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.
Absolutely delicious! I made a winter version with butternut squash and kale. I also used a 1/2 lb. of whole grain pasta to bulk it up a bit more. I am looking forward to the leftovers already! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Sounds like a delicious combination, Rachel.
This recipe is super delicious! Planning on making again!
Perfect recipe- loved your soup, very easy to make and definitely going to be a regular this winter. Thank you
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Anne.
This truly is the best minestrone I’ve ever had. We make this regularly now and serve with homemade focaccia. Thanks so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Michelle! Thank you for your review.
Hello thank you for the recipe i am mid making it now . I don’t have any of the cannelloni beans i do have red kidney beans , or butter beans or chick peas which would work as a sub?
Thank you
Hi! You can substitute the beans you prefer here. Let me know what you think, Susan!
Hello thank you for the recipe i am mid making it now . I don’t have any of the cannelloni beans i do have red kidney beans , or butter beans or chick peas which would work as a substitute ?
Thank you
I make this soup a lot, and you really can’t mess it up. I kick up the flavor by stirring in a dollop of prepared pesto.
This is delicious! Another reader commented saying she made it on a Monday, had it for dinner through Thursday. I’m doing the same!
How long can it stay in the fridge before you need to freeze it?
Thank you
Hi Rhonda, it keeps well for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. If planning to freeze, I would do so shortly after making it so you don’t have spoilage concerns when it thaws.
My husband made this recipe last night and he follow all the directions. He usually doesn’t cook, but he said that was really easy to make. The soup was delicious and we are going to have the left overs tonight with some garlic bread toped with grated parmesan. Looking forward for dinner since the weather is going to be cold. I pair the soup with Pinot Noir and my taste buds were in heaven. We are saving this recipe to have often.
Fantastic! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor and that is was a good recipe for your husband to make as well. Thank you for your review!
This is fantastic recipe, the best Minestrone Soup recipe I have used. Tasted so good with parmesan coated toasted bread crumbs. Cooked with zucchini and french green beans.
Hi there! I have a lot of chicken stock leftover and I’m wondering if I could use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Tina, that should work fine. It would likely change your flavor some.
This soup is incredible!!! Second time I’ve made it in the past two weeks. This time I added sweet potatoes instead of potatoes and red kidney beans instead white beans, because that’s what I had. Turned out great!
I love that you are changing it up, Mimi! Thank you for taking the time to review.
This is such a great recipe! I’ve made it three times now and have used different veg for the seasonal ingredients. Tonight, I used green beans, peas, and sweet potatoes, and it came out great. I made one more adjustment because my son hates tomatoes. Instead of the diced tomatoes, I added a little extra tomato paste. This has become my go-to minestrone soup recipe. Thank you!
Sounds like a delicious combination! Thank you for sharing, Johnna.
Incredibly delicious. I was looking for a way to use my winter CSA share veggies and this is just the ticket. I used potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, spinach, and probably others that I can’t remember. That’s the beauty of it – you can use whatever is on hand! I used a small ham hock the first time. This time I’m using short ribs but I don’t load it up with meat – just a taste for flavoring.
So excited to make this soup! Can you tell me when is the best step to add potatoes? It seems I either add them too early and they fall apart and get mushy, or I add them too late and they don’t cook through. Any advice would be helpful!! Thanks.
Hi Dyan! I had luck adding when it says to add seasonal vegetables. You could try and cut them slightly larger. What you type of potato have you been using?
This is really a delicious soup – excellent recipe. Tonight I had baby spinach on hand so I added that as the greens and Im not sure it’s a great idea to add the spinach in at the same time as the beans and the pasta. By the time the soup is ready the spinach is unrecognizable.I was wondering if you ever add the spinach in to the bowls of soup as you serve them instead so that it stays fresh and green?
Thank you, Lisa! I appreciate your review.
I must reveal myself right at the start, I am a dedicated devote of
Marcella Hazan. So the minestrone I just made in the last two days
is about the same as hers but I do not put in pasta and as far as possible I do not use canned beans. They are mostly fine but
I prefer the ones I cook at home. I find the canned beans tend to be
more mushy then I like …. with best wishes
Just made this for lunch with friends. Easy and delicious. I just used beans and no pasta for gluten free. Thanks!
My 11 year old daughter kept raving about our friend’s minestrone that was sent home with us. He is an AMAZING chef and does it professionally.
I dared to make a minestrone that would live up to his and it happened tonight!
This was a delicious soup!!
I used delicata squash, sweet potato and red potato for the veggies and Persian cress for the greens!
I didn’t have bay leafs( ran out!!!! Yikes!) and used extra thyme and that sufficed!
I served it with fresh grated Parmesan and a delicious baguette and olivo nuovo!!!
Perfect meal!
Looking forward to it tomorrow!!
Thank you so much for the recipe!
A definite keeper!!
This minestrone is AMAZING. I’m so happy I tried it. Minestrone is my favourite soup and I’ll definitely be making this regularly. I’m not vegetarian so I did use my homemade chicken stock in the recipe which always adds a lovely flavour compared to store-bought. The lemon juice addition really makes the flavours pop. Thank you!
This is SO good. I never leave comments on recipes. It is perfect. I almost forgot the lemon–so glad I didn’t. Thank you!
I’m glad you added it! Sends it over the top. Thank you for your review!
This was FAB!! Thank you
Love this recipe! I definitely throw in a bunch of random vegetables to it’s different every time but this recipe is always my guidance.
This was my first attempt of real cooking. It was so good I gave some to my neighbours and they loved it. This has made me get into cooking. Will definitely make this again and it was so healthy.
I’m glad you loved it, Jackie! Thank you for your review.
I made this exactly as is (but might have played a little fast and loose with the red paper flakes) and it is excellent! Absolutely delicious–nice layering of flavors. Thank you!!
Thanks for helping me prepare a deliciously warming bowl of soup today. I opted for zucchini, orecchietti pasta and kale. Happened to have some caramelized onions and anchovy paste in the fridge from last night’s dinner so threw a few tablespoons in for added umami.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for your review.
My first time to make minestrone soup. It was absolutely delicious and very easy to make. My daughter who Is vegan couldn’t compliment me enough. I used butternut squash and zucchini instead of potatoes. Thank you Kate
Omg! First time making soup and this tasted great! Brought back childhood memories. Only mistake I made is using super big chunks of tomatoes. I should have blended half as I am hopeless with my chopping skills. Thank you for a great recipe.
I made an unusual substitution yesterday. I didn’t have celery or spinach (or similar greens) and we were on lockdown where I live. I did have bokchoy and used the lower yellow parts for the celery and the leaves for the greens. Came out amazingly well.
I also used fresh basil as I have a plant.
There are a lot of recipes for minestrone on the web but this one strikes me as one of the best. Really enjoyed making it.
My favourite minestrone re Joe thank you I love changing the vegetables Aton d frog dung what I have
Just tried your recipe this afternoon, substituting leafy greens from the garden for the ones in your recipe. Delicious!
My family doesn’t love vegetables, but we all love this soup. Have made it four times this winter already. I use zucchini, sweet potato, and sweet peppers. Serve with parmesan and fresh bread. Thank you for this recipe. Yummy!!
This is my go to soup recipe. I love it!! So filling and delicious!!
I love that! Thank you, Olivia.
I made the lentil minestrone from your book and even though I followed all of the cooking times the lentils were not done. Any advice?
Wonderful recipe, my daughter Lizzie passed it on to me. So delicious and nutritious! A great new years eve meal with a slice of hot buttered sour dough bread .
Happy New year !
This is the best minestrone soup recipe ever! It tastes so rich and fresh! The addition of lemon juice and olive oil at the end really enhances the flavors. It was the perfect meal with homemade sourdough bread. Thank you Kate!
Very Good recipe and healthy. I used chicken broth instead of veg broth and my seasonal veggies were butternut squash and green beans. Otherwise followed it exact adding more water and salt/pepper to taste. Really Fresh and thoroughly enjoyed this, will make again.
That’s great, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Wow. Wow. Wow. I don’t think of myself as a minestrone gal, but I’m working my way through most of your soup recipes and tonight was this one. Oh my god. Amazing. I followed the instructions exactly, using green beans and a sweet potato as my seasonal veggies. I will certainly be making this frequently going forward. Absolute perfection. Your soup page is my favorite corner of the internet and I can’t thank you enough for all of the delicious and healthy recipes!
I’m happy this one won you over! Thank you for your review.
Fantastic recipe for this amazingly delicious soup! Thank you for sharing !
This minestrone is terrific! Nice hearty broth & lots of veggies. I modified it by adding roasted grape tomatoes.
I’m excited you loved it! Thank you for sharing your modification, Catherine.
I made your minestrone soup 3 days ago and I can honestly say it is the tastiest soup I’ve ever had. Still as good on the third day. Absolutely delicious and healthy. Thank you so much I will be cooking it on a very regular basis.
Catherine
That’s great to hear, Catherine!
Fantastic recipe, followed exact only added little more water and salt. Whole family devoured it. Veggies we chose were green beans and butternut squash. So healthy thank you! My daughter and I fought over the last bowl.
I made this today and it was delicious!! I used potatoes, zucchini, petite diced tomatoes and small shells. I did not change a thing. My husband loves minestrone soup and orders it at restaurants all the time. This is my first try (he does most of the cooking) and he loved it! This is a keeper! Next time I will use green beans instead of potatoes if using pasta. Thank you, Kate. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes once my husband gets out of my kitchen (Truly, I am not complaining)
This was super yummy. For the veggies, I went with one potato (perfect one cup) and a cup of fresh green beans. So good. My daughter is vegetarian (I’m close) so this is a great family favorite. I added garlic bread because my husband is a cancer survivor and I need to fatten him up! Thank you!!!!
Delicious! Perfect soup/recipe for any chilly evening.
Thank you!
Wow! Your hearty lentil minestrone soup is so delicious!!! Thank you so much for adding it to your cookbook, Love real Food! I have been suggesting your recipes and website to my adult son all year long, so much so that he bought your cookbook for me this Christmas! He wasn’t aware that I had already purchased it for myself on Amazon. Rather than returning it, I am planning on giving it to a friend to share your yummy, healthy food! Your kale and quinoa salad with celery, cranberries, and lemon dressing (from your cookbook) is a weekly staple in our household, as well as your epic tacos (website recipe). I also enjoy your ‘what to cook’ each month emails, and will be trying lots of recipes this year, since your recipes are always a hit with our family. It’s my go to site whenever I’m searching for something new! I’ve been praying for Cookie’s continued good health after her cancer diagnosis! So happy to read she was doing so well after treatment!!
I’m happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing my blog and cookbook with others. I really appreciate it!
Really tasty, had to work out the conversion in grams as don’t really use cups in the UK. So flavoursome, yum.
I love minestrone but have usually found recipes to lead to very bland broth. This recipe is fantastic and I’ve made it at least a half dozen times since I first found it. The broth has so much more complexity than other recipes I’ve found. I always add a couple extra cups of broth and go heavy on the vegetables. My favorite combination is zucchini and sugar snap peas. Thank you!
I never follow recipes exactly (it’s a joke between me and my friends), but everytime I make this I always follow it exactly bc it doesn’t need any changes!!
Thank you, Camille! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Literally now my favorite soup and I am not usually a soup person. Recipe was super easy to follow, tasted amazing – I ended up making it two weeks in a row!
I’m delighted you enjoy this one!
Hi there, I just wanted to tell you that I tried your recipe and it was really good! I tend to browse different recipes and I take a little bit from each one, but with yours I did everything to the T. So good! I don’t do Instagram, but trust me, lol it was good. Thanks I look forward to trying more of your recipes..
I’m delighted you loved it, Rose! Thank you for your review.
I am loving this recipe all the way from Scotland