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 made this soup in my Instantpot. I sautéed everything as directed and cooked on the soup setting for 10 minutes. In retrospect I probably should have cooked the pasta separately. Live and learn! This is the first time I have ever actually used a real recipe for this soup, and it smells divine. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Anita!
It’s really good
Thank you, Sofia!
Loved this recipe and have made it often. Put some sliced savoy cabbage too. Great recipe.
Thank you, Patricia!
I made this soup for my vegetarian son who was visiting before Thanksgiving, and who is used to having really delicious vegetarian food. It was soooo good that he went back for seconds. And, it didn’t take long to cook, only long enough for the vegetables, and then the pasta, to be cooked through. Further, I don’t usually cook the pasta in the soup because it absorbs a lot of the broth, but this time I followed the recipe and the consistency was fine. I altered the recipe by using only one small can of diced tomatoes and no tomato paste, which is more to my taste. Truly, it was an absolutely wonderful soup to make. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipe.
You’re welcome, Lorraine! I appreciate your review.
SO delicious! The best minestrone recipe I’ve found. My whole family devoured it. Thank you!
Great recipe!! Cooked the dish in a Dutch oven, turned out so delicious. Will definitely be doing this again. The kale was a great idea and texture. Next time I will add some extra water/broth, the pasta soaked up a lot of it. But this was a lot of fun. Kids loved it too.
I’m glad you loved it, Colin! Thank you for your review.
Love this soup, shared with family and friends and they love It too!!
Thank you for your review, Kristen!
Made this tonight and loved it! I’ve made Minestrone many times and I like how you arranged the order of ingredient additions in the pot. My soups tend to get so thick and with this recipe it came out perfect. I made with zucchini green beans northern beans potato and kale. Next time I will try spinach and pearl barley. So many options!
I made this soup – sautéed in the Dutch oven and then transferred to my slow cooker – first on high for 30 min then switched to low cook for a couple hours so that the carrots got soft. Used ditalini pasta but boiled it first and then added with the spinach – otherwise it pulls a lot of the liquid out of the soup. It was delicious topped with shredded Parmesan and a big hit for dinner with slices of warm Italian bread. Thanks for a recipe that I’ll keep and make again and again. Yummy.
Thank you for sharing, Pat! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you so much Kate for sharing this recipe! So simple to follow but yet so SO hearty and delicious and not to mention healthy! Will be definitely a family staple especially as we’ve been having weeks of rainy cool days and nights during what is meant to be our summer in Sydney, Australia! Can’t believe this hearty soup can be so healthy and nutritious as well as be so tasteful!
I’m glad you loved it, Imelda! I appreciate your review.
Loved making this soup! It tastes delicious and it made the kitchen smell so good. This soup is also going to help a great cause! Every year, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church across America raises money for the orphanages in Ukraine (Souper Bowl Sunday) and this yummy soup will be served for monetary donations that will be sent to help support the orphanages! Thank you for posting this recipe. I know it will be a winner!
Delicious! All my life I’ve hated soups with no meat. Then I was told I have pre-diabetes. So dietary changes must be made. I found the recipe and I am in LOVE with the flavor! So much that I’ve made this soup twice. I omitted the greens because my husband doesn’t like them and doubled the carrots, zucchini and celery. YUMMY!
Hooary! I’m glad you have already made this one again. I appreciate your review.
delicious as usual!! you are a fantastic recipe creator!!
Thank you, Arya!
Hi! This looks so delicious! I usually work late – is there a way this can be adapted for a slow cooker? Thank you. Can’t wait to try!
I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker, sorry!
Would adding green pepper to this recipe alter the taste too much?
Hi, you could try it. Let me know what you think!
Would it be ok to omit the pasta?
Hi Lisa, Sure! It will be more soupy. You can always reduce the liquid or enjoy it more soupy. I hope you like it!
Just made this, filled recipe exactly. It’s absolutely delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome Caroline! Thank you for your review.
You’re welcome, Caroline!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I used sweet potatoes, white kidney beans since it’s what I had on hand. Would for sure make again! Another favorite of your recipes.
Has anyone made this with Gnocchi? Wondering if it would be a good replacement for the pasta.
Yes, I did. It turned out great! I gave some to my son and his wife and they liked it as well.
I just made this tonight and it was sooo good!! Thank you for sharing this recipe
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Candice!
This recipe is the best. I am not a vegetarian but I could eat this soup everyday day of the week.
We made this as a starter for a pizza and garlic flat bread party. We kept to the recipe. The oil and Lemmon juice at the end made a big difference visually. Really delicious.
Just made this soup. Delicious!!! I used what I had frozen chopped spinach, butternut squash from the garden, rest I followed the recipe.
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Q! I appreciate your review.
First time making it for the next day’s meal. Looks, smells and taste good. Added bacon at the beginning for added flavour. Can’t wait till tomorrow’s meal. Thank you!
Thank you for your review, Mari!
Thank you Kate unbelievably tasty! I just made a large pot using your recipe – my husband and I are going to be enjoying this beautiful dish right through to New Year!!
That’s wonderful, Peta! Thank you for your review.
I have tried making Minestrone soup so many times using various recipes and was never happy with how they tasted. I decided to try once again, this time I was lucky enough to find your recipe. This Minestrone soup was the best I’ve ever had! It’s easy, hearty and delicious! A definite hit and a new family favorite! Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, DeAnna! I’m glad you loved it.
I made the soup and it was delicious! I didn’t follow it exactly although I did pay attention to the seasonings because I am not skilled at seasoning food. I shared some and have been asked for the recipe. So here I am…printing your recipe! Love that you’re a dog lover! I also have 2 little crazy Beagles. I am not exclusively a dog lover..love cats and anything else that lives and breathes! (except for ticks and mosquitos!) I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Looks amazing – can you make this with pre-cooked pasta (adding it just before serving)?
Hi Michelle, that could work. You may want to reduce the liquid as you won’t need quite as much. Let me know what you think!
I am a retired Firefighter and learned most of my cooking skills in the fire house. So I made some changes to your recipe, like adding hamburger, used beef broth, much more garlic and fist full of pepper flakes for more kick, like we like in the fire house! I love your recipe, but spice is nice I was very pleased with the out come as well as some friends who sampled too.
Hi! We love this soup and have made many times. I recently learned I have a nightshade allergy. Do you have any suggestions on how to alter it to be tomato-free?
Hi Fiona! I don’t have a great substitute for the same flavor. You can omit and try adding more carrots and other seasonal vegetables.
Fiona – I’ve found that pumpkin can be substituted for tomato. I know it sounds weird but the pumpkin gives a similar color as tomato and adds a richer, although different, flavor. Give it a try. I plan to make this soup tomorrow and I will be using the pumpkin while omitting the tomatoes.
Love this recipe!! Thanks and happy new years ×
Yet another great recipe coming out of your kitchen thank you so much; bring on the cold because my delicious soup is done! I did cook the pasta separately and will add it when I heat up the soup for meals; there are only 2 of us and we’ll be eating soup all week & I don’t like soggy pasta. Your recipes are my all time favorite, thank you for making me into a yummy cook!!
I made this soup for the first time it is delicious I Usually go to Olive Garden and get the soup I don’t have to do that no more it turned out amazing
I’m happy to hear you loved it, Maggie!
So yummy! My husband was super full after eating it and didn’t feel the need to add meat (as he usually does when I cook)
Oh my excellent. I made some for a football game watch party and got compliments on how very good this was.
I loved the flavor of it. I cooked the pasta separately and put it in at the last before serving.
I’d likely put less than 2 cups of the carrots-celery etc. to have it be more brothy (but the veg’s add liquid so who knows…) or just more broth. I used all vegetable broth instead of broth and water. Otherwise made as written.
Keeper!!!
So Yummy! I tweaked veggies for us.
Made this soup on a cold winter afternoon, and it didn’t disappoint! Flavorful and nourishing to the core, there’s nothing quite like a nice simple minestrone :) Tasted almost as good as my Nonna’s ;)
That’s a compliment! Thank you for sharing, Francesco.
I wanted to make a veggie soup and I always struggle with the seasonings. I made yours with a bunch of substitutions because of what I had on hand (tomato puree, yellow squash, frozen spinach, canned green beans, a sprinkle of corn, dried mushroom and Parmesan ravioli, a bit of Parmesan rind, kidney beans, chicken broth and turkey broth.) It was wonderful! I will do potato next time since I will probably have enough to freeze. My mother in law’s first words when I came in from work were “that soup was delicious!” Thank you for a great recipe.
I’m glad it was a hit! Thank you for your review, Beth.
I forgot to pick up tomato paste at the store!!! Any suggestions on substitutes?
To get the best flavor, the tomato paste is really important. You can try it without or try adding the tomatoes in during the end of the vegetable cooking time to extract more flavor. I can’t guarantee results though. Sorry!
Absolutely love this soup! I might have gone overboard on the vegetables, so it was a bit busy… I wanted more broth. I did add some more vegetable broth, but found by adding V-8 it kept the color pretty and added a lovely taste. I also like adding some cabbage. Thanks for this! I have added it to the winter repertoire!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jeffrey!
First time making this soup, left out the beans and pasta. Still very fulfilling. Added cauliflower and asparagus as well. Served with sliced baguette. It was delish. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Suzy! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Great recipe. I really enjoyed the flavours. Have made it and will save some for tomorrow. I bought a fresh Italian continental roll to go with it.
Thank you for sharing, Trisha!
Made this soup
was delish- I used lima bean, butternut squash, green squash , green beans
carrot onion and celery. Kidney beans instead of cannelloni (didn’t have any)
used fire roasted crushed tomatoes
Made this soup tonight – cold here in new york!
It was delish- I used lima bean, butternut squash, green squash , green beans
carrot onion and celery. Kidney beans instead of cannelloni (didn’t have any)
used fire roasted crushed tomatoes
Thank you
Thank you for sharing, Joann! I appreciate your review.
After a week long cruise I was looking for a healthy and delicious soup with tons of vegetables to detox from all those meaty and rich meals. This soup was perfect even with several substitutions because of lack of ingredients that came out fantastic. I had to sub tomato sauce for paste, chicken instead of vegetable stock and also use Brussels sprouts and mushrooms that’s part of my veggie mix. Also I only had dried Italian seasoning instead of the thyme and oregano. I’m sure it will be much better with the ingredients as listed but still the whole family enjoyed the dish and we ate for two days.
This is exactly what I was craving on a cold winter day: colorful, flavorful, variety of textures. It was wonderful with a side of crusty bread. I chopped one zucchini (into large chunks so it wouldn’t get mushy) and a yellow potato as my seasonal veggies. I subbed Jovial elbows to make it GF. Thank you!
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing how you made this work for you, Ashley.
So Delicious! I love all your reciepes, thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Christine! I’m happy to hear it was a hit.
Very good! I used summer squash, kale, and pinto and white beans. It was flavorful and tasted even better as left overs!!
This came out EXCELLENT! I love how easy it is to tweak this to your liking. lemon juice and olive oil at the end is definitely important! Instead of pasta, I subbed for 1 cup of potatoes. I used zucchini, yellow squash, cannelloni beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and baby kale along with the celery, onion, and carrot. It’s loaded with veggies and it’s so perfect. I was worried about using store bought veggie broth, but it was totally fine. I like spicy so I did add a little extra pepper flakes. I also added a little bit of garlic powder because who doesn’t love extra garlic? We topped it with garlic butter croutons, chopped basil, and parmesan. PERFECTION!!!
Wonderful to hear, Holly!
Absolutely fabulous recipe, my first time making minestrone soup & definitely won’t be my last thank you Kate x
Thank you Kate for this recipe :)
very simple to make, healthy and devine in taste :))). I made minestrone before, but following your way I reached perfection! I added broad beans instead of white beans and yummies instead of potatoes, as my husband is diabetic and I always try to cut on GI level. It was stil DELCIOUS :)))))))
thanks!
I’m so excited you enjoyed it, Gosia! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This is one of my favorite recipes to get through the winter. Honestly, it has everything you need in a soup, it’s extremely nutritious but also incredibly comforting and delicious. I find myself making this soup every two weeks at least this winter! I made this for my mother-in-law when she was down with a cold, and she proclaimed it was “not bad, not bad at all!”, which in the local dialect means it was divine (which surpasses any praise she’s ever given me for my cooking). Even my toddler loves it. So a definite winner and a family favorite all around!
Cannot get enough of this soup its absolutely delicious making it for the 3rd time today in the last 5 weeks my wife loves it as well . Followed directions to a tee other than bulking up on more veggies and broth but wouldn’t change a thing that’s the great thing about minestrone you can add whatever veggies you like best and its super healthy . I highly recommend if you come across this recipe and love minestrone make this you won’t be disappointed
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Bob. I’m glad you love it.
Absolutely delish! Highly recommend. Added yellow squash, peas, and spinach to the recipe. So good! Will definitely make again.
Sounds like a great combination, Elana! I appreciate your review.