A good pot of minestrone soup is really just a fridge clean-out dressed up in tomato broth — carrots, celery, beans, pasta and whatever greens you have, all simmered together until the vegetables are tender and the kitchen smells like an Italian grandmother is in charge.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Minestrone Soup
It’s endlessly flexible. Swap in whatever vegetables are in the crisper drawer — zucchini, green beans, potatoes and butternut squash all work without changing the method.
One pot, 45 minutes, and it feeds a crowd. This makes a big batch that’s just as good reheated for lunch the next day, which makes it a favorite among soup recipes for meal prep.
It’s genuinely filling without being heavy. Beans and pasta both add substance, so a bowl on its own is enough for dinner with just some bread on the side.
Ingredients You’ll Need
1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery ribs, diced. This trio — Italian cooks call it soffritto — is the flavor base for almost every Italian soup, minestrone included.
2 tablespoons tomato paste. Cooked briefly with the vegetables before the liquid goes in, it deepens the tomato flavor far more than just adding canned tomatoes alone.
28 oz can diced tomatoes and 6 cups vegetable broth. This builds the broth. Use a good broth, since it’s doing a lot of the flavor work here.
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed. Cannellini beans hold their shape well and add the creamy bite classic minestrone is known for; Great Northern beans work too.
1 cup small pasta, such as ditalini or small shells. Small shapes cook quickly and are easy to fit on a spoon along with the vegetables.
2 cups baby spinach or chopped kale. Stirred in at the very end so it wilts without turning to mush.
How to Make Minestrone Soup
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery ribs and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until softened.
- Bloom the tomato paste and garlic. Stir in 3 cloves minced garlic and 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, until the paste darkens slightly.
- Add the broth and simmer. Pour in the 28 oz can diced tomatoes, 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 bay leaves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered 15 minutes.
- Add beans and pasta. Stir in the drained cannellini beans and 1 cup small pasta. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Finish with greens. Remove the bay leaves, stir in 2 cups spinach or kale until just wilted, about 2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan.
Tips for Perfect Minestrone Soup
Add a Parmesan rind while it simmers. Toss a rind into the pot with the broth and fish it out before serving — it adds a savory depth that’s hard to get any other way, especially if you’re using store-bought broth.
Add the pasta close to serving time. Pasta keeps absorbing liquid the longer it sits, so if you’re not eating right away, cook the pasta separately and stir it in bowl by bowl.
Don’t dice the vegetables too small. Minestrone soup is meant to be a little rustic. Bite-sized pieces hold their texture better than a fine dice, which tends to turn mushy after simmering.
Variations to Try
Add sausage. Brown a half pound of Italian sausage with the onions for a heartier, meatier pot, similar in spirit to slow cooker sausage and lentil soup.
Make it a pesto minestrone. Swirl a spoonful of basil pesto into each bowl right before serving for a bright, herby finish.
Swap the beans. Chickpeas or kidney beans both work in place of cannellini if that’s what’s in the pantry, the same way creamy mushroom and bean soup leans on whatever beans are on hand.
Go grain instead of pasta. Swap the pasta for a cup of cooked farro or barley stirred in at the end for a heartier, chewier bowl.
What to Serve With It
A thick slice of crusty bread or garlic bread is the classic pairing — perfect for scraping up the last bit of broth.
For a heartier spread, serve it alongside a simple green salad, or pair it with something equally cozy like zuppa toscana soup if you’re feeding a soup-loving crowd.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make minestrone soup ahead of time?
Yes, the vegetable and bean base actually improves after a day in the fridge. If making it ahead, cook the pasta separately and stir it into each bowl when reheating so it doesn’t get soft.
How do I store minestrone soup?
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For freezing, leave the pasta out of the pot entirely and freeze just the vegetable-bean base for up to 3 months, then cook fresh pasta to add when reheating.
Is minestrone soup vegetarian?
This version is fully vegetarian as written, using vegetable broth and no meat. It can easily be made vegan too by leaving off the Parmesan or swapping in a plant-based version.
Can I use gluten-free pasta?
Yes. Any small gluten-free pasta shape works well; just watch the cook time closely, since gluten-free pasta tends to go from al dente to mushy faster than regular pasta.
Final Thoughts
Minestrone soup is one of those recipes that gets better the more you make it your own — a different bean here, a different green there, whatever needs using up that week.
Keep this one in the regular rotation for chilly nights when you want something warm, a little virtuous, and genuinely satisfying in the same bowl.
Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large soup pot
- wooden spoon
- chef’s knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- Can Opener
- ladle
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup small pasta, such as ditalini or small shells
- 2 cups baby spinach or chopped kale
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in 3 cloves minced garlic and 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, 6 cups vegetable broth, oregano, thyme, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cannellini beans and 1 cup pasta. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Remove the bay leaves, stir in the spinach or kale until wilted, about 2 minutes, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan.