Easy Minestrone Soup – the perfect homemade comforting meal on a chilly day. Best of all, this classic minestrone soup recipe is healthy, hearty & full of fresh vegetables and beans.
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Minestrone soup is a classic favorite and one of the soups that we make regularly at our house once soup season starts.
3 VARIATIONS OF HOMEMADE MINESTRONE SOUP:
We have three popular versions of the best minestrone soup on our site:
- Easy Minestrone Soup – on the stove-top
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup and
- Slow cooker minestrone soup
Easy minestrone soup is one of those super simple one pot meals. So comforting, hearty, filling and always hits the spot on a chilly day.
The best part about any soup is that they make the perfect clean out the fridge type of meal so you can easily throw in any veggies with what you like or have on hand.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP?
Minestrone soup is one of those recipes that is easy to customize. This simple recipe is loaded with tons of healthy vegetables like:
- carrots,
- celery,
- green beans,
- zucchini and
- baby spinach.
And, it’s loaded with plant-based protein like:
- kidney beans
- cannellini beans to keep you full for hours
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST MINESTRONE SOUP:
- Start off by chopping all of your vegetables. Soup is a great way to get rid of any leftover veggies you have in your fridge as well. Or, if you’re in a pinch, your local grocery store may also sell prechopped veggies just for soup.
- Next, heat up some olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery and saute for about 4 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly softened.
- Add basil, oregano, thyme, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, vegetable broth, zucchini and both of the beans. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir in the pasta and and cook for another 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted then season with balsamic vinegar and additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm with bread and top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley if desired.
IS CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP FREEZER FRIENDLY?
Yes! If you plan to freeze or serve this soup the next day, leave out the pasta and cook in a separate pot. Then once you’re ready to eat, reheat the soup on the stove on low then add the pasta when you are ready to enjoy. Reheating the pasta before you serve the soup helps the pasta not get soggy.
IS HOMEMADE MINESTRONE SOUP HEALTHY?
This soup is packed with a ton of vegetables and legumes and contains tons of vitamins, protein and fiber. It’s also vegan and gluten free if you use a gluten free pasta.
CAN I HAVE CLASSIC ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP IF I AM FOLLOWING A PALEO OR LOW CARB / KETO DIET?
To make this minestrone soup low carb, keto and paleo friendly, leave out the pasta, beans and carrots and add cauliflower and green beans instead.
WHAT CAN YOU SERVE HOMEMADE MINESTRONE SOUP WITH?
You can serve this hearty soup with a side salad or some crusty bread and dig in!
This hearty minestrone soup is especially perfect for those cold nights when you don’t want to go out. Just grab a blanket and curl up with a cozy bowl.
More soups you might like:
Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Homemade Minestrone Soup - the perfect easy comforting meal on a chilly day. Best of all, this classic stove-top recipe is hearty & full of fresh vegetables and beans.
- 1 small onion , about 1/3 cup, diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 medium carrot (about 1 cup) , chopped
- 1 large celery stalk (about 1 cup) , chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 32 oz can diced tomatoes , (I usually use fire-roasted or Italian-style)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (32 oz carton - 4 cups) low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium zucchini (around 2/3 cups) , sliced into halves or quarters
- 1/4 cup canned or cooked red kidney beans , drained and rinsed (leave out for paleo & low carb)
- 1/4 cup canned or cooked cannellini beans, chickpeas OR great northern beans , drained and rinsed (leave out for paleo & low carb)
- water - add only as much as needed to cover vegetables
- 1/4 cup dried small shell pasta , (use gluten free if necessary)(leave out for paleo & low carb and add chopped cauliflower & green beans instead))
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach chopped , optional
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar , optional but adds great flavor
- Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese , for serving
- Fresh parsley finely chopped , for garnish (optional)
- In a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery and saute for about 4 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly softened.
Add basil, oregano and thyme and cook for an additional 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, vegetable broth and both of the beans. Depending on how large your pot is, add just enough water to cover the vegetables.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Stir in the dried pasta shells and zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked. Stir in the spinach and allow to wilt (about 1-2 minutes). Add more water as needed if you like a thinner soup.
Season with more salt and pepper as needed and stir in balsamic vinegar (if using).
Serve warm with bread and top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley if desired.
Did you try this recipe?
