Finally! It’s about time this blog offered a traditional minestrone soup recipe. Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup made with tomato-y broth and pasta or rice. I’ve been working hard on this recipe and I’m so excited to share it with you.
Minestrone was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use any seasonal vegetables and greens you have on hand. I used potatoes and spinach for the soup you see here, and it was absolutely delicious.
I listed some alternatives in the recipe, including yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas. That means that you can make seasonal minestrone on cool days from fall through spring!
I used canned beans here instead of cooking my own, which cuts the cooking time down to a reasonable weeknight level. The remaining ingredients are basic pantry items, including canned tomatoes, pasta, basic spices and onions.
Why is this the best minestrone soup?
- This hearty minestrone is easy to make and totally worth the effort.
- The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry ingredients.
- The soup packs great for lunch, and tastes even better the next day.
- It freezes and defrosts well, too.
- This homemade minestrone is infinitely better than the Olive Garden or store-bought varieties!
I adapted this recipe from the lentil minestrone in my cookbook, which was based on my lentil soup. For this classic minestrone, I omitted the lentils, added white beans, upped the tomato paste, and reserved the final tablespoon of olive oil to mix in at the end.
Please let me know how you like this soup in the comments! I always love reading your feedback and I’m eager to hear which veggies you use in your soup.
If you’re looking for more soup recipes, definitely check out the two mentioned above, and I have even more soups here.
Watch how to make Minestrone Soup
Classic Minestrone Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 bowls 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Warm up with this vegetarian minestrone soup! This classic minestrone soup recipe is healthy, easy to make, and tastes incredible. It’s vegan, too, if you don’t top it with cheese. Recipe yields 6 bowls or 8 cups of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium ribs celery, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work)
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with their liquid (or 2 small 15-ounce cans)
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole grain orecchiette, elbow or small shell pasta
- 1 can (15 ounces) Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked beans
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped kale or chopped collard greens
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices, broth and water. Add the salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1” gap for steam to escape. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan, if you’d like.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t garnish with Parmesan, or use homemade vegan Parmesan.
Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free noodle. I used DeLallo’s Whole-Grain Rice Shells and they worked great.
Parmesan note: Most Parmesans are not technically vegetarian (they contain animal rennet), but Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands offer vegetarian Parmesan cheese.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Anita
I made this soup in my Instantpot. I sautéed everything as directed and cooked on the soup setting for 10 minutes. In retrospect I probably should have cooked the pasta separately. Live and learn! This is the first time I have ever actually used a real recipe for this soup, and it smells divine. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Anita!
Patricia ciosmak
Loved this recipe and have made it often. Put some sliced savoy cabbage too. Great recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Patricia!
Lorraine Mackin
I made this soup for my vegetarian son who was visiting before Thanksgiving, and who is used to having really delicious vegetarian food. It was soooo good that he went back for seconds. And, it didn’t take long to cook, only long enough for the vegetables, and then the pasta, to be cooked through. Further, I don’t usually cook the pasta in the soup because it absorbs a lot of the broth, but this time I followed the recipe and the consistency was fine. I altered the recipe by using only one small can of diced tomatoes and no tomato paste, which is more to my taste. Truly, it was an absolutely wonderful soup to make. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Lorraine! I appreciate your review.
Colin
Great recipe!! Cooked the dish in a Dutch oven, turned out so delicious. Will definitely be doing this again. The kale was a great idea and texture. Next time I will add some extra water/broth, the pasta soaked up a lot of it. But this was a lot of fun. Kids loved it too.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Colin! Thank you for your review.
Kristen
Love this soup, shared with family and friends and they love It too!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Kristen!
Linda Messick
Made this tonight and loved it! I’ve made Minestrone many times and I like how you arranged the order of ingredient additions in the pot. My soups tend to get so thick and with this recipe it came out perfect. I made with zucchini green beans northern beans potato and kale. Next time I will try spinach and pearl barley. So many options!
★★★★★
PAT
I made this soup – sautéed in the Dutch oven and then transferred to my slow cooker – first on high for 30 min then switched to low cook for a couple hours so that the carrots got soft. Used ditalini pasta but boiled it first and then added with the spinach – otherwise it pulls a lot of the liquid out of the soup. It was delicious topped with shredded Parmesan and a big hit for dinner with slices of warm Italian bread. Thanks for a recipe that I’ll keep and make again and again. Yummy.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Pat! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Imelda Alexander
Thank you so much Kate for sharing this recipe! So simple to follow but yet so SO hearty and delicious and not to mention healthy! Will be definitely a family staple especially as we’ve been having weeks of rainy cool days and nights during what is meant to be our summer in Sydney, Australia! Can’t believe this hearty soup can be so healthy and nutritious as well as be so tasteful!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Imelda! I appreciate your review.
Claire
Delicious! All my life I’ve hated soups with no meat. Then I was told I have pre-diabetes. So dietary changes must be made. I found the recipe and I am in LOVE with the flavor! So much that I’ve made this soup twice. I omitted the greens because my husband doesn’t like them and doubled the carrots, zucchini and celery. YUMMY!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooary! I’m glad you have already made this one again. I appreciate your review.
Arya
delicious as usual!! you are a fantastic recipe creator!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Arya!
Karen
Hi! This looks so delicious! I usually work late – is there a way this can be adapted for a slow cooker? Thank you. Can’t wait to try!
Kate
I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker, sorry!
Maureen Quist
Would adding green pepper to this recipe alter the taste too much?
Kate
Hi, you could try it. Let me know what you think!
Lisa N.
Would it be ok to omit the pasta?
Kate
Hi Lisa, Sure! It will be more soupy. You can always reduce the liquid or enjoy it more soupy. I hope you like it!
Caroline
Just made this, filled recipe exactly. It’s absolutely delicious. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome Caroline! Thank you for your review.
Kate
You’re welcome, Caroline!
Steph
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I used sweet potatoes, white kidney beans since it’s what I had on hand. Would for sure make again! Another favorite of your recipes.
Patti
Has anyone made this with Gnocchi? Wondering if it would be a good replacement for the pasta.
Candice
I just made this tonight and it was sooo good!! Thank you for sharing this recipe
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Candice!
Dylan White
This recipe is the best. I am not a vegetarian but I could eat this soup everyday day of the week.
★★★★★
Stephen Davies
We made this as a starter for a pizza and garlic flat bread party. We kept to the recipe. The oil and Lemmon juice at the end made a big difference visually. Really delicious.
★★★★★
Q
Just made this soup. Delicious!!! I used what I had frozen chopped spinach, butternut squash from the garden, rest I followed the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Q! I appreciate your review.
Mari
First time making it for the next day’s meal. Looks, smells and taste good. Added bacon at the beginning for added flavour. Can’t wait till tomorrow’s meal. Thank you!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Mari!
Peta O'Brien
Thank you Kate unbelievably tasty! I just made a large pot using your recipe – my husband and I are going to be enjoying this beautiful dish right through to New Year!!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s wonderful, Peta! Thank you for your review.
Rosemary
I made the soup and it was delicious! I didn’t follow it exactly although I did pay attention to the seasonings because I am not skilled at seasoning food. I shared some and have been asked for the recipe. So here I am…printing your recipe! Love that you’re a dog lover! I also have 2 little crazy Beagles. I am not exclusively a dog lover..love cats and anything else that lives and breathes! (except for ticks and mosquitos!) I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Michelle
Looks amazing – can you make this with pre-cooked pasta (adding it just before serving)?
Kate
Hi Michelle, that could work. You may want to reduce the liquid as you won’t need quite as much. Let me know what you think!
Leonard R Lamb
I am a retired Firefighter and learned most of my cooking skills in the fire house. So I made some changes to your recipe, like adding hamburger, used beef broth, much more garlic and fist full of pepper flakes for more kick, like we like in the fire house! I love your recipe, but spice is nice I was very pleased with the out come as well as some friends who sampled too.
★★★★★
Fiona
Hi! We love this soup and have made many times. I recently learned I have a nightshade allergy. Do you have any suggestions on how to alter it to be tomato-free?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Fiona! I don’t have a great substitute for the same flavor. You can omit and try adding more carrots and other seasonal vegetables.
Ursula
Love this recipe!! Thanks and happy new years ×
★★★★★
Cheryl
Yet another great recipe coming out of your kitchen thank you so much; bring on the cold because my delicious soup is done! I did cook the pasta separately and will add it when I heat up the soup for meals; there are only 2 of us and we’ll be eating soup all week & I don’t like soggy pasta. Your recipes are my all time favorite, thank you for making me into a yummy cook!!
★★★★★
Maggie Harvey
I made this soup for the first time it is delicious I Usually go to Olive Garden and get the soup I don’t have to do that no more it turned out amazing
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear you loved it, Maggie!
Brittany
So yummy! My husband was super full after eating it and didn’t feel the need to add meat (as he usually does when I cook)
★★★★★
Pearl
Oh my excellent. I made some for a football game watch party and got compliments on how very good this was.
I loved the flavor of it. I cooked the pasta separately and put it in at the last before serving.
I’d likely put less than 2 cups of the carrots-celery etc. to have it be more brothy (but the veg’s add liquid so who knows…) or just more broth. I used all vegetable broth instead of broth and water. Otherwise made as written.
Keeper!!!
★★★★★
Vanessa
So Yummy! I tweaked veggies for us.
★★★★★
Francesco
Made this soup on a cold winter afternoon, and it didn’t disappoint! Flavorful and nourishing to the core, there’s nothing quite like a nice simple minestrone :) Tasted almost as good as my Nonna’s ;)
★★★★★
Kate
That’s a compliment! Thank you for sharing, Francesco.
Beth L. Mick
I wanted to make a veggie soup and I always struggle with the seasonings. I made yours with a bunch of substitutions because of what I had on hand (tomato puree, yellow squash, frozen spinach, canned green beans, a sprinkle of corn, dried mushroom and Parmesan ravioli, a bit of Parmesan rind, kidney beans, chicken broth and turkey broth.) It was wonderful! I will do potato next time since I will probably have enough to freeze. My mother in law’s first words when I came in from work were “that soup was delicious!” Thank you for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it was a hit! Thank you for your review, Beth.
Sara
I forgot to pick up tomato paste at the store!!! Any suggestions on substitutes?
Kate
To get the best flavor, the tomato paste is really important. You can try it without or try adding the tomatoes in during the end of the vegetable cooking time to extract more flavor. I can’t guarantee results though. Sorry!
Jeffrey
Absolutely love this soup! I might have gone overboard on the vegetables, so it was a bit busy… I wanted more broth. I did add some more vegetable broth, but found by adding V-8 it kept the color pretty and added a lovely taste. I also like adding some cabbage. Thanks for this! I have added it to the winter repertoire!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jeffrey!
Suzy H.
First time making this soup, left out the beans and pasta. Still very fulfilling. Added cauliflower and asparagus as well. Served with sliced baguette. It was delish. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Suzy! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Trisha Fulton
Great recipe. I really enjoyed the flavours. Have made it and will save some for tomorrow. I bought a fresh Italian continental roll to go with it.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Trisha!
joann
Made this soup
was delish- I used lima bean, butternut squash, green squash , green beans
carrot onion and celery. Kidney beans instead of cannelloni (didn’t have any)
used fire roasted crushed tomatoes
★★★★★
joann
Made this soup tonight – cold here in new york!
It was delish- I used lima bean, butternut squash, green squash , green beans
carrot onion and celery. Kidney beans instead of cannelloni (didn’t have any)
used fire roasted crushed tomatoes
Thank you
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Joann! I appreciate your review.
Rich M.
After a week long cruise I was looking for a healthy and delicious soup with tons of vegetables to detox from all those meaty and rich meals. This soup was perfect even with several substitutions because of lack of ingredients that came out fantastic. I had to sub tomato sauce for paste, chicken instead of vegetable stock and also use Brussels sprouts and mushrooms that’s part of my veggie mix. Also I only had dried Italian seasoning instead of the thyme and oregano. I’m sure it will be much better with the ingredients as listed but still the whole family enjoyed the dish and we ate for two days.
★★★★★
Ashley
This is exactly what I was craving on a cold winter day: colorful, flavorful, variety of textures. It was wonderful with a side of crusty bread. I chopped one zucchini (into large chunks so it wouldn’t get mushy) and a yellow potato as my seasonal veggies. I subbed Jovial elbows to make it GF. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing how you made this work for you, Ashley.
Christine Van Ells
So Delicious! I love all your reciepes, thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Christine! I’m happy to hear it was a hit.
abbi
Very good! I used summer squash, kale, and pinto and white beans. It was flavorful and tasted even better as left overs!!
★★★★★
Holly
This came out EXCELLENT! I love how easy it is to tweak this to your liking. lemon juice and olive oil at the end is definitely important! Instead of pasta, I subbed for 1 cup of potatoes. I used zucchini, yellow squash, cannelloni beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and baby kale along with the celery, onion, and carrot. It’s loaded with veggies and it’s so perfect. I was worried about using store bought veggie broth, but it was totally fine. I like spicy so I did add a little extra pepper flakes. I also added a little bit of garlic powder because who doesn’t love extra garlic? We topped it with garlic butter croutons, chopped basil, and parmesan. PERFECTION!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Holly!
Julie Riby
Absolutely fabulous recipe, my first time making minestrone soup & definitely won’t be my last thank you Kate x
★★★★★