Ultimate Copycat Crock Pot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe

Craving the warm, comforting flavors of Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup but prefer the comfort of your own home? Look no further! This incredible slow cooker recipe brings the authentic taste of your favorite Italian restaurant’s classic Minestrone right to your kitchen. Packed with a vibrant medley of fresh vegetables and a savory, rich broth, this homemade version is not only easy to prepare but also a healthy, hearty meal that the entire family will adore. Forget the drive and the wait; your perfect bowl of Minestrone is just a slow cooker away!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone

There’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of homemade soup on a chilly evening, and Olive Garden’s Minestrone has a special place in many hearts. While a trip to Olive Garden is always a treat, sometimes the idea of leaving the house is just too much. That’s where this Crock Pot Minestrone Soup recipe shines! It’s designed for those days when you want maximum flavor with minimal effort, allowing you to relax on the couch with a hot bowl of soup and your favorite movie.

The slow cooker truly transforms this soup, allowing the vegetables to meld together perfectly and the herbs to infuse the broth with a deep, complex flavor that simmered all day. It’s a hands-off approach to gourmet taste. Plus, making it at home means you control the ingredients, ensuring a fresh, wholesome, and often more budget-friendly meal. This recipe is also incredibly versatile, catering to various dietary needs and preferences, making it a fantastic addition to your regular meal rotation.

Ingredients for Your Hearty Homemade Olive Garden Minestrone

One of the beauties of Minestrone is its celebration of fresh, seasonal vegetables. Our copycat recipe stays true to that spirit, combining a variety of colorful produce with aromatic herbs and hearty beans to create a soup that’s both nourishing and incredibly flavorful. Here’s a quick overview of the simple ingredients you’ll need. For specific measurements and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.

Key Ingredients:

• Low-Sodium Vegetable Stock/Broth
• Water
• Diced Tomatoes (canned diced tomatoes are perfect for convenience)
• Celery, diced
• Carrots, diced
• Yellow Onion, small, diced
• Fresh Parsley, chopped (or dried parsley)
• Dried Basil (high-quality dried basil for best flavor)
• Dried Oregano (aromatic dried oregano)
• Dried Rosemary, crushed (fragrant dried rosemary)
• Dried Thyme (earthy dried thyme)
• Bay Leaves (bay leaves for depth)
• Sugar (just a touch to balance acidity)
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste
• Zucchini, diced
• Small Shell Pasta (or other bite-sized pasta)
• Garlic, minced
• Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed (canned kidney beans)
• Green Beans, cut
• White Navy Beans or Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed (white navy beans)
• Fresh Spinach Leaves, packed and chopped
• Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese (for serving, optional)

While these ingredients create the authentic Olive Garden taste, feel free to experiment with additions like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, or leeks for extra flavor and texture, though these are not traditionally found in Olive Garden’s Minestrone.

Essential Equipment for Slow Cooker Minestrone

Making this delicious soup is wonderfully straightforward, and you won’t need a lot of specialized tools. Here’s what we recommend to make your cooking experience even smoother:

• Vegetable Chopper: A true time-saver for quickly dicing all your vegetables.
• Crockpot or Slow Cooker: We highly recommend one with a digital timer that automatically switches to a “warm” setting after the cooking time. This ensures your soup cooks perfectly without overdoing it, giving you peace of mind.
• Kitchen Spoon/Stirring Utensil: For occasional stirring and serving.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Crock Pot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Preparing this beloved soup in your slow cooker is incredibly simple, making it ideal for busy weeknights or lazy weekends. Just a few steps stand between you and a delicious, homemade meal.

1. Combine the core ingredients: In your slow cooker, combine the vegetable stock, water, diced tomatoes, celery, carrots, yellow onion, fresh parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, crushed rosemary, bay leaves, and sugar.
2. Season and cook: Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or on high heat for 3-4 hours. The longer, slower cooking time truly allows the flavors to deepen and meld beautifully.
3. Add final vegetables and pasta: About 30-40 minutes before you plan to serve, add the diced zucchini, small shell pasta, minced garlic, dark red kidney beans, and white navy beans (or cannellini beans) to the slow cooker. Continue cooking on high until the pasta is tender to your liking.
4. Stir in spinach and green beans: Just a few minutes before serving, stir in the fresh spinach leaves and cut green beans. Cook until the spinach is wilted and the green beans are heated through.
5. Serve and enjoy: Ladle your hot, flavorful Minestrone into bowls and garnish with finely shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately and savor the taste of Italy!

Expert Tips and Delicious Variations

While this recipe is fantastic as written, a few tips and variations can help you customize it to your liking, ensure perfect results, and make meal prep a breeze.

Make Ahead & Storage:

This CrockPot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup is excellent for meal prepping. Leftovers store wonderfully in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. For longer storage, transfer cooled soup into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to three months. To reheat, simply thaw frozen portions overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stovetop, in the microwave, or back in the slow cooker until heated through. Add a splash of broth or water if it seems too thick after reheating.

Smart Substitutions:

• Beans: White navy beans and cannellini beans are largely interchangeable; cannellini beans are slightly larger and creamier. Feel free to use either or a mix.
• Herbs: If you don’t have fresh parsley, two teaspoons of dried parsley can be substituted for two tablespoons of fresh. Missing a specific dried herb? Italian seasoning can be used in an equal amount as a convenient blend.
• Greens: Pre-chopped bagged spinach leaves work just as well as fresh, hand-chopped spinach.
• Pasta: Any small, bite-sized pasta will work beautifully. Elbow macaroni, ditalini, or even small broken spaghetti pieces are great alternatives to shell pasta.
• Broth: For a non-vegetarian option, chicken broth can be used instead of vegetable stock, offering a slightly different flavor profile.

Dietary Adjustments:

• Vegetarian + Vegan Option: This recipe is naturally 100% vegetarian. To make it vegan, simply ensure you use a plant-based Parmesan cheese alternative for garnishing.
• Gluten-Free: Easily adapt this recipe by choosing your favorite gluten-free pasta.
• Sugar-Free: The recipe contains a small amount of sugar (9 grams per serving) to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. To make it entirely sugar-free, opt for canned ingredients with no sugar added and omit the added sugar, or use a sugar-free white sugar substitute.

Flavor Boosters:

• Make it Spicy: For those who enjoy a little kick, add a pinch or two of red chili pepper flakes to the slow cooker along with the other seasonings.
• Fresh Herbs: A final sprinkle of fresh parsley or basil just before serving can brighten the flavors significantly.
• Extra Garlic: If you’re a garlic lover, don’t hesitate to add an extra clove or two to the minced garlic portion.

Serving Size Adjustments:

The written recipe yields six generous servings. It’s easy to scale up or down based on your desired number of portions. Simply adjust ingredient quantities proportionally for a smaller meal or to feed a larger crowd.

What to Serve with Your Minestrone Soup

This warming Olive Garden Minestrone Soup is a meal in itself, but it truly shines when paired with classic Italian accompaniments. Whether you’re looking for a filling lunch or creating a complete takeout-style dinner at home, here are some delicious suggestions:

Classic Sides:

• Olive Garden Breadsticks: The quintessential pairing, perfect for soaking up every last drop of broth.
• Fresh Garden Salad with Italian Dressing: A crisp, refreshing contrast to the hearty soup.
• Other Copycat Olive Garden Soups: Serve alongside CrockPot Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli, CopyCat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, or CrockPot Zuppa Toscana for a soup sampler!

Main Course Pairings:

• Pasta dishes with Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce or CopyCat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce.
• Grilled chicken or fish for a lighter protein option.

Sweet Endings:

• Round out your Italian feast with a delightful dessert like CopyCat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake.

When to Enjoy This Hearty Soup

• Lunch: A satisfying and healthy mid-day meal.
• Dinner: A perfect family dinner solution, especially on busy days.
• Date Night: Cozy and comforting for a night in.
• Italian Night: The star of your homemade Italian feast.
• Cold Weather Comfort: Nothing beats a warm bowl of Minestrone when it’s chilly outside.

More Amazing Crock Pot & Vegetarian Recipes

If you loved this easy slow cooker recipe, be sure to explore our other fantastic collections designed to make your cooking life easier and more delicious!

• CrockPot Soup Recipes: Discover tons of other easy-to-make slow cooker soups.
• Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Recipes: Great-tasting, effortless vegetarian slow cooker meals.
• Vegetable Side Dishes: Find the perfect veggie accompaniments for any meal or holiday.
• Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes: Epic and easy vegetarian dishes made in the air fryer.
• Sour Cream Recipes: Explore all our recipes featuring sour cream.
• Rotel Recipes: From dips to main courses, find all the best recipes using Rotel!

We hope this Crock Pot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup becomes a new favorite in your home. It’s a testament to how simple ingredients, cooked slowly and with care, can transform into a truly memorable meal. Enjoy the process, and most importantly, enjoy every delicious spoonful!

Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.

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Recipe Card: Crock Pot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

How to make Crock Pot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 2 cups Water
• 29 oz Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup Celery, diced
• 1 cup Carrots, diced
• 1 cup yellow onion, small, diced
• 2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped or 2 teaspoon dried
• 2 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ¾ teaspoon Dried Rosemary, crushed
• ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaf
• ½ teaspoon White Sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ⅓ cups zucchini, diced
• 1 ⅓ cups shell pasta
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 15 oz red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup green beans, cut
• 15 oz white navy beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, packed chopped
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Add vegetable stock, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar to your slow cooker.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6 – 8 hours or high 3 – 4 hours.
3. About 30 -40 minutes before serving add in zucchini, pasta, garlic, kidney beans, green beans, and white beans and cook on high until pasta is tender.
4. Stir in spinach and cook several minutes until heated through.

Kitchen Tools

• Slow cooker

Nutrition Facts

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Recipe originally posted in October 2015, updated on April 2, 2020, and October 2020.