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.
This came out magnificently! I love thick, rich, minestrone and I’m happily surprised at how easy and affordable it is to make a big pot of minestrone. I misread a step and added in the tomato paste at step 2 instead of step 1 but it still came out great. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for your comment and review, Sam!
Nice recipe. I toss in a Parm rind. Better day two. *****
I almost never leave reviews on recipe blogs, but this soup is so incredible that I had to. I’ve tried a few other recipes and found them all a little lackluster. But, THIS IS DELICIOUS. For the chopped vegetables, I used white potato, frozen green beans, frozen peas, and yellow squash; I used baby spinach for the greens. I didn’t use any type of cheese, and while cheese is obviously amazing, this recipe doesn’t need it. So flavorful and warm and perfect.
I’m so glad you decided to leave a review, J! Thanks for sharing you loved it.
Super dinner for a happy family. Back to basics for all our family
I used frozen green beans, zucchini and didn’t add all the beans. It’s absolutely delicious. I made it 2x in 2 weeks.
It’s so healthy.
1000mg Sodium per cup of soup is healthy? I admit, it looks delicious though and I’m still going to make it!
Hey Mr. Chef, you can reduce the sodium by using reduced-sodium canned products, replacing the vegetable broth with water, and being judicious with your salt use. Individual needs for sodium vary.
If you are concerned about sodium, you can also add parsley to increase the potassium to balance out the sodium.
Kate, do I have to use canned tomato? can I use fresh ones?
Hi Fan, I’m not sure directions with fresh, sorry!
Hi Kate! I used 1 16 Oz can of tomatoes and about 16 Oz of chopped up fresh with some water and a squirt of a broth concentrate (that’s very tomatoey), because that’s what I had. And it turned out fantastic. I also added a smidge more tomato concentrate. I think you could probably do the same with replacing the canned tomatoes with what I did. It’s a super tasty recipe!
Never left a review on a cooking site but this recipe is amazing- love how easy it is to tweak the recipe to your liking. I don’t like beans so I simply added extra veggies- used a mix of zucchini, yellow squash, peas, and potatoes! Thanks for sharing :)
Best Minestrone recipe I have made, loved it thankyou Nice and chunky with heaps of flavour. I added a bit of paprika, and lots of fresh parsley and chives at the end as well as I love plenty of extra herb flavour.
Excellent soup. I used parsnip and potatoes for vegetables, and I was going to add green beans but my pot wasn’t big enough. I added lentils but no pasta, because of space, and served it with quick focaccia
hank you for sharing, Liz!
Great soup, went down a treat with the family definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome, Paula! I’m happy you love it!
This is the most delicious minestrone EVER! My husband requests it at least once a week! So so good!
I made the classic minestrone soup it was delicious
Star rating=5
This soup is delicious! It’s the only Minestrone Soup recipe you’ll ever need. I’ve passed it on to my mother and she loves it, as well. Thanks for sharing it! :)
Delicious! I did a mostly canned version because that’s what I had on hand. I used one can each Healthy request chicken noodle soup, garbanzo beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes with spices; half cup each canned peas, carrots and green beans. Rinsed all beans and veggies and added 2 cups water. We had dried parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper. To start I added about 2T chopped green onion to olive oil in pan and sauted until slightly browned. Then added all other ingredients, spices to taste and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until I could smell it. Served with cheesy bread sticks.
Delicious! I used one large parsnip as the seasonal vegetable. Can it really be even better today (day 2)??!
Nice vegetarian recipie Would make life easier to also provide modern metric values if possible please, rather than just quaint ounces.
Excellent recipe. It is a warm and rich soup. A good idea for those raining days or when you have the flu.
I added fresh jalapeño and mushrooms.
This recipe was just amazing! I make soup all the time but could tell by the ingredients and the cooking process this was going to be a favorite-well it exceeded my expectations! Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow for lunch. Thank you for sharing.
Perfect!! The right amount of seasonings too! It’s even better the next day :) Easy too…thank you!
I had never made minestrone soup before – I had never even tasted it but my boyfriend and I were in the mood for something healthy and tomatoey so this is what I settled on. I have to tell you this soup is the gift that keeps on giving – so full of flavor!
neither of us are vegetarians and I had made chicken the night before, so instead of olive oil, I used chicken fat to soften the veggies. I used zucchini, yellow squash, potato, and spinach in addition to the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Dished it out with some super crispy garlic bread and we were both amazed at how good our apartment smelled, and how flavorful the soup was.
Making it for the second time in a week tonight because it’s excellent meal prep. Love love loved it!!!
I love this! I first thought that I really didn’t need a recipe for minestrone, but I’m glad I followed this one. Very flavorful and easily made. I used a bunch of leftover vegetables in the fridge and gluten-free corn rotini (couldn’t find elbows). I wasn’t sure how the pasta cooked in the soup would turn out, but it all came together wonderfully. Thank you!
I have made this soup twice. It’s delicious. Also, a great way to use whatever veggies you have in the fridge.
Hi! Ive never had luck with leftover minestrone because the pasta thickens it up in the fridge overnight. Is there a trick to prevent this? Thanks :)
Hi Emma! So, I kind of like how it turns more stew-y as time goes on. Sounds like you don’t—you could cook the pasta separately and store it separately, adding it to bowls as needed. Hope that helps!
Homemade pesto or puréed garlic basil in olive oil added right before or after Turing off heat adds special flavor!!
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! This turned out exactly like the pictures and I’m already buying ingredients to make it again!
Love this soup, I’ve made it several times. Was curious about freezing it, do you freeze with the pasta? Or add the pasta after you defrost?
Thanks!
Hi Jaclyn! If you like thick, stewy minestrone, you can freeze it with the pasta (it absorbs more moisture as it reheats). If you’d like to keep the texture consistent, however, you could add the pasta after you defrost. Up to you!
Absolutely amazing!! Swapped a few veggies, added kidney beans, and throughly enjoyed! Great recipe!
Awesome recipe!! I made homemade vegetable broth, which is easy to make, especially when you don’t want loads of sodium!! My family and friends love this. Definitely a favorite!!
Hi,
I really love this recipe but am wondering if there is an error in the amount of pasta to use. It says one cup, which must mean measured dry since the recipe directions say when adding the pasta at the end to cook “until the the pasta is cooked al dente”. The first time I made this soup, I did that and almost all of the liquid was absorbed by the pasta, which made it a stew rather than a soup. The second time I made it, I cooked the cup of pasta first before adding it to the soup, and then added it at the very end. The soup was still more than just thick, it was close to a stew. I used whole wheat elbow pasta.Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Katie! You cook the pasta in the soup. It’s a thicker soup, not a ton of liquid. What type (size) of pasta did you use?
Thanks for the quick reply!I used Barilla regular sized whole wheat elbows.
Kate, your recipes are always wonderful! Thank you so very much for putting the time and energy in on your posts and your wonderful book, Love Real Food—I recommend it to everyone I meet who wants to eat better and is game to cook. I hope you don’t mind that I occassionally adapt your recipes for my blog, always pointing people to your site and book.
Delicious! Thank you!
Made your minestrone soup today for lunch for me and my mom. Great recipe, thank you so much for sharing!
I’ve made this several times and it’s always a family fav! My go to veggies are golden potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and fresh green beans if I can find them. I use gluten free elbows for the husband and serve it over a batch of spicy meatballs for the kiddos. We also have a small batch of fresh parm from my bosses last trip to Venice. Delicious! Best and most affordable minestrone recipe I have found online.
Great recipe! I just used water, no broth, and added fennel bulb and shallot from the beginning with the onion, celery and carrot. Lovely taste and texture. Thank you!
I’m happy you loved it, Monique!
So so good. I love your recipes. My changes: I nearly doubled the veggies (used yellow squash, zucchini, one Yukon potato, and green beans), and added 1.5 cups water beyond what the recipe called for and then tossed in two of my fave veggie bullion cubes (I like strong flavor) in addition to the 32 oz “Imagine” brand veggie broth, increased the fresh garlic, used fire roasted diced tomatoes. Delish!!! Thank you, first review ever posted
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
LOVED it. Beats all restaurant soups we ever bought. Thank you
This is fantastic! I have a veggie patch and this is my go to recipe to use them when they are piling up.
Don’t be afraid to use fresh herbs and get a little bit heavier on the chilli.
Making this soup right now – just simmering at the moment. Wish I had not added the tomato paste in step one as I’m using a Dutch oven pot and even though I had it on low – it burned the tomato paste … hope this doesn’t ruin the whole batch :(
Oh no! Sounds like your heat was a little high. How did it turnout?
Brilliant perfect soup for current situation. Followed recipe very tasty.
Thank you for your comment! I’m happy you loved it, Ann.
AMAZING!!!!!!
Delicious! I made mine with kidney beans, and spelt twist pasta, and makes a brilliant hearty soup and very handy for a nutritious immune booster!
My daughter got me your amazing cookbook for Christmas. The pages for this recipe are all splattered. I’ve used it many times. This is an exceptional, very forgiving recipe that everyone loves. And it’s beautiful! Thank you!
That sounds like mine too! Thank you for sharing, Jill.
Absolutely delicious! I’ve been making minestrone for years but mine pales into insignificance compared to yours……
Thanks so much.
This is the best soup every!!! Even my 14 yo who went vegan (not any more) lived on it for 2 months!! The lemon at the end just brings this soup to another level!! I do freeze it but add veg broth when i reheat!!!!
Delicious! Lots of fresh vegetables and great flavor! I will definitely make it again!
This was amazing. Hearty, healthy and very flavorful.
Can you cook this in a crockpot instead? I’ve been enjoying trying your recipes, thank you!
Hi Emily! I suppose you could, but I haven’t tried it. I would still recommend to follow the saute instructions as that is really where a lot of flavor comes from.
Delicious. Great flavors. Next time I will cook the pasta separately and combine it when serving individual bowls. The pasta bloats and sucks up all the lovely broth when served as leftovers.
I made this for lunch and it was so wonderful on a rainy day. I used light green summer squash and yukon gold potatoes for my veggies, and collard greens for the greens, adding the collards with the broth since they tend to take so long to cook. I tossed a parmesan rind in the broth to use it up. Also, I cooked my orecchiette separately so that the leftovers would have non-soggy noodles (the leftovers are stored with the soup and noodles in separate containers). Thanks so much for the recipe–it’s a huge pot of soup for two quarantining people, but we’ll eat it. It’s great to have something healthy on hand and ready to eat, and I love how versatile this is with regard to vegetable use. :-)
Kate, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I did it exactly the way you did and it came up delicious! My husband loved it. Definitely a recipe I will do over and over again. This is the third recipe I’ve tried from your website, I have loved all three. I share your love for cooking, I love it! I’ve been cooking all my life and now with cooking websites like yours it gets so much easier and delightful!
Thanks Kate, this was delicious. I used what veggies I had and put in 3 cups, I will be making this regularly,
Louise
Hi there! If I used Idaho potatoes (baked potatoes) should they be baked first or can I chop them up as is?
Hi Faye! You can add them to the soup to cook as noted. You may just need a little longer cooking time. I hope that makes sense?
This soup is great! Used orzo pasta and added left over roast chicken. Ran out of carrots so used a red and orange peppers instead. Will definitely make again
Best minestrone soup ever. Thank you very much.