Stanley Tucci Just Shared How to Make His Grandmother's "Incredibly Easy" Summer Soup

From quick Bolognese to leftover pasta dishes, Stanley Tucci knows how to create meals that are easy, and just as flavorful and creative as ever. But the most recent recipe he shared on his Instagram isn't his own creation: it's a summery dinner side that has been passed down to him.

"I made this afternoon some string bean minestra—which means 'soup' in Italian—and basically it's this incredibly easy thing that my grandmother and my mother always made, and now I make it," Tucci said at the start of the Instagram reel posted today.

If it's grandma-approved, we're all about it! Here's how to make Tucci's family summer soup that's quick and easy to make.

Here are the main ingredients you will need for the string bean minestra: garlic, onion, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes and, of course, string beans. Tucci includes marinara in his soup, but that's an optional add-in. You will also need staples like salt, olive oil and water.

Before the video started, Tucci loosely chopped the zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes and added them to a pot of simmering water on the stove. He also tossed in his other ingredients, throwing in halved string beans and just a little bit of garlic and onion to the soup. Tucci says there's no need to sauté anything beforehand—the fresh, seasonal veggies themselves impart plenty of delicious flavor without that step.

Tucci also suggested adding a "splotch" of marinara to the pot, but that's optional. We love the idea of using marinara sauce as a way to boost the flavor! But if you don't have the sauce on hand, toss in a few teaspoons of your preferred dried seasonings or a dollop of pesto to bring this delicious dish to the next level.

Tucci doesn't give exact measurements for each ingredient listed, but that's the great part about this easy recipe. You can simply add in whatever summer veggies you have on hand and adjust the flavor to your liking. From eyeballing it, we suspect he used 1 medium zucchini, 5 to 7 small new potatoes, 1 tomato and perhaps a cup of trimmed green beans. While we can't see the onion and garlic as well as the other ingredients in this video, for the amount of soup he made, about half an onion and a clove or two of garlic would make for a flavorful broth.

Once the veggies have softened to your liking, add salt and olive oil to the pot and mix together. Then before you know it, the dish is ready to enjoy. Tucci recommends serving it for brunch or a side dish. One suggestion we have is to add your potatoes to the pot first and allow them to soften up before adding in your other veggies. This will help prevent those quicker-cooking veggies, like zucchini and green beans, from becoming too soft.

"It's a very light, light soup, but it's absolutely delicious," he insisted at the end of the short clip. "This with toasted crunchy bread is so good."

Tucci's grandmother's light and easy summer soup is a quick way to use up any extra produce you have on hand. And it's an easy enough recipe that you could make it for a quick lunch or simple dinner. Honestly, we'd even eat this for breakfast! It reminds us of a simple version of our Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup, as it stars the same fresh veggies plus other ingredient add-ins for added flavor. Check it out if you're looking for a brothy, veggie-packed bowl of soup.

Up next: 11 Summer Soups That Make the Most of Zucchini