200 Reviews of Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup by Todd Wilbur

From: Miss Annie

On Jan 14, 2004

Wow! This is some good soup. I have never tried it at Olive Garden, but if you say this is close I will have to go try it soon. Flavors, color, just the right amount of herbs and seasonings are all here. I did not add the red wine until I try OG's to see if it really is in there. However, this was absolutely lovely and I thank you Suzy for sharing it. I would recommend this to anyone!

From: MizzNezz

On Feb 18, 2004

We had this soup at an Olive Garden when we were in Michigan last year. And, yes, it was this soup! Tasted just like it! This will be a staple in our kitchen! Thanks for the recipe!

From: Sophie1017

On Sep 24, 2006

Great recipe! Yes, Olive Garden uses wine in theirs. Add a little (a glassful or so) and allow it to evaporate some before adding the veggie broth.

From: Chef #166670

On Oct 12, 2004

I really enjoy Olive Garden's minestrone soup, so I was excited to find this recipe because it is very similar to the OG recipe. However, I made a few changes. First, I did not drain the can of tomatoes and I also added a can of tomato sauce to give it the trademark red broth of minestrone soup. It also made it tangier. I added 2 more cups of broth (I ended up using vegetable bouillion to create the broth instead of cans) and I also added more water as needed because I found the broth got too thick. After my second time making it, I found that it's easier to add the beans when you add the pasta so the beans don't make the broth thicker. All in all, I found this recipe to be excellent and I've made it at least half a dozen times so far!

From: Mrs_Kupkake

On Feb 2, 2008

I'm going to give you 5 stars for this recipe, but with an admonishment: why not use chicken broth??? Because it's not authentic? In my mind any flavored broth is going to improve a recipe. My DH was sick and running a fever, so I was looking for a nutritious soup with lots of veggies. I used chicken broth, used chickpeas and black beans because that's what I had in the pantry, used medium egg noodles for the same reason, used several handfuls of fresh parsley, ciltantro (his favorite) and oregano. Normally when I make soup he eats one bowl and makes no comment. Even when sick, he ate two bowls of this and said it was good. That's a 5-star review from him!!! I also enjoyed it very much!

From: Chefjho

On Jan 24, 2006

I put this in my slow cooker and came home to the most wonderful soup I have ever eaten! I put all the veggies that needed chopped in my food processor and pulsed a few times to chop into small pieces. I dumped everthing in the slow cooker. I didn't use oil because I didn't need to saute the veggies for this method of cooking. Thanks for this delicious and healthy recipe!

From: Missy Stanisz

On Feb 6, 2004

My husband LOVES OG Minestrone. We have tried the "other" recipes claiming to be it--but this is the real deal. We added a splash (okay, maybe more!) of a light, sweet red wine and it was wonderful.

From: vanessa915

On Jun 12, 2007

This recipe rocked! After reading other comments, I made a couple changes though. I added an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, didn't drain my diced tomatoes, and only used 3 cans of beans. I also used a little more veggie broth and a little less water. And I didn't have spinach, so I left it out this time. I've been eating it every day, it's so yummy! It couldn't hurt to add more veggies either, like upping the zucchini or green beans.

From: Jackie's Mom

On Oct 31, 2007

Incredible. My fiance normally does not like soup because he gets hungry later. But, this soup is so hearty and flavorful, we eat 1 or 2 bowls and are full and stay full-- even though it has no meat. I used rice pasta due to allergies. The 2nd time I made this, I used 1 can of kidney beans and 3 cans of chickpeas (it's what I had). The soup still turned out great (although the original recipe is a tiny bit better). This recipe also freezes well and still tastes good.

From: Barb Gertz

On Nov 2, 2005

Yummy Minestrone soup great on a cold day. I made this just like the recipe stated using my home canned green beans and fresh spinach out of the garden. For the pasta I used orzo we love it in Minestrone soup. Served it with lots of Parmesan Cheese & hot rolls. Thank you for this tasty recipe.