This Minestrone Soup is classic comfort food in a bowl. This vegetarian Italian soup is loaded with veggies and lots of great flavors, best of all it comes together quickly and is always a family favorite!
In all the years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve provided you with lots of soup recipes, pretty much all my favorites. However, I can’t believe I’ve never shared this classic minestrone soup, so needless to say I’m very excited to finally share with you this Italian classic.
What Is Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone soup is a classic Italian soup made with vegetables, and pasta or rice, sometimes both. Perfect for vegetarians or vegans (just omit the Parmesan), this soup includes ingredients like beans, onions, celery, carrots, corn, and tomatoes. There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it can usually be made out of whatever vegetables one has.
It’s a great soup to make if you want to clean out your fridge. You really can’t go wrong.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – We want a neutral tasting oil to saute some of our veggies in.
- Mirepoix – Essentially a fancy French name for celery, carrot, and onion that makes up the flavor base of most soups and stews.
- Veggies – Today we’re using green beans, red kidney beans, corn, spinach and tomato paste.
- Garlic – Fresh minced up finely
- Broth – We’re using lots of vegetable broth today to carry on that vegetable flavor into every bite. I usually use low sodium broth to control the amount of salt in my dishes. Chicken broth will also work.
- Diced tomatoes – One nice big can, use your favorite brand.
- Pasta – I like to use small pasta such as elbow, tubular or small shells.
- Cheese – Parmesan cheese freshly grated, believe me this will set the entire dish right off.
- Lemon juice – The juice from a lemon, freshly squeezed.
- Spices – Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and bay leaves.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Minestrone Soup
- Saute the Mirepoix: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery to the pot and cook until softened, stirring ocassionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Combine the base of the soup: Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the green beans, red kidney beans, corn, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, bay leaves, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, pasta and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through.
- Finish the soup: Add the spinach and lemon juice and cook for another minute until the spinach is wilted.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve warm.
How To Serve
The best compliment is homemade bread. I love to serve my minestrone soup with a few slices of warm crusty bread.
Optional Ingredients
Which vegetables should you use? Carrots, celery and onions are always found in minestrone. Furthermore you can use cabbage, escarole, lentils, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, and even turnips will work.
Minestrone was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use any seasonal vegetables and greens you have on your pantry.
Leftovers
Fridge
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Once the soup has cooled, it’s ready to be stored. In the refrigerator, your soup will keep for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer
Soups that contain pasta, like minestrone, won’t hold up to the freezer well. If you’re cooking soup specifically to freeze, just hold the pasta. That way you can reheat your freezer meal, boil some fresh pasta, and combine them then.
More Must Try Recipes:
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Baked Potato Soup
- Beef Lentil Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Taco Soup
- Chicken Potato Soup
Craving More? Follow Along:
Minestrone Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup green beans canned, drained and chopped
- 15 oz red kidney beans (1 can)
- 1 cup corn frozen or canned
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 28 oz diced tomatoes 1 large can
- 6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup pasta small pasta such as elbow, tubular or small shell
- 2 cups spinach chopped, or kale
- 1 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Saute the Mirepoix: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery to the pot and cook until softened, stirring ocassionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Combine the base of the soup: Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the green beans, red kidney beans, corn, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, bay leaves, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, pasta and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through.
- Finish the soup: Add the spinach and lemon juice and cook for another minute until the spinach is wilted.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Once the soup has cooled, it’s ready to be stored. In the refrigerator, your soup will keep for 3 to 4 days.
- Soups that contain pasta, like minestrone, won’t hold up to the freezer well. If you’re cooking soup specifically to freeze, just hold the pasta. That way you can reheat your freezer meal, boil some fresh pasta, and combine them then.
Kim says
Am I reading correctly…1/4 cup Oil?
Joanna Cismaru says
Yes!