Classic Minestrone Soup
Warm up with this vegetarian minestrone soup! This classic minestrone soup recipe is healthy, easy to make, and tastes incredible. It's vegan, too, if you don't top it with cheese.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Finally! It’s about time this blog offered a traditional minestrone soup recipe. Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup made with tomato-y broth and pasta or rice. I’ve been working hard on this recipe and I’m so excited to share it with you.
Minestrone was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use any seasonal vegetables and greens you have on hand. I used potatoes and spinach for the soup you see here, and it was absolutely delicious.
I listed some alternatives in the recipe, including yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas. That means that you can make seasonal minestrone on cool days from fall through spring!
I used canned beans here instead of cooking my own, which cuts the cooking time down to a reasonable weeknight level. The remaining ingredients are basic pantry items, including canned tomatoes, pasta, basic spices and onions.
Why is this the best minestrone soup?
- This hearty minestrone is easy to make and totally worth the effort.
- The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry ingredients.
- The soup packs great for lunch, and tastes even better the next day.
- It freezes and defrosts well, too.
- This homemade minestrone is infinitely better than the Olive Garden or store-bought varieties!
I adapted this recipe from the lentil minestrone in my cookbook, which was based on my lentil soup. For this classic minestrone, I omitted the lentils, added white beans, upped the tomato paste, and reserved the final tablespoon of olive oil to mix in at the end.
Please let me know how you like this soup in the comments! I always love reading your feedback and I’m eager to hear which veggies you use in your soup.
If you’re looking for more soup recipes, definitely check out the two mentioned above, and I have even more soups here.
Watch how to make Minestrone Soup
Classic Minestrone Soup
Warm up with this vegetarian minestrone soup! This classic minestrone soup recipe is healthy, easy to make, and tastes incredible. It’s vegan, too, if you don’t top it with cheese. Recipe yields 6 bowls or 8 cups of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium ribs celery, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work)
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with their liquid (or 2 small 15-ounce cans)
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole grain orecchiette, elbow or small shell pasta
- 1 can (15 ounces) Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked beans
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped kale or chopped collard greens
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices, broth and water. Add the salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1” gap for steam to escape. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan, if you’d like.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t garnish with Parmesan, or use homemade vegan Parmesan.
Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free noodle. I used DeLallo’s Whole-Grain Rice Shells and they worked great.
Parmesan note: Most Parmesans are not technically vegetarian (they contain animal rennet), but Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands offer vegetarian Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I make the minestrone in your cookbook all the time – as in really, it’s almost embarrassing – so I’ll have to try this variation. I love that you can throw in whatever veggies you want – last time I did cauliflower, green beans, and sauteed mushrooms and it was SO good! We have found that straining the leftovers and then storing the broth and solids separately prevents the pasta from sucking up all the broth in the fridge and makes this better for work lunches.
love this idea! thanks for sharing
Forgot to star it!
That’s a great idea…but what I did instead was to cook the pasta separately and keep it separate…just added it to the individual bowls to alleviate that worry.
That is not embarrassing! Why mess with a good thing, right?! Thanks for the review. I appreciate the tip for the other readers too. I haven’t tried that, but sounds interesting.
I cook the pasta separately and just add in a handful to each serving when I’m ready to heat it up! :)
So excited to make this, I already bought a few missing ingredients today!
I would love to hear what you think, Tova!
It came out great! Still enjoying the leftovers :) I love that it’s a full meal by itself. I bet it would be even better once I have some fresh garden tomatoes to use!
Such a classic—it looks great :)
Thank you!
I made your lentil minestrone today! Absolutely delicious. I’m already dreaming of leftovers. I love your book. Your recipes never disappoint.
Thanks so much Rachael, for the support and sweet words!
I haven’t made this yet, but I wanted to tell you that my family thinks the lentil minestrone from your cookbook is the best. soup. ever. Even my husband, who was initially resistant to vegetarian fare (but has gotten more open to it thanks in part to recipes from your blog), absolutely loves it.
Thank you! Let me know if you try this one and what you think.
Can’t wait to make this! If one is not making homemade vegetable broth, what is a brand you can recommend for this soup?
Really any vegetable broth will work. Preferably organic.
Oh gosh. This arrived mi my Inbox and it is exactly what I had planned for dinner with some crusty bread. Besides Kale I use Swiss Chard – DELICIOUS !! Never used a squeeze of lemon so will try that addition
Great!
This recipe is almost the same as mine! Here are my variations. I just put all the ingredients (except beans, greens, and pasta) in to a pot and bring to a boil. Then put on simmer and cover completely for 1 hour. At that point, add greens and beans and cook partially uncovered at a higher simmer for 20 minutes. I cook the pasta separately in veg broth. Hubby likes it with pasta, I just like straight veggies. Also, I add some chili powder, and I add about 1/2 a red pepper and some italian seasonings. I’ve even added some sausage too. If you add the sausage, slice them in to 1 inch slices and brown in a little olive oit….then add everything else and cook. So many variations that can be tried. Folks just need to experiment and have fun and enjoy!!! Gotta love soup!!!!
Thanks!
Minestrone is one of my favorites!! This looks incredible! I can’t wait to make it!!
Let me know what you think!
could one make this soup in a slow cooker. We go to church on Saturday night and eat afterwards , so I try to use the Crockpot as much as possible, because there is yard work and other things that need to be done on that day. Not much time for cooking. The soup sounds so wonderful
I haven’t tried it yet, but I don’t see why not. I just recommend to saute the ingredients listed in the recipe first.
So I made it just now but kept out the macaroni. I will cook them separately because I always make too much . Making it in the crockpot and let you know the results.but it already smells wonderful
Can I use rice instead of pasta?
If you are wanting this to be gluten free, use gluten free noodles. I hope this helps!
Not a big fan of pre-cooked beans … mine are soaked one day, then cooked. Must try this soup! Looks lovely! Cheers Jamie
Let me know what you think, Jamie!
Yup, it is good soup …. very good, delicious in fact.My dutch oven is in storage. Used the largest pan I had, then towards then had to spilt between 2 pans. Still, enjoyed and will definitely give it another bash. For it is a really good vegetarian soup. Obviously a lot of room for variations, on a theme. Thanks, Ms. Kate. Cheers Jamie
The soup is such a hit! I used potato, snap peas, and broccoli we had for my seasonal vegetables. I strained the soup as much as I could before storing thanks to Lauren K’s comment. My husband said it’s one of the best soups he’s ever had and would eat it every week. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
One thing I underestimated was the liquid I lost during the simmering/uncovered simmering so I need to turn down my stove more next time!
Great! Those sound like great season veggie options. Thank you for sharing. If you would want to provide a star review since you liked it so much, I would be grateful!
I’m in the process of making this for dinner tonight. The house smells so good……I’m sure it’ll taste as good as it looks.
How did it go, Anne?!
Fabulous. I only had navy beans, so I pre-cooked them first and added it to the soup at the end. Definately will be making this again.
This was the BEST minestrone – EVER. I added green beans, red potatoes, spinach, celery, zucchini and carrots in mine. I probably had a good 4 cups of vegetables (maybe more), but there was still plenty of broth. I used ditalini pasta as I couldn’t find orecchietti. I cooked the pasta separetely and then added it to the individual bowls, so it would soak up all that lovely broth. I didn’t have dried thyme, so I used fresh, but added at the end with the spinach. Then I turned off the heat and covered with a lid to wilt the spinach. I seasoned generously with French sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (and a bit of extra red pepper flakes). I will be making this over…and over…and over again. Gotta run – lunch is calling me…guess what I’m having :)
Wonderful!! Thanks for sharing your seasonal vegetable choices. Sounds like a great combination. I appreciate the review, Caity!
Kate, when you say red pepper flakes do you mean chilli flakes or bell pepper flakes? Love all your recipes, my favourite at the moment is butternut squash and black bean chipotle chilli.
Great question! When I say red pepper flakes, I am referring to chili flakes. Something that provides a little spice. :)
My daughter made this soup for us lady night & it was wonderful! Thick, hearty & nourishing. Can’t wait to have it again for lunch today!
Sounds wonderful! Thank you, Beth for your review.
I just made this and it was DELICIOUS!!! We are regulars making your lentil soup, at least a few times a month. My husband loves your recipes so much he asked me “is this Cookie or Kate’s recipe?” when I finished making it. :) I figured since we are regulars I should start telling you the praise of how much we love your recipes!!
That’s great! Thank you, Audie. I’m glad he picks up on what recipes you make.
Don’t miss the opportunity to throw your Parmesan rinds in while simmering, to add some umami. Topping with a dollop of pesto sauce when serving will take it to the next level.
Thanks!
So good! I used potatoes, yellow squash and kale. I had to add a bit more water towards the end because I overloaded the veggies, but that just made it even hardier and more delicious. Love your site and recipes!
Delicious! Thank you, Al for the review.
This recipe is full of such bright and beautiful flavours. You have quite literally taught me how to cook with your blog – I’m a university student who, for too long, relied heavily on seamless. Thank you so much for consistently incredible, and entirely doable, recipes. And, thank you for your invaluable tutelage! People have been saying lately that I’m a good cook which is a foreign sentiment… so again, thanks!
You’re welcome. You’re so sweet! I appreciate the review.
This is fabulous. I am a soup person and looked at several minestrone recipes before deciding on this one; boy I’m glad I did. Look no further. Simple goodness! Thank you for sharing. Now I plan to look up the lentil soup recipe too.
Hooray! It’s so good. If you liked this one, try the lentil minestrone from my cookbook, Love Real Food. It won’t disappoint either!
Made this last night, and it’s wonderful. Thank you for posting it.
Great! You’re very welcome. I appreciate the review.
Yo, dog! Not to be a pain in the yoga butt, but it’d be pumpkin spice latte amazing if you included Instant Pot cooking instructions.
Sorry! I don’t use the instapot often. This soup in particular is best if you sauté the veggies in a dutch oven.
As soon as I got the email for this recipe I knew I HAD to make it. I used potatoes and zucchini for my choice vegetables and it turned out great. Even my meat loving boyfriend thought it was deliciously satisfying!
Win! I love that. Thanks for sharing, Kate.
I’ve never had a minestrone that I liked–until now. I had a can of cannellini beans that I wanted to use up so I decided to give this a try.
So glad I did because this is excellent and easy to make.
Hooray! I’m glad you tried it and liked it, Marie. Thanks for the review.
Kate, I just want to say every single recipie I make of yours is INCREDIBLE. You truly have a gift for making simple healthy ingredients taste great. I loved this soup along with all of the other recipes you share with all of us :)! Thanks for making cooking so much fun!
Kara
You’re sweet, Kara! I’m glad you’re a fan. :)
This looks delicious, and I’m glad it will freeze well. I like to make large amounts of soup for thawing out in small amounts and serving hot when it’s cold out. Can’t wait to try it out!
I would love to hear what you think, Floyd!
I made this last night and my husband and I both thought it was delicious. It came together quickly and was a healthy and filling meal. Thank-you for so many great recipes Kate, I have followed you for a few years and always look forward to new posts.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for following. I appreciate the review, Jeanne.
Your soup recipes (and all of your recipes) are always my go-to recipes whenever I want soup during these cold Chicago months. Next time, however, I will take over folks’ advice about the pasta. I’m just a single gal cooking for myself, so I made this with the intent for lunch leftovers. The next morning the pasta definitely soaked up most of the broth, so I added another cup of water, which helped. But a little less minestrone soup and more minestrone stew. Still aMAzing flavors (as always!).
PS I just bought your book and I can’t wait to gather with my favorite gal pal next week and dive in to a new recipe :)
Pasta can do that, especially depending on the type you use. I know gluten free tends to soak up more. I’m glad you liked it, though! Thank you, for buying my book. Enjoy it!
My family loved this recipe! Much better than traditional minestrone, in my opinion. I didn’t vary the recipe and my soup with pasta kept perfectly well in the fridge. It was so delicious that I’m making it again tonight. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m glad this is a new favorite. Thank you, Kim for trying it and for your review.
This was delicious and easy! Will definitely make again!
Happy to hear that, Mary! Thanks for sharing.
Just made this & it’s delicious! Used squash & zucchini for seasonal veggies. Thank you!!! 5 stars!
Thank you!
This was fantastic! It will be a new staple! I am so impressed with your recipes. I have made two things, this soup and the Curry Vegetables and both were outstanding! Love your app and recipes! Thanks so much!
Thank you! I really appreciate the support, Lisa.
So as I said I made the soup in the slow cooker. I roasted the vegetables first and all went into the slow cooker . I set the time for only 6 hours on slow and added my maccaronis 1/2 hour before it was done. Had toy taste. Oh my goodness the flavor is so good. Thanks for this recipe. This will be a staple in my vegan kitchen
I’m happy to hear it worked in a slow cooker, Kerstin! Thanks for sharing.
Made this tonight and it turned out delicious! My family enjoyed it and we paired it with grilled cheese…. thanks for all your great recipes!
Wonderful! I’m glad to hear you liked it Susan. Thanks for the review!
Very tasty and satisfying soup. Turned out great with no changes.
Perfect on a cold winter day. I really love your recipes. I actually bought your book at Barnes & Noble and then found your website. Thank you so much for making all these delicious and healthy recipes.
Thanks so much for the support, Karen!
Wows all around! Easy, healthy, comforting. Used ditalini pasta. This recipe’s a keeper.
Thank you, Stef!
Excellent
Thank you! If you would want to provide a star review, I would appreciate it.
This soup is absolutely delicious! And even better on the second, third day… For the seasonal vegetables I used potatoes and butternut squash and it turned out so good. I know I will be making this over and over again. It took a while to make but after all the veggies were cut, it was mostly just a waiting game and so well worth it.
Kate – I want you to know that I just love all your recipes and purchased the cook book when it came out. I have it sitting on my kitchen counter because I use it so much. Or rather had it sitting on the counter. Last week my kitchen, family, dining and living room floors flooded. The water removal and restoration people came in and packed everything that was in those rooms. There are probably 30-40 boxes sitting in the garage now and it is quite hard to find anything. One of the things I miss the most though, is your cook book! I am able to use the kitchen on a limited basis and keep wanting to use recipes in your book but I am just not able to find it. I am so looking forward to getting the house repaired of course but also to being able to use the cook book again. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
I agree with you! Soup the second day is so much better. Thanks so much for your support, Annika! I’m sorry to hear about the flood. That’s so hard. Good luck!
Virtually identical to Olive Garden recipe.
I made this recipe this morning and had a bowl for lunch. Hands down this is seriously the best tasting minestrone soup I have ever made!!! Just the perfect blend of flavors and loaded with good stuff!
Love, love that you think so Pat! I really appreciate it.
Made this for dinner last night (leftovers tonight yay!) the depth of flavor in this soup is simply amazing. My husband said it’s the best homemade soup he’s ever had! My only complaint is that the noodles absorbed too much liquid and became mushy. Next time I will cook them separately. Other than that, I cannot wait to eat this soup for dinner again tonight! Perfect for a cold winter night.
This soup is so delicious! I used crushed tomatoes for their sauce consistency. For seasonal veg used summer squash, and all other veg called for. When I make a recipe from your cookbook I always know it will be a keeper. Keep up the great work!
Made your minestrone for a church family and a neighbor – delicious!
Takes a while to prep all the veggies but absolutely worth it!
All your recipes are super! Thanks!
This is a perfect minestrone! It’s rich, flavorful, and healthy! I used a zucchini, potato, yellow pepper, and green beans. I highly recommend using a potato as it thickened up the soup so it feels more hearty. This will be definitely be made again and again!
Yay! Thank you, Allison! That sounds delicious. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
delicious! i’m a big fan of the lentil soup – i think i’ve made it over 10 times (it’s my go to when I need a detox) – and i thought this soup was equally as yummy and hearty. I’ve been looking forward to eating this soup for lunch every day – I will certianly make again and add it to my meal rotation. I used green beans, and a bag of shredded carrots (on sale and saved time chopping) and I really liked the texture of the shredded carrots in the soup. the green beans added a nice crunch. love that there are so many ways you can change up the soup to add different veggies – i’m sure it’s equally delicious with any of the ones mentioned. can’t wait to make again!
I made this for my wife. One of her favorite. I used chicken stock , I didn’t have any vegetable. Used peas and potatoes. It was delicious. A receipt to keep
I’m looking for your vegan lentil soup
Here it is! https://sooka.info/2015/vegan-lentil-soup-recipe/%3C/a%3E You can always search in the search bar or use the categories in the menu to help you find what you are looking for.
This turned out amazing! I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. I used white potatoes only for my “seasonal vegetables.” I’m in my first trimester, and I’m having a hard time finding ways to still want to eat vegetables, and this worked like a charm! I always do “meal prep” on Sundays and eat the same thing all week for lunches, and this recipe was just perfect for left-overs. I even had some remaining to freeze. I’m looking forward to having this minestrone all week!
Congratulations, Stephanie! I hear the first trimester can be challenging. I’m so happy this soup did the trick! It freezes well too.
Hi Kate,
Just finished making your minestrone soup. It is amazingly delicious!
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Pat!