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: Cookie and Kate
- 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.
Traci
Awesome recipe. Never made minestrone before and this was delicious. Whole family loved it. Thank you for sharing
Kate
Thank you, Traci!
Diana
I followed the exact recipe, and only skipped the potato. It was delicious and I loved it, but it came out way too thick (It was perfect until I added the pasta). How can I fix it without ruinning the taste? Thanks for your help.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that. You can try a bit more vegetable broth.
Lorenz
Greetings from Austria, Diana!
I have been reading onlineminestrone recipes for hours on end, and this one comes closest to what I created this evening.
I adhered to some advice I found in another recipe: while I was preparing the soup, I cooked about 250g of pasta (about half a pound; all I had at hand was torre di Pisa, which kind of caresses the veggies) in a separate pot, let it cool, and divided it into small containers.
When I am ready for soup, I will just heat-up what I need (I made enough to feed attendees of a Taylor Swift concert) and toss in the pasta.
I think I only diverted from the recipe by using peas instead of green beans. I didn’t sauté the ingredients as suggested, but brought 1,5L (6 cups) of vegetable broth to a boil in my largest stock pot, dumped in all the ingredients, and let it simmer for about two hours, adding seasonings as it cooked.
It is one of the coldest days of the year here (-15°C) so the extra heat and the aroma helped a dreary day when, outside of cooking, I and my feline companion remained in bed!
Tschüß!
Kylie
I loved reading this comment from Austria! Nothing like a warm soup to warm up a day!
Laurie
Me too.. love the comments
Stacey
I made this soup yesterday…fantastic! I added a slew of veggies including acorn squash, sweet potato, rutabaga, potatoes etc and it was delicious. I cook the pasta on the side and add it to portions as they are served. No mushy pasta the next day and the consistency of the broth is perfect.
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Stacey!
Cindy
Cook your pasta separately; that way it won’t absorb the liquid from the soup, and the leftovers won’t have mushy pasta. Just scoop some pasta in the bottom of each bowl, ladle the soup over it and stir.
Ctusamom
Cook the pasta separately and add to bowl when serving.
Josh
Cook the pasta separately. And store leftovers separately. It’s the only way to avoid soggy bloated pasta. Plus you can add more or less pasta for kids or those who eat less carbs.
Lillian
Omit the 2 cup of water and cook the pasta separately. Then add a scoop of cooked pasta as you please to each bowl. I never cook the pasta with the soup.
Eleyna
I’ve never been a huge minestrone lover, but in an effort to eat more veggies, I made this the other night and WOW, yummy!! I did forget to add the tomato paste, but the flavor was even good without it. So good that even my fiancé, who is very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy, loved it enough to say it should go into the regular rotation!
We actually even forgot to add the tomato paste, which
Kate
Thank you for your review, Eleyna!
Keith Lewandowski
Cook the pasta separately and do not add it until everything else is cooked. The first batch I cooked, I added the pasta to my pot and it absorbed a ton of the broth. Otherwise, it’s a great recipe!
Alice
Can I use fire roasted tomatoes? Thanks
Kate
Sure!
EGM
Excellent recipe! Especially love the add of lemon juice.
Kate
Thank you for your review!
Danielle M.
I have made this soup many times…So good! Thank you Kate!!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Danielle!
Irina Rudolph
I’m obsessed with this recipe. I making this soup every other day now. Very delicious and easy to make. Thank you
Kate
You’re welcome, Irina!
Carolyn
I made this using a medium Yukon Gold potato, zucchini, yellow squash, baby spinach, Barilla Ditalini and Bonifide Organic(no salt added) vegetable broth. This broth is so much better than the other brand name because it’s loaded with alot of vegetables. It really makes the difference. I found this recipe to be easy to follow. Everyone loved it. I topped the soup bowls with parmesen reggiano shredded cheese. Yum.
Kate
Thank you for your review, Caolyn!
Carolyn Gray
I was able to get more containers of Bonafide Organic no salt added vegetable broth, so I am going to make some more Minestrone soup using this recipe. I might change it up using a different assortment of fresh vegetables this time.
Laura
I have made many Minestrone recipes and this is hands down one of my faves! I added some Parmesan rind for some additional flavor and then also added some cabbage with the spinach. Otherwise, it was perfect just as written!
Joy
Can this be done in a crockpot?
Kate
For best results, I recommend this method.
Ellyn Adkisson
Is there a vegetable broth you really like?
Kate
I try to buy organic when I can. I have been buying Kettle Fire recently and enjoying it. I find a lot of variation in brands.
Patrick Rider
The soup recipe was easy and everyone loved it! I’ll make again. I added cooked ground sausage which gave it a nice variation one of the times. Thank you
Kate
Thank you for your review, Patrick!
Renee
Can I use beef or chicken broth instead of vegetable broth?
Kate
Others have and didn’t mind the results.
Dan
I love this recipe and so does the family. Reading through it to make it again tonight!
Robbie Simon
I used all but peas.Put fresh quarters zucchini & two cups(about two handful rinsed & drained spinach & 1lb of sautéed ground Italian sausage at the end & cook on low for 20-39 minutes more. Sometimes I use ground turkey instead of sausage. I too cook my Dilante noodles separately. Like the idea of storing in separate cupsRR for later servings
Carley
This soup is incredible. My family went nuts – will go into our very elite, selective rotation of keepers. I absolutely love your recipes, they are 5/5 every time. Thank you!
Krys
Would love to see what other recipes you keep in rotation! I agree this soup is excellent and we make it all the time in my household.
CarolineSF
I made it with farro and it came out great.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Caroline! I appreciate your review.
Amy
Making this for the second time this month. It’s easy, healthy and delicious. Thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Amy! I appreciate your review.
Shannon
This soup is amazing! I make it once a week for my family and we love it more and more every time. A household staple. Not only is the flavor great but it is so nutritious. Great recipe! thank you for sharing.
Kate
You’re welcome, Shannon! I appreciate your review.
Laura Sternlal
Your soup is awesome! I needed to clean out my vegetable bin with carrots, onions, celery, and a potato. I added frozen green beans and peas, organic Gemelli pasta and curly kale. Just use what your pantry has!
Chris
… just made my grocery list and SO excited to try what sounds like the most delicious minestrone recipe!!!! Thank you!!
MMcA
Yum! I made this for weekday lunches but couldn’t resist having a serving of it for dinner tonight. Really good. But it always takes me a LOT longer to do all the chopping/cooking than the recipe says it will. What am I doing wrong?
Kate
I’m glad you enjoy it! The recipe times are an estimate. It can depend on the skill level. I try to be reasonable with preparation time and cook time.
Margarita McAuliffe
Been cooking for 50 years so I’ve had a lot of practice. :D
Jennifer Cleverdon
Am excited to make this for this weeks’ lunches!
Sarah
Wonderful recipe. Loved it.
Katie
Can the pasta be substituted with Rice? We love this recipe and was just looking for other variations.
Kate
I haven’t tried it, Sorry!
Nancy Ruth
Lovely recipe! Hint: if you precook the pasta to “al dente”, then add to the soup, it doesn’t end up too thick.
Ken
I’m making a pot of this soup every single week! I love it. I alternate between garbanzo beans and white beans … whichever I have on hand. Both are great. I also add in sliced cremini mushrooms and diced zucchini or yellow squash. I have decided to leave out the tomato paste; I found it made the whole thing a bit too sharp and acidic; the large can of crushed tomatoes is more than adequate for my taste. I wonder if there is nutritional info available for this recipe?
Mary
YUM!
Lo-Mae Lai
You want to take this up a non-vegetarian notch? Add spicy sausage. Period. Mike drop.
Tara
Would it freeze well!
Kate
If you plan to freeze it, I would not add the noodles until ready to serve.
Jess
Used basic structure but with roasted cauliflower and canned artichokes in place of “seasonal veggies” for delightful tang, plus chickpeas as beans- and frozen kale- your recipes are always so adaptable and delicious :) thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jess! Thank you for your review.
Melissa
I am in my 50’s and I have never made minestrone soup before. Your recipe is perfection, easy and a crowd pleaser.
Thank you!
Melissa
Kate
You’re welcome, Melissa!
Marilu
After looking for Minestrone recipes for some time this is the one I’m going to give to my elderly friends for Xmas. I know it’s the best. Thank You.
Jessica
Made this for dinner and it was so delicious! I appreciate that the instructions were clear and easy to follow. I added zucchini and frozen green beans for my extra veg. I used ditalini for my pasta and cooked it separately so I could freeze any leftovers without the pasta getting mushy. I also added red kidney beans! For the beans (both the red kidney and Great Northern), I used dried beans. 3/4 cup of dried beans is roughly the same as one 15 oz can when cooked. I soaked the beans overnight with some salt and baking soda (helps the beans cook faster). Rinsed and then cooked the soaked beans directly in the soup after step 3. My beans took about 25-30 minutes to cook. This is my first recipe from the blog and I will be checking out others since I am trying to eat less meat in 2024. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jessica!
Taji
Fantastic recipe! I have used several of your recipes and they all are wonderful. I made this on a snowy cold day (it’s my moms favorite soup). I cooked the pasta and then added it to the simmer soup. Because the veggie stock already has plenty of salt I didn’t add any salt. Love your recipes, and thank you for all the tasty meals!
Kate
You’re welcome, Taji! This is a great recipe for a cold day.
Claudia
Great recipe! Love this every time. Lasts a very long time ~~
Kate
Great to hear, Claudia!
Linda Robinson
Thi
Kenneth
Serving this for Christmas and everyone loves it! Beautiful flavors
Kate
Thank you, Kenneth!
Artemis
Made this and added some leftover sliced brisket that was kind of bland. I think it’s a Midwest or Southern plains thing to make a soup similar to this with ground beef, and the brisket worked out pretty well.
To echo another comment, I also cooked the pasta separately and added it at the end. I also added the fresh spinach at the end, because I’d rather it not be overcooked.
For a lower FODMAP variant, use 1 to 3 green onions (whites and greens) and a bunch of garlic chives instead of the whole onion, garlic-infused oil instead of garlic (add at end), rice pasta instead of wheat pasta, a little celery seed instead of celery, and homemade broth (carrots, garlic chives, bay leaf, the bottom of an oyster mushroom cluster, and herbs). I also used a can of drained rinsed cannellini beans, and took a beano.
Ana Kim
Fabulous!
We used more potatoes and veggies
One small can of fire roasted tomatoes. Love zucchini in this and don’t skip the Parmesan
Have a large pot and will eat this for the next 3 days!
Kate
This is great leftover! Thank you for sharing, Ana.
Carolyn B
This is a fresh, delicious, healthy, easy-to-prepare, family-pleasing soup! I’ll definitely make it again!
Kate
That’s great to hear Carolyn!
Danny
Great recipe I skipped the seasonal vegetables, beans, spinach and kale but added a potato and a pound of mild Italian Sausage. I also used vegetable stock, turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
You’re welcome, Danny!
Denise Matson
I’ve made this before and loved it. Wondering if it would work to make 24 hours in advance? I want to take it to a family gathering. I will put in a crockpot only for transport and to warm up. Thank you so much!
Kate
This makes great leftovers! Just note the noodles can soak up some liquid so you can always cook those separately and add when ready to serve. I hope that helps!
Karen
This was a wonderful New Year’s Day activity: cooking this while the husband and dog napped on the couch. Now about the recipe…
Seriously the BEST minestrone ever. The veggies I used were button mushrooms, zucchini, and green beans and then used collards for greens. My only departure was using a full tablespoon of lemon juice, which hit the spot! I’ll try the suggestions others made of cooking the pasta separately and adding for leftovers next time (thanks to others for that tip).
Thank you, Kate. And Happy New Year, everyone!
David
excellent. We loved it!
Catharine Thomson
Thank you. I am trying to cook out of my comfort zone. This recipe was perfect. Every year i make gift baskets for the people I work with. This year it was Minestrone Soup. I also made the vegetable stock. It was a huge hit. They are asking for more. I will be making more this weekend. Thank you so much.
Celia
I did it today was easy and delicious …
Heather
Delicious! Even my picky eater liked it. I did not put olive oil in at the end though…can you explain why you add some at the end?
Kate
I find it adds more flavor. You can omit it if you like.
Tami
Very tasty, thank you
I added one spoon of brown sugar. I guess it depends on the sweetness of the carrots and of the canned tomatoes
Xander Higgins
Great recipe. Making a 3 batch in2 weeks. Nice to find a recipe that everyone in the family enjoys. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kate
You’re welcome, Xander!
Colleen
This is the best minestrone soup recipe! I have been making this probably once a week or so. I’m making it right now to have for dinner on a cold, snowy day in the Northeast. It’s great to have on hand for a healthy lunch too. It tastes even better the next day. Thank you for a delightful, bright, well balanced soup recipe. Love it!
Michelle
Would this fit in a 2-quart pot? Or should I half the recipe?
Kate
This makes a lot of soup. You would want to decrease the recipe.
Steve Simmerman
Great recipe! Sure a fair amount of chopping but well worth it. My Lord, this makes a bucket of Minestrone! We just pulled it off the stove, added the lemon and are about to taste it for the first time….it looks absolutely delicious, healthy and amazing! ….. it’s delicious!
I added some asparagus and some cabbage….a very tasty and filling meal!
Enough for 2 day!
Jan
I usually don’t comment on recipes I’ve tried, good or bad but I had to with this one. I am a big fan of Olive Gardens Minestrone soup, it’s my standard go to. This soup was a little time consuming to make but worth every minute, it is so much better then Olive Gardens and I don’t have to leave the house. Recipe is printed and I plan on making many more pot of this delicious soup.
Kate
I’m happy you thought it was worth it, Jan!
Caitlin
I’m looking forward to making this soup! Does anyone have ideas for if/how to translate the recipe to slow cooker or instapot?
Cassandra Church
Wonderful recipe! My family loves it.
Kate
Wonderful, Cassandra! I appreciate your review.
agnes allison
Love this recipe. Delicious! Have made it twice now.
Kat
LITERALLY THE BEST SOUP IVE EVER HAD
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you loved it, Kat.
Rich Gorman
It is January and cold and time of year for a soup that seems to be wonderful at any time of year. Making this again for the second time. The first time, the soup was a big hit. My friend of Italian heritage said it was as good as his Grandmother’s version and she was just off the boat from Southern Italy. High praise indeed. The wife and daughter all went back for seconds. Added benefit, the house was filled of the aroma of the aromatics and the tomato sauce. BRAVO!!!! This recipe goes into the favorite pile. Thanks for sharing.
Kate
You’re welcome, Rich!
MMcA
Made it today, for the 2nd time. It’s as delicious this time as it was the first. Thank you!
Joy
Just made this with butternut squash I found at the farmer’s market and kale. So delicious!! I didn’t even put in parmesan and it was still amazing. I love that it’s so healthy! Would definitely make this again but trying other combinations of veggies for fun.
Riha
Can you use frozen greens?
Kate
You could try it, but you may want to squeeze out excess moisture. Let me know what you think if you try it.
Sandy
Maybe I missed seeing but the proportions you used in this recipe yields how many servings of soup?
Kate
Hi Sandy! The serving information is in the recipe card. One serving is roughly 1.5-2 cups.
Sunil Kanwar
Followed the spirit of this receipt and made a great minestrone soup. Everyone loved it. I intended making around 3 liters, ended up with more that 5! Had to use an additional pot to keep it together.
Tim
Hi Kate,
We absolutely love this minestrone! We used garbanzos instead of white beans, and for the pasta, we used leftover pieces of lasagna noodles. So good on a rainy day! Thank you so much!
-Tim and Vicki
PS. We’ve made most of the recipes in your book and our family loved them all!
Kate
I love to hear that, Tim! Thank you for your review.
Holly Sapp
This is a delicious recipe. I have made this for 6-8 servings and I was looking for a vegetarian recipe for a crowd and this is it! Multiply this recipe by 10 and you have 60 servings. I made this for dinner at our local homeless shelter. When making it for dinner in my house, I added 2.5cups of water and added the pasta raw. No problems absorbing liquid. When making for a crowd, I cooked the pasta separately and added later.
Betty Soares
The best minestrone soup ever! Thank you so much!
Kate
You’re welcome, Betty!
Joanne Humphrey
Really good! I have used many of your recipes over the years and have never been disappointed. You are my go to site when looking for a recipe a they are all healthy, simple and good. Looking forward to another bowl of the soup today. It was a good way to use up some kale I had blanched and frozen. Hubby does not like kale but it was fine in the soup. Glad to have found your site as I do not like to cook so simple recipe are best.
Rachael
This soup is amazing!! I made it just as written and it was perfect! The second time I made it I was a bit over zealous with the vegetables and it was not as good as the first time. The third time I made it I measured the veggies and it was so good! My kids love this soup! I never have leftover which is disappointing, but now I will make it for lunch.
Rebecca
Hi,
I really like this recipe. I have made it twice already.
I am vegan but sometimes just am not interested in cooking, so being able to freeze some of this without the beans and pasta really works for.me.
My only issue, and it’s an ongoing one for me since I love to eat clean. I am usually on a no gluten and dairy low fodmap diet, so even though I love garlic and onions, I never eat them.
I treat them like an exotic dessert, and till I find a solution that works for my cooking style and budget it’s okay.
*
I substituted asparagus for green beans, and I used Vidalia onion instead of a yellow or white one.
Thanks,
Rebecca
Kate
I’m happy to hear you were able to enjoy it!
Delores
Delicious! Pretty easy to make too.
Kate
Happy to hear you loved it, Delores!
Connie
Do you have suggestions on how to make this in a crockpot?
Thanks,
Connie
Kate
I don’t, sorry! I would recommend not adding the noodles until later so they wouldn’t get over done.
Nicolle
Another hit, Kate! Thank you! I didn’t have too many veggies kicking around in the old fridge and we’re attempting to do “no spend February” right now, so I only used potatoes and a can of green beans for the seasonal veg but it was still so so so good!! I went ahead and added the pasta into the whole soup, figured you’ve been at this awhile that I’m pretty sure you know your stuff and it worked out just fine, didn’t absorb all the liquid at all! Delicious and once again it’ll serve as my lunches all week, yaaay!
Stacey
Perfect. Fast. And delicious. I added more beans and kale and that made it heartier and very filling.
Catherine Hindle
Wow, my husband is not a soup lover but he enjoyed this soup. A couple differences I used were can of crushed tomatoes and can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (this is what I had on hand) and left out the red pepper. It was so delicious and easy to make. Thank you!
Carla
This was super delicious! The flavors melted perfectly together, best minestrone!
Rachel
I was looking for a good minestrone soup recipe, sometimes you just want minestrone soup. This had great reviews so I thought it would be a pretty good soup, probably a little bland, but pretty good so I made it. Well was I surprised!!!! Your followers aren’t wrong, this was a great minestrone soup!
Thank you!!!
Nancy
What a great tasting soup! Thank you, the ingredients are perfect. I’m lazy and like doing the pasta with the soup, so I added 2 cups of water after reading comments. Just depends how chunky you like it. Appreciate another great recipe to replace the old one. Love your food!
Kate
Thank you, Nancy!
Mark Simmons
I made this recipe last night, pretty much by the directions, with the exception of the spinach which I didn’t have at the time, so I put about the same amount of chopped arugula in instead. It was so good! The vegetables were nice and crisp and the broth was delicious with just the right amount of flavoring. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
Kate
Great to her, Mark! Thank you for your review.
Ibrahim
Hello from Riyadh
This recipe has become a staple in our household, having made several times, and it remains in high demand.
The only variation to the recipe is that I add pieces of parmesan rind to the mixture when I add the broth, and discard it before adding the lemon juice.
Kate
That’s great to hear, Ibrahim!
E Harvey
I make a big pan of this soup every week, and it’s my go to midweek lunch. Filling and tasty! Plus it’s a great way of getting many different plants into my diet.
Camille
Delicious, great instructions! Very tasty and plenty to go around.
Angela M
Minestrone soup isn’t in my top 3 favorite soups. But THIS recipe was amazing! I enjoyed it so much!!
Kate
Great to hear, Angela! I appreciate your review.
Trish Coon
I have made this soup twice now, and we love it! I didn’t make any changes. It takes a little bit, so I set everything out in order, and then do my veggie prep. Once done with prep, I then begin. If there any leftovers, I bag and freeze. Great recipe!
Kate
That’s great to hear, Trish! I appreciate your review.
Gail
I’ve made this several times. I know with a C and K recipe it will be great the first time. I’ve gone up on the apices to make it more flavorful. I’ve changed out different veggies, I’ve eliminated the 2 cups of water at times to make a stew. Always perfect.
Kate
Great to hear, Gail! Thank you for your review.
Kerry
Has anyone tried leaving the pasta out and adding another can of beans?
Larry Matteson
We’ve probably make this dish 30 or 40 times over the years. We add tiny wedding soup meatballs to it. Had to reprint the recipe today because the original is so stained!
Teresa
Wonderful recipe!! It’s recipes like this that have helped us transition to a plant based diet. Vegan, with no compromise on taste. Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Teresa!
Theresa
This is the 2nd time making this soup. It’s so delicious! Everyone liked it. Will keep in my rotation!
Kate
Great to hear, Theresa! I appreciate your review.
Noha
Apologies if you have answered this somewhere else and I missed it — do you have a receipt for homemade vegetable broth? If not, what brands of store bought do you particularly like? Thank you!
I did make this recipe and my family loved it!
Kate
I don’t have a recipe, sorry! I do find brands can vary and try to buy organic when I can.
Alissa
I love that I found your site and you are a fellow KC resident. First recipe I tried Minestrone soup…. Delicious!
Kate
Great to hear, Alissa! I appreciate your review.
Prajakta Mohile
I made this recipe yesterday almost exactly as stated here. My only change was that I cooked pasta al dente separately and then added it to the soup based on some reviewer’s suggestion. Other than that, no changes…Not only did it taste delicious, it was extremely satisfying! It transported me to some small Mom & Pop Italian restaurant. The soup was hearty and filling. Every bite made you come back for more. Highly recommend trying this out! It’s a game changer. You will never settle for anything less after this experience.
Kate
Thank you, Prajakta!
Ann Moran
Delicious!!! Thank you so much❤️
Liz
This is my all time favorite.
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Liz! I appreciate your review.
Linda Daly
I have been making several of your recipes on a regular basis. Iake muffins, brownies and salads and dressings, soups, and many other healthy recipes that taste good. Thank you.
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoy this soup, Linda.
Julie
I’ve made this soup several times. It’s a family favorite!
Donna
My husband made this soup on a rainy New England day in his Dutch oven pot. It was delicious! He used green beans, carrots, zucchini, summer squash and celery. The only thing he will do next time is simmer the vegetables longer for they were a bit eldante but the flavor was out of this world! I was thrilled to see he chose a Cookie and Kate recipe. This will be his go to website for all recipes going forward!! Thank you for sharing your amazing and healthy recipes with us all!
Gary Grubb
We have loved this recipe so much for the last few years that I started experimenting with small variations. The best change so far has been adding to 2-4 tablespoons of chili sauce for a delicious zip.
Kate
Great to hear, Gary! Thank you for your review.
Sherilyn
This is a delicious, hearty soup, a fabulous meal in every season! I’ve prepared it several times with the basic ingredients and added seasonal favorites, and even a few frozen vegetables. My family loves it every time!
One suggestion is to cook the pasta separately (and store the leftover soup and past separately, too). Otherwise, it absorbs too much of the delicious broth!
Anne
This is my favourite minestrone recipe. It’s perfect with a toasted cheese sandwich on a cold night. I never have an issue cooking the pasta in the soup. Better-quality pasta tends to keep its shape without ending up mushy.
Cheryl Rapaic
I couldn’t find my minestrone recipe and came across this one and I now have a new favourite recipe. It turned out delicious. I used all of my vegetables that needed to be used up and added more broth and more tomatoe paste to allow for the extra veg. I sprinkled some chilli flakes in as well. My partner is asking ‘ where is the meat? ‘ so I will be putting some prawns in just before I serve it. So delicious.
It is a warm spring here in Perth Western Australia but I couldn’t wait to make a soup.
Claudia
Amazing recipe.. love everything about it and so does my husband! Thank you for sharing!
Kate
You’re welcome, Claudia!