Minestrone Soup
Published on February 20, 2023
Quick Summary
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!
Table of Contents
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:
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
Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 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.