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Minestrone Soup is a big, cozy pot of comfort, loaded with tender vegetables, hearty beans, and little pasta in a rich tomato-herb broth. I make a giant batch *the minute the weather turns cool*, and it feeds my whole crew with leftovers for lunch. If you love a hearty bowl of soup, it is right up there with our Italian wedding soup.
Building the flavor by sauteing the vegetables first and simmering everything together is what gives this classic its rich, restaurant-quality taste.
Minestrone Soup Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 40 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 277kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Hearty, savory, herby, and packed with vegetables
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our lasagna soup
Quick Answer
To make minestrone soup, saute diced onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil until soft, then add garlic, potatoes, and zucchini. Stir in tomato paste, thyme, and oregano, then pour in vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, then add the pasta, kidney beans, and kale and simmer 15 to 20 minutes more until the pasta is tender. Stir in a little butter, then serve hot with fresh parsley and parmesan. Sauteing the vegetables first builds the deep, savory flavor.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- You build flavor in layers. Sauteing the onion, carrot, and celery first creates a savory base that makes the whole pot taste rich and deep.
- Tomato paste for body. Cooking the tomato paste with the vegetables concentrates its flavor and gives the broth a rich, robust color.
- Loaded with vegetables and beans. Potatoes, zucchini, kale, and kidney beans make every bowl hearty, filling, and nourishing.
- Pasta cooked right in the pot. The little pasta soaks up all that flavorful broth and makes the soup a complete, satisfying meal.
- Fresh herbs and a hint of butter. Thyme and oregano bring classic Italian flavor, and a swirl of butter at the end makes it silky.
- Better the next day. Like most soups, the flavors meld and deepen overnight, so leftovers are even more delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a complete meal in a bowl, loaded with vegetables, beans, and pasta in a savory broth.
- It is budget-friendly, freezer-friendly, and easy to make in one big pot.
- It is pure cozy comfort food, perfect with crusty bread, right alongside our Italian wedding soup.
Key Ingredients
A pot of minestrone is the perfect way to use up a fridge full of vegetables. Here are the key players.
- Onion, Carrot, and Celery: The classic trio that builds the savory base of the whole soup.
- Potatoes, Zucchini, and Kale: Hearty, tender vegetables that make every bowl filling and nourishing.
- Diced Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: They give the broth its rich color and bright, tomatoey flavor.
- Kidney Beans and Pasta: The hearty add-ins that turn this into a satisfying, complete meal.
- Vegetable Broth and Herbs: Broth, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves bring it all together with cozy Italian flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This minestrone is endlessly flexible.
- Use any vegetables: Green beans, spinach, peas, or squash all work great, use what you have.
- Swap the beans: Cannellini, great northern, or chickpeas are all delicious in place of kidney beans.
- Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free pasta or skip it and add extra beans or potatoes.
- Add protein: Stir in cooked Italian sausage or shredded chicken to make it even heartier.
- Make it creamy: For a richer soup, try our Zuppa Toscana instead.
How to Make Minestrone Soup
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium and cook the onion, carrot, and celery until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more until fragrant.
- Stir in the diced potatoes and zucchini, mixing everything together.
- Add the tomato paste, thyme, and oregano and stir to coat the vegetables and concentrate the flavor.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta, kidney beans, and kale, then simmer 15 to 20 minutes more until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the butter until melted, then serve hot, topped with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese if you like.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Saute the vegetables first until soft and fragrant, this is where all the deep flavor starts.
- Dice everything evenly so the vegetables cook at the same rate and every spoonful has a little of each.
- Add the pasta near the end so it cooks just until tender and does not turn mushy.
- Cook pasta separately if you plan on lots of leftovers, then add it to each bowl so it stays firm.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper at the end, broth brands vary in saltiness.
- Do not skip the parmesan, a sprinkle on top adds a salty, savory finish.
- Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread to soak up the broth, just like our lasagna soup.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
A steaming bowl of minestrone is a meal all on its own, but it loves a side of warm, crusty bread or buttery garlic bread for dunking into all that flavorful broth.
Top each bowl with grated parmesan and a little fresh parsley, and serve our homemade Italian meatballs on the side for an extra-hearty Italian dinner.
It is the perfect cozy starter or main. Pair it with a simple green salad, or serve it alongside our Italian wedding soup for a soup-lover’s spread.
Minestrone Soup FAQs
Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup. This version has onion, carrot, celery, potatoes, zucchini, and kale, plus kidney beans and small pasta, all simmered in a tomato and herb broth. It is endlessly adaptable, so you can use whatever vegetables and beans you have on hand.
Yes, and it tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld. To keep the pasta from getting mushy, you can cook it separately and add it to each bowl, or simply add a splash of broth when reheating leftovers.
Absolutely. Freeze it in airtight containers for up to 3 months. For the best texture, freeze the soup without the pasta and add freshly cooked pasta when you reheat it, since pasta can get soft after freezing and thawing.
Add the pasta near the end of cooking and simmer it just until tender. If you are making the soup ahead or for leftovers, cook the pasta separately and stir it into individual bowls so it stays firm in the pot.
Yes. It is already vegetable-broth based, so just leave out the butter at the end or swap in a plant-based butter or a drizzle of olive oil, and skip the parmesan or use a dairy-free version.
Crusty bread, garlic bread, or a grilled cheese are all classic. A simple green salad rounds it out, and a sprinkle of parmesan on top makes each bowl extra savory and satisfying.
Craving more cozy soup? Ladle up a bowl of our hearty Italian wedding soup next for another comforting Italian classic.
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup small-diced onion
- 1 cup small-diced carrot
- 1 cup small-diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup 1/2 inch diced Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 medium zucchini 1/2 inch diced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes in tomato juice
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 15 ounces kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
- grated parmesan cheese for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven over medium heat add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery, cook until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly until fragrant.
- Add the potatoes and zucchini, mix everything together.
- Add the tomato paste, thyme, and oregano, mix together.
- Add the vegetables broth, diced tomatoes, water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the pasta, kidney beans, and kale, stir it in.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the pasta is cooked.
- Add the butter and mix it in.
- Serve immediately with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese, optional.
Notes
- You can replace the kale with spinach.
- Completely omit the butter if you’d like.
- Use any vegetables that you have on hand, see my tips above.
- Any smaller pasta will work with this recipe, again see tips above.
- Chicken stock can be replaced for the vegetable stock.
- This can be froze, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
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