Minestrone Soup Recipe

What is minestrone soup?

Minestrone is an insanely tasty Italian vegetable soup that usually has pasta, beans, and a tomato-based broth. I think of it as the ultimate vegetable soup! You’ve maybe tried Olive Garden minestrone soup, but I’m here to convince you that my version is so much better.

It’s one of those soups you can make on a lazy Sunday in chilly weather, and you’ll actually look forward to eating it for the rest of the week. It’s also easy to make. There’s nothing complicated about it!

Want to make it in your pressure cooker instead? Try this Easy Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Recipe.

What you’ll need

• Olive oil and butter – the foundation for sautéing the aromatics
• Onion, celery, and carrots – this is a classic savory base for many Italian and French soups
• Garlic cloves – I love adding garlic to most soups for even more dimension
• Zucchini – the taste and texture of zucchini in soups can’t be beat
• Fresh green beans – for some more green veggie goodness
• Tomatoes – here we’re using crushed tomatoes rather than diced to give the broth a thick and rich quality
• Broth – chicken or vegetable broth is fine. Either way, it adds so much more taste than using water would.
• Italian seasoning – a wonderful blend of dried herbs like rosemary and thyme. You’ll find it in a jar in the spice aisle of your grocery store.
• Cannellini and red kidney beans – I like to use both varieties to pack this soup with protein
• Pasta – I used elbow macaroni, but any pasta variety that’s fairly small like ditalini will work
• Basil – optional, but it adds a burst of freshness and flavor
• Parmesan – use lots and lots of freshly grated parmesan. Don’t skimp since it takes this soup to the next level!

How to make minestrone soup

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Prep your veggies. Sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for 7-10 minutes. Add in the crushed tomatoes, broth, zucchini, beans, and seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the macaroni and cook for another 20 minutes or until the pasta and veggies are tender. Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Stir in the basil if using, and top each bowl with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese!

Substitutions and variations

• If you want to add a non-vegetarian twist to this soup, try sautéing some bacon or pancetta with the veggies at the beginning. It’ll be incredible!
• You could include other vegetables like cabbage or peas. Feel free to add/swap veggies based on personal preference, what’s in season, and what’s in your fridge.
• If you want it to be extra hearty, go ahead and throw in a potato as well.
• You can swap the crushed tomatoes for diced tomatoes, but I like the thickness and body that the crushed tomatoes give to the soup. If going the more traditional route and using diced tomatoes, I would probably add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the soup as well at the end of step 1.