Minestrone Soup

By Maria Lichty

Published on February 20, 2023

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If you read our blog regularly, you know I LOVE a good soup. White Bean Soup, Black Bean Soup, Lentil Soup, and Potato Leek Soup are a few of my favorites. You can check out all of our soup recipes HERE, there are a lot:)

I really love this Easy Minestrone Soup too. It’s a CLASSIC! And this minestrone soup recipe is easy, healthy, and comforting. It’s WAY better than canned soup or the Olive Garden’s minestrone soup:)

Minestrone is an Italian soup that usually includes vegetables, pasta, beans, and sometimes meat. I omitted the meat because I wanted the soup to be vegetarian and honestly, I don’t think it needs it. The soup is super hearty because all of the vegetables, beans, and pasta.

The soup is made in ONE pot and I always love a good one pot meal. It is the perfect soup for a cold day or when you need to use up the veggies from your garden or veggie drawer.

Let’s get this soup party started!

Soup Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Veggies– carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans
• Diced tomatoes– use canned tomatoes and don’t drain! You can use fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.
• Vegetable broth– can use chicken broth if you don’t need the recipe to be vegetarian.
• Cannellini beans– rinsed and drained
• Herbs– dried basil, oregano, and thyme
• Elbow macaroni– can use gluten-free pasta
• Parmesan cheese & fresh basil– for garnish

How to Make Minestrone Soup

• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add in zucchini, green beans, and diced tomatoes.
• Stir in vegetable broth, beans, basil, oregano, and thyme. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. If you need to add more broth, you can.
• Season soup with salt and pepper. If you want a little heat, you can add crushed red pepper flakes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Variations

• Minestrone soup is very versatile. You can add whatever vegetables, beans, and pasta you like. I included carrots, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans. You could also add in bell peppers, yellow squash, peas, spinach, or kale.
• I used cannellini beans, which are a white bean. I use canned beans to keep the recipe super simple. You can use great Northern beans or red kidney beans too.
• I chose whole wheat macaroni for the pasta, but any small pasta will work well in this soup.
• Spice it up with crushed red pepper flakes.
• If you want the soup to be vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese and if you need the soup to be gluten free, you can use gluten-free pasta.

Serving Suggestions

Garnish a steaming bowl of minestrone soup with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. I also like to serve the soup with a loaf of fresh crusty bread.

You can also serve with:

• Garlic Bread
• Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
• Bruschetta
• Simple Kale Salad
• Easy Green Salad
• Simple Arugula Salad

How to Store

I always make a big pot of this soup because it reheats well and we love eating the leftovers. I could eat it for lunch and dinner all week long, and I usually do. It is a great recipe to have on hand durning the cold winter months.

• Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
• You can also freeze the soup for up to three months. The pasta might break up a little after defrosting and reheating, but it will still be good.

More Soup Recipes

• Lentil Soup
• Homemade Vegetable Soup
• Pasta Fagioli
• Potato Soup
• Split Pea Soup
• Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
• Easy Black Bean Soup

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Soup

Minestrone Soup Recipe

This easy minestrone soup recipe is perfect for a cold day. It is hearty, healthy, and comforting. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.

4.67 from 62 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes (can use fire roasted tomatoes)
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 14 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup elbow macaroni (can use gluten-free pasta)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add in zucchini, green beans, and diced tomatoes.
• Stir in vegetable broth, beans, basil, oregano, and thyme. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. If you need to add more broth, you can.
• Season soup with salt and pepper. If you want a little heat, you can add crushed red pepper flakes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Sodium: 868mg, Potassium: 397mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 3185IU, Vitamin C: 17.9mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 2.2mg

Keywords minestrone soup, soup, vegetables

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