Name: Winter minestrone with cabbage
Total time: 67 min
Yield: 4 large bowls
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 2 carrots, chopped; 2 celery stalks, sliced; 1 tsp fine salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 3 garlic cloves, grated; 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice; 1 can (15 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed; 1 cup finely sliced cabbage; 4 cups vegetable broth; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried thyme; 3/4 cup dry small pasta; 1/2 cup chopped parsley

Winter minestrone with cabbage

Cabbage joins the beans and small pasta in this winter minestrone.

Published October 2, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026

4 large bowls · Estimated 1 hour 7 minutes

Ingredients & method

Before you start: Prepare: 20 minutes · Sauté and heat broth: 15 minutes · Covered simmer: 20 minutes · Cook pasta: 12 minutes

Equipment: 5-quart pot

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Method

Dice the onion, chop the 2 carrots, slice the 2 celery stalks, and grate the 3 garlic cloves. Finely slice the cabbage to measure 1 cup, drain and rinse the 15 oz can of white beans, and open the 28 oz can of diced tomatoes without draining its juice.
Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, 1 tsp fine salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Immediately add the diced tomatoes with all their juice, the drained beans and the sliced cabbage, stirring to combine them with the softened vegetables.
Pour in the 4 cups vegetable broth and add the 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried thyme. Bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the 3/4 cup dry small pasta, making sure it is submerged in the soup. Keep the pot uncovered and cook for 10–12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender, stirring frequently so it does not stick to the bottom.
Check a piece of pasta and a piece of carrot before finishing: both should be tender. Remove and discard the two bay leaves, then stir in the 1/2 cup chopped parsley.
Ladle into four large bowls, scooping from the bottom of the pot so each serving receives beans, pasta and vegetables as well as broth. Serve promptly, as the pasta continues to absorb liquid while it stands.

Give the vegetables and pasta separate cooking stages

The tomatoes go into the pot with their juice, while the beans are drained and rinsed. Keeping those preparations distinct preserves the soup's stated liquid balance. The first covered simmer develops the vegetable base before dry pasta is introduced.

Once the small pasta goes in, leave the lid off as directed and stir frequently across the pot's bottom. Check a piece of carrot as well as a piece of pasta before finishing; the quickest-softening ingredient should not be the only one used to judge the whole pot.

Serve the broth and solids together

Remove both bay leaves before adding the parsley. When ladling, reach toward the bottom of the pot so each bowl gets beans, pasta and vegetables along with the broth. Otherwise, the first bowls can be mostly liquid while the last receives a much heavier share of solids.

The pasta continues absorbing liquid as the soup stands, so the freshly finished pot and a bowl served later will not have exactly the same consistency. Bring the bowls to the table promptly if you want the broth balance shown by the method.