Canned Minestrone Soup

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Canning Time: 1

Total Time: 2

Servings: servings

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

This is a copycat version of Olive Garden's Minestrone Soup. It is prepared for long-term storage employing the pressure canning method. This delicious soup is loaded with vegetables and beans. When reheating, pasta is added too! This recipe can be prepared for immediate use if you are not looking to can for your pantry.

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced (1/2 inch pieces)
1 large zucchini, diced (1/2 inch pieces)
1 teaspoon pickling salt (if you are not canning this soup, you can use regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned diced tomatoes
8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
15 ounces canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen green beans
3 cups baby spinach leaves (slightly packed)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

Add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, salt, and ground black pepper to a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot. Over medium heat, cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes.
Next, add the vegetable stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. Stir well to combine. Allow the soup to come to a low boil and boil for 10 minutes.
Add the kidney beans, green beans, and spinach. Simmer for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare your pressure canner as per the instructions that are particular to your individual canner. Wash the jars, sealing lids, and screw lids in hot soapy water and rinse the soap off well under running hot water. Place the clean jars upright on a baking sheet and place them in the oven preheated to 200 degrees F. Set screw bands aside. Next, boil a kettle of water and pour it into a clean glass bowl. Carefully submerge the sealing discs or lids in the bowl of hot water and set them aside.
Once the soup has simmered for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.
To fill the jars, use a canning funnel to prevent spilling and to make job easier. Using a slotted spoon, ladle enough veggies into each prepared jar so that the jar is half filled with veggies. (I'm using 24 ounce jars which yielded 8 jars of soup. You can use 16 ounce or 32 ounce jars as well. Obviously, the yield will change accordingly.)
Next, use a soup ladle to top up the jars with the broth, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Remove any air bubbles and top up the jars with more broth if needed. Use a clean, damp kitchen towel to wipe the rims of the jars. Use a magnetic lid lifter to remove the lids from the bowl of boiled kettle water and position each one centered on the rim of each jar. Screw a band onto each jar, tightening only with your fingertips - do not overtighten!
This is optional, but at this point, I like to pour a splash of white vinegar into the canner. This will a cloudy buildup on the outside of jars if you have hard water.
Next, transfer the jars to your prepared pressure canner. Place the lid on your canner and tighten.
Allow the canner to steam vent for ten minutes. Next, process using a 10 pound (69 kPa) weighted gauge for the following times: 60 minutes for 16 ounce jars, 70 minutes for 24 ounce jars, and 85 minutes for 32 ounce jars. Be sure to adjust pressure for your altitude if over 1000 feet. Time the processing from the time the canner has reached full pressure. Once done, turn off the heat and allow canner to decompress naturally.. (Ten pounds is recommended for those of you who are 0-2000 feet above sealevel.)
Once your canner has decompressed, remove the lid and transfer the jars to a wooden cutting board using a jar lifter. Allow the jars to cool undisturbed for 24 hours. Check to ensure the lids have sealed. Label and store in a cool, dark cupboard for up to one year.
To serve, simply transfer the contents of a jar to a saucepan, along with 2 tablespoons of small-shaped pasta, and reheat over medium heat until the soup is completely reheated and the pasta is cooked. Enjoy!

Notes

One 24 ounce jar is only 336 calories! Serving size is suggested at 2 cups of soup, meaning that each 24 ounce jar will serve 2 people, making it only 168 calories per serving! (The calories listed here do not take into account the added pasta when reheating. Those additional calories will depend on what type and how much pasta you are using.)

To make this Minestrone Soup recipe without canning, please refer to the section above called Canning Free Option.

Nutrition