The Best Minestrone Soup (2024)

This is the best minestrone soup recipe, a hearty, vegetable-rich Italian soup made from scratch with plenty of fiber from the beans and vegetables. Perfect for serving with crusty bread.

Minestrone Soup

This healthy soup is aclassicvegetarian minestrone soupmade with white beans,vegetables,fresh herbs,andpasta. Pureeing the beans in the blender thickens the soup, making it great for picky kids who don’t care for beans. I love adding aparmesan rindfor extraflavor, but it’s totally optional. If you want a slow cooker minestrone soup recipe or an InstantPot one, check out my version here. More soup recipes you may also like, Pasta fa*gioli or my popular Acini di Pepe Soup.

Minestrone SoupIngredients

• Beans: Drain and rinse one can of white beans, like cannellini or navy beans.
• Broth: Get reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarian minestrone.
• Vegetables: Sauté diced carrots, onion, and celery in olive oil.
• Garlic: Mince two cloves of garlic.
• Tomatoes: Canned petite diced tomatoes – regular-size tomatoes are also fine.
• Parmesan Cheese: The parmesan is optional, but I recommend using it. I always store leftover rinds in my fridge to use later in soups and stews. Let the rind simmer in the broth, and sprinkle grated cheese on your soup before eating.
• Herbs: Fresh rosemary sprig, chopped basil, Italian parsley, bay leaves
• Salt and Pepper
• Zucchini: You can swap the zucchini with yellow squash.
• Leafy Greens: Fresh or frozen, defrosted spinach or baby kale will work.
• Pasta: Choose a small pasta, like ditalini or orzo.

How to Make Minestrone Soup

1. Beans: Puree the beans with a cup of broth in a blender.
2. Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for about 15 minutes.
3. Simmer: Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans,parmesan cheeserind (if using),salt,pepper, and all the herbs. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot, and cook on low for 40 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and spinach, cover the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Cook pasta: While the soup cooks, cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions. You can also cook it in the soup if you prefer.
6. Serve: Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and parmesan rind, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls with pasta and top with extra parmesan if desired.

How to Freeze Minestrone Soup

I like to cook and store the pasta separately so that it stays al dente and doesn’t soak up the broth. You can keep the leftover pasta and soup together or separate. The minestrone will last in the fridge up to 4 days and in the freezer for 3 months.

To freeze the soup, let it cool and then transfer it to freezer-safe containers. Thaw it the night before in the fridge, and microwave or reheat on the stove.

Variations:

• NoPasta:If you want to make minestrone without thepasta, you can omit itand add dicedpotatoes or another can of beans.
• Beans:If you want to add more beans, try a mix, like redkidney beans,along with the white beans.
• Veggies:If you want morevegetablesin the soup, add choppedbroccoli,cauliflower,and/orgreen beans.
• Herbs:Feel free to use any herbs you like.Oreganoorthymewould also be lovely.
• Add meat: Some turkey sausage or chicken sausage links would be great.

MoreSoup Recipes You’ll Love:

• Beef, Tomato, and Acini di Pepe Soup
• Escarole and Chickpea Soup
• Spaghetti and Meatball Soup
• Instant Pot Turkey Meatball and Ditalini Soup
• Pasta fa*gioli