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.
Made this soup today, everyone loved it!
WOW!!! This soup is amazing! So clean and healthy! My 15 year daughter and I made it together. We love it!
I love that you guys made it together! Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Lea.
Love this soup. Have made it many times. It’s never the same by changing the vegetable combinations.
I love that about this soup, too! Great for the seasons. Thanks for the review, Karen.
I made this soup for a small dinner party of friends. I served it with hot sourdough bread. Everyone loved it including my 8 year old son. I think I added closer to 4 cups of veggies. I also fried three Italian hot sausages, then sliced them up and added them with the vegetables, so the flavors had time to incorporate. I did not add the additional salt, pasta or lemon juice. I am going to keep this recipe and pass it on to my children, it is that good.
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Jessy. I’m glad it was a hit with everyone.
I love all of your recipes and I am excited to make this today with black eyed peas and collard greens to celebrate the new year. I know this question is last minute but if you see it: should I just cook dry beans separately or add water and cook them in the soup?
I would prepare them separately and be sure to follow any suggestions of soaking them prior to. Hope this helps!
OMGoodness – this is the best minestrone I’ve ever made! I needed to make a few substitutions with what I had on hand – escarole (no spinach on hand – never a problem, right), and since I doubled the recipe, I used one can of small white beans and one can chickpeas. I also made a veggie broth with Better Than Bouillon’s No Chicken Base Vegetarian. So very happy with this recipe. I’m going on an artist’s weekend soon and this will most definitely be one of my “shares.” Thanks so much, Kate!
(PS: I gave my daughter a copy of your cookbook for her last year in college – wanted her to eat healthy!)
I’m so glad you loved it! I love that you were able to make it work for you. I appreciate the review, Roseanne!
Just made this today. This has to be one of my top two favorite soup recipes. I have tried it with a couple different ways and each time it’s delicious. I prefer it with sweet potato and chickpeas, while my partner likes it with double servings of carrots, celery and white beans. I also add a lot of lemon! I add juice from half a lemon into the pot and the other half I save and top off my leftovers throughout the week. I also go big on the garlic but I do that with every recipe. My partner said it was his favorite soup and he’s a picky eater. Thanks for such a stellar and easy recipe.
You’re welcome, Steph! Thanks for sharing.
This was SO delicious!!
Thank you, Kathryn!
This is great! Can’t wait to make this for dinner tonight! Also, just for fun… Nutritional Yeast is another yummy vegan parm substitute. It’s different, but it’s packed with B12 and is super yummy! Thank you!
Made this tonight and it was awesome! Next up: sunshine dressing, blueberry muffins and the crispy french fries!
I absolutely love this minestrone soup! The flavors are amazing, and it tastes even better the next day :) I’m not a vegetarian, but I try to go meatless as much as possible. For me, it’s hard to prepare [healthy] vegetarian main dishes that are filling, but this soup didn’t leave me feeling hungry. I followed the directions without changing anything, and it turned out perfectly. Thank you for sharing the recipe; this is one I’ll keep using over and over again.
I’m glad you love it, Amanda! Thanks for sharing!
Made this soup tonight for my family and it was delicious! Stuck to recipe exactly as is. I added some Parmesan after serving and also a slice of avocado! Loved the coolness and flavor of the avocado with the minestrone soup! It was hearty and flavorful. Will definitely be making it again!
Sounds delicious, Mary! Thanks so much for sharing.
This looks very similar to my Minestrone soup recipe. I use leeks instead of onion and water instead of broth. I add a Parmesan rind while the tomatoes simmer with the first round of vegetables. I use chopped chard, leaves and stems, for the greens. No pasta — gasp! It’s an incredibly flavorful and hearty soup. Guests always rave about it.
Regardless of recipe, homemade soup is always better than what you get in chain restaurants and anything out of a can. Get over the fear of chopping vegetables, make a big pot and store in the freezer. Serve with warm crusty bread.
Thank you!
Probably a silly question – but do you need to cook the seasonal vegetables before putting them in the soup? I’m worried the potatoes won’t get cooked through!
Thank you!
Hi Martha! See step 2. :)
Hi Kate,
I made your Classic Minestrone Soup. One word: Delicious! I didn’t have to change a thing. Loved it. Thank you.
Nancy
Thank you, Nancy!
Absolutely delicious as is! For the seasonal vegetables I used small red potatoes, zucchini and green beans. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you for the recipe. This will be on heavy rotation Lol.
Thank you! I’m happy to hear you loved it as is.
Another Cookie and Kate soup that has made it into the regular dinner rotation. This soup was superb, love that it’s loaded with veggies and low on salt! It is so easy to make, makes your kitchen smell amazing, and gets lots of compliments. Thanks for another great recipe!
Another! What are some of your other favorites? Thanks for sharing you love this one, Katie.
Made this recipe tonight. It’s outstanding! My husband loved it too. This man doesn’t like soup and wanted me to put chicken in it. Chicken? No way, so I gave it to him on the side. I added turnips instead of potatoes, hubby can’t eat potatoes, still delicious. Thanks so much for this soup recipe. I’ll for sure be making this over and over again… No chicken though. :)
I love how you didn’t fold! Go you. Thanks for sharing, Margie. :)
Can you add some instructions for making this in a slow cooker?
I actually don’t use a slow cooker often, if at all. I don’t find it saves me any time as the key to getting some of the flavor is the sauté for the vegetables. Sorry I don’t have instructions for you!
I am in love with your vegetarian soup recipes! I tried this one two weeks ago after all the holiday stress, a cruise, and my husband and I having the flu. I am the only vegetarian in the family, but this soup is wonderful! I did make several changes (due to personal preference) but basically followed all the directions. I do not eat onions or garlic, so I omitted those ingredients. For the freedom on the seasonal vegetables, I used fresh yellow squash, zucchini and red pepper and I utilized the greens and black eye peas (in place of the spinach and beans it called for) we had left over from our New Year’s Day feast. This soup was delicious! I ate it for four days and still had enough to freeze two containers that have two servings each in them. It did take about 2 hours from start to finish, but well worth the time. I highly recommend this one.
Great to hear, Teresa! I’m glad you are able to use the recipe as a guide and then adjust to your tastes. Thanks for sharing!
I made this yesterday and loved it. Nothing better than making soup on a snowy Sunday. Your recipes are so reliably delicious. Thank you!
I agree! Soup + Snow + Sunday = amazing!
I can usually make minestrone with my eyes closed but I recently moved so I looked up this recipe to see if my spices were right! I don’t usually add tomato paste but it was great! BTW I’m from KC too lol . I’m going to check out some of your other recipes!
I’m glad you tried a new recipe and loved it!
I never liked minestrone soup before, but read all the positive reviews, so decided to make a pot. I am totally converted. This soup is absolutely delicious! We have had dangerously cold weather this week, and this soup warms the body and soul! This too will become a regular on my lunch table!
I’m glad you gave this one a shot, Linda! I appreciate the review.
AWESOMENESS & ADDICTIVE! I can’t get enough of this delicious soup! Addictive!!! I even triple your recipe, and yes, it freezes very well! Still, I run out too soon! Thank you for yet another FABULOUS recipe! P S…Oh, and Yes, my hubby is not a soup, nor a veggie person, even he raves about my/your soup!
You’re welcome! I’m glad this even has your husband raving!
Just made your recipe and it was Incredible. So GOOD! I chose Green Beans and Peas as my two Veggies. I left out the Beans and Greens but I may try that one day. Thank you so much! I will fix this Often!
Glad you loved it!
Delish! Added green beans, yellow potatoes and spinach and used rotini and pinto beans and it was flavourful and filling!
Wonderful to hear, Justeen!
I made your recipe for “Classic Minestrone Soup” today in snowy Boston….in the crockpot–it was absolutely outstanding–so much flavor–thanks for sharing–
You’re welcome, Susanne! Thanks so much for your review.
This is THE best minestrone ever! It is so satisfying all around from delicious flavors to ease of prepping all the ingredients to enjoying the hearty soup! (My family thinks it’s a better recipe than the one from the award-winning bakery/cafe near us!) Thank you fir creating a true classic!
You’re welcome, Beth!
Planning to try this recipe soon. I have seen others that includes a piece of parmesan rind that you remove at the end. What step would you add the rind? Appreciate any advice. Thank you!
Hi Lisa, that’s a good way to boost the flavor! I would add it with the vegetable broth.
I’ve made this several times alternating various vegetables on hand and it is delicious. One of my favorite recipes for soup.
Great to hear, Barb!
The minestrone is tasty!
Thank you!
This was a delicious winter treat! I used vegetables I had in the frig—-broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. I added homemade croutons and grated Parmesan cheese to make it really special. Yum!
Sounds delicious, Claire!
Truly delicious! Thank you! The best minestrone I have ever made. Kids loved it, husband loved it, I loved it so big hit. Nice with wild rice instead of pasta or noodles too.
You’re welcome, Llana!
I made the Classic Minestrone soup yesterday for my Italian Kansas City wife (our 39th anniversary in 2 weeks). A great recipe. I added potatoes and chard from our garden and San Mariano tomatoes and sliced zucchini. This is now my “go to” Minestrone. Thank you.
39 years! Congratulations! How sweet of you to make dinner for her. Thanks for sharing, Eddie!
Best soup ever! I didn’t have oregano and thyme. But it turned out delicious! Used garbanzo beans instead and still fantastic
Thanks for sharing, Reshma!
I have colon cancer,and made your soup today it is healthy and delicious to eat after cancer treatments. I will be using your recipes and staying on your website because I want to go vegan.
So happy I found you. Deadra
I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m glad this soup is just what you need. Thanks for sharing, Deadra! Here’s to you kicking cancer’s butt!
Thank you so much Kate..
Made this recipe on a cold and dreich day and although had to miss out celery and oregano it was amazing.
Great to hear, Patricia! Thanks so much for your review.
Great recipe! We’ve made this dish twice now and LOVE it. We cooked it in our insapot and It turns out incredible and in half the time. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Mari! I’m glad this works so well in the instant pot.
I stumbled across your site a few weeks ago trying to figure out how to make a frittata, and was pleasantly surprised with your so easy instructions and the results. I tried the minestrone recipe and have to say it was delicious and also fool proof. I am now deciding which of your other recipes to try. Keep up the good work, from an always vegetarian but sometimes pescatarian.
I’m happy you stumbled! Thanks for sharing, Jessica.
Really, really good! We threw in chunks of parmesan rind the last 5 minutes of simmering and that really gave it an extra edge.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Nathan.
I made this recipe two days ago and it is absolutely delicious. Will definitely make again. I believe I just found my favourite vegetarian/vegan website. Our daughter is vegan so I am always searching.
I’m glad you love C+K and this recipe, Brett!
This was delicious!!!! I threw it all in the Instant Pot. PERFECT recipe for the -35 wind chill day in Michigan!!
That’s way too cold! I’m glad this worked well for you in your instant pot. If you would want to share what your settings were and process, I know other readers would love that!
Hi Lori – can you tell me what timing, etc. you used for the Instant Pot? I’d love to know how to make this soup that way!
Hi
My sister recommended me your minestrone soup recipe and I made it last week it turned out delicious. I have tried few recipes in the past nothing really worked but this recipe is just perfect. The red pepper flakes is the best part I like my food a little spicey…Will try your vegetable lasagna this week. Thanks a ton for amazing recipes
I’m glad you liked it! I appreciate the feedback.
My daughter and I LOVE this soup! It’s better than any home made restaurant soup we have ever eaten. I make it weekly and we go through a big pot in a week and each and every time we eat this soup (which is daily) we always say “this soup is amazing. I’m going to make another batch now. Thank you SO much for sharing xx.
I love it! I’m so glad you both can enjoy it together. Thanks, Audrey.
Woohoo! I made this yesterday and it was exactly what I was looking for. Rich, tomato-y broth and lots of veggies. Since I was making it for our “busy day” when we get home at 5:45 and need to eat at 6, I started it around noon in the Instant Pot on the Saute setting for steps 1 and 2. Then switched it to Slow Cook on low for 5 hours for steps 3 and 4. Got home at 5:45, switched back to Saute to bring it to a boil, dumped in ingredients for step 5. Cooked for 10 minutes while I set the table. Perfect dinner at 6pm. Thank you!
I’m glad it worked so well in the slow cooker, Alisha!
Would you recommend using black beans? Or would it darken the soup too much?
Black beans aren’t true to the class minestrone profile, sorry!
I just made my 2nd batch of this, as I clearly loved it the 1st time. I’m currently on a low carbohydrate diet so I left out the pasta and beans, and it was definitely still delicious! I used zucchini and green beans for the seasonal veggies. Also, after reheating each serving I added about a tsp of balsamic vinegar and that really gave it some additional depth of flavour. Thanks for the great and easy recipes!
I’m glad you made it again! Thank you for sharing you take on it to fit your needs.
Kate…The BEST Minestrone Soup! Seasonal vegggies I used 1 potato, butternut squash & green beans, measured a little more than 2 cups. Added 2 teaspoons of Seitenbacher’s vegetable broth & seasoning at the end. It is Gluten free. I purchased at my local health food store.
Looking forward to making some of your other recipes.
Jane
Thank you, Jane! I appreciate the review.
Have made a batch of this 3 weeks in a row! Delicious!!
That’s amazing!
I had a hankering for minestrone and I googled best minestrone soup recipe…Your recipe was just the best. I shrunk the bigger beans(a weapon of mass destruction for my husband and me) to navy beans. The soup was delicious – so much so that I made the soup twice in three weeks. Gave some to our great Greek neighbors! My husband loved it for vegetarian dinner and for lunch. He is not a vegetarian but A meat and potatoes Scottish American!
Thank you so much.
Linda Milano MacLeod
I’m happy this was the first the came up! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it, Linda.