Minestrone Soup
Published on February 20, 2023
Quick Summary
Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian soup that is hearty, healthy, and perfect for lunch or dinner on a cold day. This easy homemade minestrone is a family favorite. Serve the soup with crusty bread and Parmesan Cheese.
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.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod