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Minestrone Soup is a comforting Italian vegetable soup made with beans, pasta, and a nourishing tomato-based broth. Packed full of fresh and seasonal vegetables, this hearty, vegetable-filled, Homemade Minestrone Soup Recipe is the perfect healthy solution to beat the chilly winter months.
Minestrone Soup
The very best minestrone soup recipe!
Filled with beans, tender tiny pasta noodles, and delicious fresh vegetables like celery, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans, this minestrone soup recipe is all about feeling warm and snuggly. Easily made on the stovetop or in your slow cooker, this Minestrone Soup Recipe is a year-round family favorite and my absolute favorite way to use up leftover vegetables before they go bad.
What is Minestrone?
With its roots in Italy, Minestrone is famous for having loads of vegetables and usually some kind of pasta. Other frequent ingredients include tomatoes, beans, onion, celery, and carrots.
With that said, there is no set recipe or definition for Minestrone. Typically made with whatever vegetables were available or in season, not all Minestrone soup recipes are created equally. And though many Minestrone recipes are vegetarian, this is not a requirement, as meat or a meat-based broth is often added.
Ingredients in Minestrone Soup
Rather than give you a list of every single ingredient in this particular recipe (you can find that in the recipe card below), I’m going to give you a list of the most common ingredient found in Minestrone Soup.
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Green Beans
- Beans- kidney beans and cannellini beans in particular
- Broth- vegetarian or meat-based
- Squash- from all the seasons
- Leafy greens- kale, spinach, collard greens
- Peas
- Herbs- fresh and dried
- Pasta (probably always)
- Rice (sometimes)
How to make Minestrone Soup
To make minestrone soup on the stovetop simply,
- Cook the mirepoix. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot (I used my 8-quart stockpot with plenty of room) warm 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
- Herbs + tomato paste. Add the dried oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, red chili flakes, and tomato paste to the vegetables and mix well to combine. Add the herbs before adding any liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
- Tip- if you notice any brown bits stuck on the bottom of your pot deglaze with a little white wine or water. You want those brown bits! They equal flavor!
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Green beans + canned tomatoes. Add the green beans and diced tomatoes (with juices). Mix well to combine.
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Add the vegetable broth. Add the vegetable broth to the pot and increase heat to high. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Simmer, covered, for approximately 15 minutes.
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Stir in the drained and rinsed beans. Add the cannellini and red kidney beans to the pot. Stir well to combine.
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Prepare the pasta (see notes). In the meantime, bring a separate large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook your ditalini pasta according to package instructions until al dente (aka just slightly undercooked). Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
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Add remaining vegetables. Once the pasta is cooked, add the chopped summer squash, kale, parsley, and lemon juice to the pot. Stir well to combine and simmer for 5 minutes. Season your soup with additional salt, pepper, or herbs, if desired.
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Serve. Fill bowls with approximately 1/2 cup cooked ditalini pasta and ladle with soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh chopped cilantro, if desired.
To make minestrone soup in the Slow cooker simply,
- Cook the mirepoix. In a large saucepot warm 1-2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
- Herbs + tomato paste. Add the dried oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, and red chili flakes. Mix well to combine.
- Transfer mixture to crockpot. Transfer the cooked mirepoix to a large slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the pasta, cilantro, and parmesan cheese), cover, and cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 5-6 hours on low heat.
- Cook noodles. Approximately 20 minutes before serving, I recommend boiling your noodles separately and adding to each bowl as desired.
One note when cooking minestrone soup in the slow cooker-
- Depending on which vegetables you add, just keep in mind that after 7-8 hours of cooking they may lose their shape. For example, squash and celery when cooked for long periods of time turn mushy. The soup will still taste delicious, however, the vegetables may be somewhat more incorporated into the broth.
- Oh yes, one other thing. Should you decide to try Minestrone soup in the crockpot, I highly recommend adding a leftover rind from a wedge of Parmesan cheese. This will add so much flavor! It’s something I do whenever I make homemade pasta sauce and it’s equally delicious in tomato-based soups.
Why you’ll love this Minestrone Soup Recipe
- It’s fast. Start to finish you can have a big beautiful pot of this soup on your table in under one hour. When you consider how long some soups take to make, this is no time at all!
- Leftovers are fantastic! Guys, trust me, you want leftovers. Leftovers for lunch, leftovers for dinner, Minestrone leftovers are always a brilliant idea. Especially if you boiled your noodles separately so they didn’t have a chance to turn soggy.
- Versatility. Stovetop or crockpot? you decide. What about vegetables? Just because I added kale doesn’t mean you have to add kale. Minestrone is all about YOU. Make it how you want it!
- Helps eliminate waste. Minestrone Soup is one of my favorite refrigerator cleanout recipes. I always have carrots, celery, and onion that need to be used up and I can guarantee that I have canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and a handful of other perishable vegetables about to head to the bin. Soup is the best way to help but back on waste. It’s super budget-friendly, too!
- Minestrone wants you to be healthy. Ok, this may be a stretch, BUT, Minestrone soup is, in fact, insanely good for you. I mean, vegetables.
Tips and Tricks
- If you notice any brown bits stuck on the bottom of your pot deglaze with a little white wine or water. You want those brown bits! They equal flavor!
- Should you decide to try Minestrone soup in the crockpot, I highly recommend adding a leftover rind from a wedge of Parmesan cheese. This will add so much flavor! It’s something I do whenever I make homemade pasta sauce and it’s equally delicious in tomato-based soups.
- I almost always cook my pasta separately to prevent the noodles from getting soggy. If you prefer to cook your pasta directly in the soup, that’s fine, too. Simply add the noodles 5-8 minutes before desired serving time.
- Feel free to use any pasta you like! I love ditalini pasta for soups because it holds its shape well and is easily scooped with a spoon.
- Traditional Minestrone soup recipes were used as a way to use up old, leftover vegetables. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand!
- To make Dairy-free/Gluten-free: Do not garnish with Parmesan cheese.
- To make Gluten-Free: Substitute the noodles for your favorite gluten-free noodle or add rice instead.
- Leftovers get better with age- up to 3-4 days. But really, the leftovers really do taste better after time.
Can you freeze leftover minestrone soup?
Yes. Absolutely.
However, for best results:
- First and foremost, I do not recommend freezing minestrone soup with the noodles. Cooked noodles, already on their way to soggy town, never freeze well. Unless, of course, you enjoy soggy, mushy pasta noodles. In that case, add all the noodles! But me personally? No thanks.
- For best results, allow the soup (just the soup, not the noodles) to cool in the refrigerator completely before transferring to freezer-friendly containers or freezer-friendly zip-lock bags.
- Double-bag in freezer-friendly zip-lock bags. Remove most of the air, leaving just a small amount of space to allow the liquid to expand as it freezes.
- To reheat, allow the soup to thaw in the fridge overnight, then transfer to a pot and cook until heated through. Once hot, decide if you want to add the pasta noodles directly to the soup or cook them separately.
For more soup recipes check out,
- Bone Broth Recipe (How to Make Bone Broth)
- Leek and Potato Soup
- Vegetarian Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup
- Turmeric Broth Soup with Wild Rice and Vegetables
- Healthy Thai Veggie Soup with Spicy Thai Meatballs
- Easy Six Onion Soup with Baked Parmesan Crisps
- Homemade Vegetable Soup
If you try making this Homemade Minestrone Soup Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear which vegetables you used to make this soup!
Minestrone Soup Recipe
Packed full of fresh and seasonal vegetables, Minestrone is a comforting Italian vegetable soup made with beans, pasta, and a nourishing tomato-based broth.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 large carrots, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces (or, 1 (15-ounce) can green beans)
- 1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes with juices
- 10 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups uncooked ditalini pasta
- 2 zucchini squash, sliced
- 5 ounces fresh kale, stems removed and chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Juice from one lemon
- salt + pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
- Fresh chopped cilantro, to serve
Instructions
STOVETOP
- Cook the mirepoix. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot (I used my 8-quart stockpot with plenty of room) warm 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
- Herbs and tomato paste. Add the dried oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, red chili flakes, and tomato paste to the vegetables and mix well to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Green beans + canned tomatoes. Add the green beans and diced tomatoes (with juices). Mix well to combine.
- Add the vegetable broth. Add the vegetable broth to the pot and increase heat to high. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Simmer, covered, for approximately 15 minutes.
- Stir in the drained and rinsed beans. Add the cannellini and red kidney beans to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Prepare the pasta (see notes). In the meantime, bring a separate large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook your ditalini pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Add the more delicate vegetables. Once the longer-cooking root vegetables and green beans are cooked, add the chopped summer squash, kale, parsley, and lemon juice to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Season to taste. Season soup with additional salt, pepper, or herbs, if desired.
- Serve. Fill the desired number of bowls with approximately 1/2 cup cooked ditalini pasta and ladle with soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
SLOW COOKER
- Cook the mirepoix. In a large saucepot warm 1-2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
- Herbs + tomato paste. Add the dried oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, and red chili flakes. Mix well to combine.
- Transfer mixture to crockpot. Transfer the cooked mirepoix to a large slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the pasta, cilantro, and parmesan cheese), cover, and cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 5-6 hours on low heat.
- Cook noodles. Approximately 20 minutes before serving, I recommend boiling your noodles separately and adding to each bowl as desired.
Notes
- If you notice any brown bits stuck on the bottom of your pot deglaze with a little white wine or water. You want those brown bits! They equal flavor!
- I almost always cook my pasta separately to prevent the noodles from getting soggy. If you prefer to cook your pasta directly in the soup, that's fine, too. Simply add the noodles 5-8 minutes before desired serving time.
- Feel free to use any pasta you like! I love ditalini pasta for soups because it holds its shape well and is easily scooped with a spoon.
- Traditional Minestrone soup recipes were used as a way to use up old, leftover vegetables. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand!
- To make Dairy-free/Gluten-free: Do not garnish with Parmesan cheese.
- To make Gluten-Free: Substitute the noodles for your favorite gluten-free noodle or add rice instead.
- Originally published Nov. 27, 2018
Nutrition
Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1651mg | Potassium: 800mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 12235IU | Vitamin C: 57.6mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 2.6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
