full 1 tsp / 6 g now; otherwise start with 1/2 tsp / 3 g.
- Cook until the onions look translucent and the vegetables soften slightly, 6–8 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste (and oregano, if using). Stir for 1 minute until the paste darkens slightly and coats the vegetables.
- Add diced tomatoes (with juices), 6 cups / 1,420 ml broth/stock, bay leaf, thyme, and Parmesan rind (if using). Bring to a lively simmer.
Simmer the Vegetables
- Add potato, green beans, and cabbage. Keep at a gentle simmer, partially covered, for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add zucchini and simmer 5–8 minutes more, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and the zucchini is tender (not collapsing).
Pasta, Greens, Finish
- While the soup simmers, boil the pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente, 1 minute less than the package suggests; drain.
- Stir the beans into the soup and simmer 3–5 minutes until heated through.
- Add kale (or spinach) and simmer 2–4 minutes until wilted and tender.
- Remove bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Taste and season up with additional salt as needed.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pot for 1–2 minutes, or add pasta to each bowl and ladle soup over top for the best texture.
- Turn off the heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice (if using).
- Success looks like: a savory, tomato-bright broth; vegetables tender but distinct; beans creamy; pasta al dente (not bloated). Serve with grated Parmesan if you like.
Notes
- Simmer gently (not a hard boil) so the veggies stay intact and the broth stays clear.
- Chop the potatoes and carrots to similar size so everything turns tender at the same time.
- If you want a silkier broth without cream, mash a few beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
- Taste the broth before adding pasta—pasta mutes seasoning, so you want it pleasantly bold first.
- For a brighter finish, add lemon only after the heat is off (it stays fresh-tasting).
- Add Parmesan at the table in tiny pinches; it tastes saltier and nuttier than mixing it through the whole pot.
- Freezing? Freeze the soup base without pasta, then cook pasta fresh when you reheat for best texture.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Italian