Spring Minestrone with Beans (Printable Version)

A light, flavorful blend of spring vegetables, white beans, and herbs in a comforting broth.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 small zucchini, diced
07 - 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
08 - 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
09 - 2 cups baby spinach or chopped Swiss chard

→ Beans and Pasta

10 - 1 can white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
11 - 3/4 cup small pasta such as ditalini or small shells

→ Liquid and Seasoning

12 - 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 bay leaf
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
17 - Zest of 1 small lemon
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Optional Garnishes

19 - Grated Parmesan cheese
20 - Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

# Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add diced zucchini and cook for 2 additional minutes.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth and add dried thyme, oregano, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil.
05 - Stir in white beans and pasta. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
06 - Add asparagus and peas. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until pasta and vegetables are tender.
07 - Stir in spinach or Swiss chard, lemon zest, and fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 additional minutes until greens are wilted.
08 - Remove bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and drizzle of olive oil if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like spring in a bowl—bright, fresh, and genuinely nourishing without feeling heavy.
  • You can make it in under an hour and it comes together faster than you'd expect for something this comforting.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, and the recipe begs for swaps based on what's in your crisper drawer.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing your canned beans—the starchy liquid makes the broth cloudy and muddy-tasting, but rinsed beans give you a clear, bright soup.
  • Add the pasta and asparagus at different times; pasta takes longer, and if you add the asparagus too early it becomes mushy instead of tender-crisp.
  • Lemon zest is non-negotiable—it's what makes people say "what is that flavor?" in the best way possible.
03 -
  • Warm your broth gently in a separate pot while you sauté the vegetables—this speeds up the whole process and means the pasta and vegetables cook evenly in truly simmering liquid.
  • The lemon zest is what separates this soup from feeling ordinary; use a microplane and don't skip it, even if you're not a "citrus person."
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