Love Pasta e Fagioli and Minestrone? Julia Turshen’s “Minestrone-ish” Gives You Both

Light Enough for Spring, Hearty Enough for Dinner

Hi folks. This vegetarian soup is one of my favorite recipes to make this time of year, partly because I always seem to be swimming in cabbage and partly because it is just so satisfying. With beans, pasta, vegetables, and deep tomato flavor, Julia Turshen’s Minestrone-ish lands right between minestrone and pasta e fagioli. It is hearty, nourishing, and full of texture, especially with those crunchy, lemony Parmesan breadcrumbs on top.

I also love that this recipe comes from Julia’s What Goes With What, a cookbook full of practical, thoughtful meals that really work for everyday cooking. Here, she brings together pantry staples and simple vegetables in a way that feels deeply flavorful without asking much from the cook.

What to Expect from This Minestrone-ish Soup

Every bowl gives you a little bit of everything. You get beans, pasta, cabbage, carrots, and rich tomato broth all working together in one pot. As the soup simmers, the cabbage softens, the tomato paste deepens, and the whole thing turns savory and satisfying without feeling too heavy. It is a meatless dinner that still feels substantial, which is one reason I think it is especially good this time of year.

Julia suggests finishing it with grated Parmesan and a dollop of pesto, which is a great way to serve. If you want to make it extra special, Haley’s Savory Sprinkles add a bright, crunchy finish that wakes up the whole bowl. This recipe makes about 3.5 quarts, or 6 to 8 servings. After my husband and I each had a bowl for dinner, I still had enough left to fill three 32-ounce containers, with one tucked into the freezer for later.

A Few Small Details That Make This Soup Better

• Use a small pasta shape so each spoonful gets a little of everything. I used ditalini, and tubetti would be great here too.
• For the prettiest finish, top each bowl with Parmesan, pesto, and black pepper right before serving.

Helpful Equipment for This Minestrone-ish Soup

• Large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot
• Wooden spoon
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Box grater

This is the kind of flexible, nourishing dinner you will be glad to have on repeat.

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Robin Ward

Julia Turshen’s Minestrone-ish Soup

This hearty vegetarian Minestrone-ish soup is filled with beans, pasta, cabbage, carrots, and rich tomato flavor, then finished with Parmesan, pesto, or crunchy lemony breadcrumbs.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course: dinner, Soup

Cuisine: Italian, Italian-American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• Kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lb. savoy or green cabbage, roughly chopped (about 8 cups chopped cabbage)
• 1 15 oz. can beans (I recommend cannellini, chickpeas, or Roman beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 28 oz. can petite diced or crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups  chicken or vegetable broth (or boiling water mixed with Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 cup small pasta (ditalini, tubetti, orecchiette, elbows — whatever you have, regular or gluten-free)

For serving: Grated Parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper, and pesto (homemade or store-bought), and/or Haley’s Savory Sprinkles (recipe follows)

Equipment

• 1 Dutch oven or heavy soup pot

Method

 

1. Place the oil in a large heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and dried oregano and cook, stirring until very fragrant, about a minute.
2. Add the cabbage, beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, and the broth, turn the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the cabbage is softened and the flavors are very well combined, at least 30 minutes (but it’s fine for up to an hour over very low heat, if that helps to know). Just before you’re ready to eat, add the pasta and cook until softened, about 10 minutes or so.
3. Serve the soup hot with lots of grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper, a spoonful of pesto, and/or a shower of Haley’s Savory Sprinkles in each bowl.

Haley’s Savory Sprinkles

1. Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a cup of coarse fresh breadcrumbs (or panko) and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and let the breadcrumbs cool for a couple of minutes, then stir in the finely grated zest of a lemon and ½ cup of grated Parmesan (or 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, if vegan). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

More Easy, Flavor-Packed Dinners to Make Next

Lentil Soup for a Spring Break
Bright, nourishing, and easy to make, this one-pot lentil soup is another great choice when you want a lighter dinner that still satisfies.

Gochujang Ground Beef Gravy: A Weeknight Favorite
Savory, punchy, and fast enough for a busy night, this is the kind of easy dinner that brings big flavor with very little fuss.

Savory Mushroom Swiss Burger Rice
A one-pot dinner with beefy mushrooms, melty Swiss-style cheese, and all the comfort of a hearty weeknight meal.

If you’d like to see more, come find me on YouTube, 𝕏, and Instagram. You can also follow James T. here on the blog and on Instagram at @WarpSpeedWags. If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out. And if you’re enjoying these posts, a comment, like, or share really does help.