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.
Sam
This came out magnificently! I love thick, rich, minestrone and I’m happily surprised at how easy and affordable it is to make a big pot of minestrone. I misread a step and added in the tomato paste at step 2 instead of step 1 but it still came out great. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kate
Thank you for your comment and review, Sam!
Tim Irvine
Nice recipe. I toss in a Parm rind. Better day two. *****
J.
I almost never leave reviews on recipe blogs, but this soup is so incredible that I had to. I’ve tried a few other recipes and found them all a little lackluster. But, THIS IS DELICIOUS. For the chopped vegetables, I used white potato, frozen green beans, frozen peas, and yellow squash; I used baby spinach for the greens. I didn’t use any type of cheese, and while cheese is obviously amazing, this recipe doesn’t need it. So flavorful and warm and perfect.
Kate
I’m so glad you decided to leave a review, J! Thanks for sharing you loved it.
Charlotte
Super dinner for a happy family. Back to basics for all our family
Crystal
I used frozen green beans, zucchini and didn’t add all the beans. It’s absolutely delicious. I made it 2x in 2 weeks.
It’s so healthy.
mrchefmiami
1000mg Sodium per cup of soup is healthy? I admit, it looks delicious though and I’m still going to make it!
Kate
Hey Mr. Chef, you can reduce the sodium by using reduced-sodium canned products, replacing the vegetable broth with water, and being judicious with your salt use. Individual needs for sodium vary.
Annie
If you are concerned about sodium, you can also add parsley to increase the potassium to balance out the sodium.
Fan
Kate, do I have to use canned tomato? can I use fresh ones?
Kate
Hi Fan, I’m not sure directions with fresh, sorry!
Jessica
Hi Kate! I used 1 16 Oz can of tomatoes and about 16 Oz of chopped up fresh with some water and a squirt of a broth concentrate (that’s very tomatoey), because that’s what I had. And it turned out fantastic. I also added a smidge more tomato concentrate. I think you could probably do the same with replacing the canned tomatoes with what I did. It’s a super tasty recipe!
Taylor
Never left a review on a cooking site but this recipe is amazing- love how easy it is to tweak the recipe to your liking. I don’t like beans so I simply added extra veggies- used a mix of zucchini, yellow squash, peas, and potatoes! Thanks for sharing :)
Bernice Armstrong
Best Minestrone recipe I have made, loved it thankyou Nice and chunky with heaps of flavour. I added a bit of paprika, and lots of fresh parsley and chives at the end as well as I love plenty of extra herb flavour.
Liz
Excellent soup. I used parsnip and potatoes for vegetables, and I was going to add green beans but my pot wasn’t big enough. I added lentils but no pasta, because of space, and served it with quick focaccia
Kate
hank you for sharing, Liz!
Paula Gorman
Great soup, went down a treat with the family definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing
Kate
You’re welcome, Paula! I’m happy you love it!
CR
This is the most delicious minestrone EVER! My husband requests it at least once a week! So so good!
Dawn Byrnes
I made the classic minestrone soup it was delicious
Star rating=5
Emily
This soup is delicious! It’s the only Minestrone Soup recipe you’ll ever need. I’ve passed it on to my mother and she loves it, as well. Thanks for sharing it! :)
Susan M Brewster
Delicious! I did a mostly canned version because that’s what I had on hand. I used one can each Healthy request chicken noodle soup, garbanzo beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes with spices; half cup each canned peas, carrots and green beans. Rinsed all beans and veggies and added 2 cups water. We had dried parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper. To start I added about 2T chopped green onion to olive oil in pan and sauted until slightly browned. Then added all other ingredients, spices to taste and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until I could smell it. Served with cheesy bread sticks.
Nathalie
Delicious! I used one large parsnip as the seasonal vegetable. Can it really be even better today (day 2)??!
H
Nice vegetarian recipie Would make life easier to also provide modern metric values if possible please, rather than just quaint ounces.
Erika Tinoco
Excellent recipe. It is a warm and rich soup. A good idea for those raining days or when you have the flu.
I added fresh jalapeño and mushrooms.
Emily
This recipe was just amazing! I make soup all the time but could tell by the ingredients and the cooking process this was going to be a favorite-well it exceeded my expectations! Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow for lunch. Thank you for sharing.
Jess
Perfect!! The right amount of seasonings too! It’s even better the next day :) Easy too…thank you!
allie
I had never made minestrone soup before – I had never even tasted it but my boyfriend and I were in the mood for something healthy and tomatoey so this is what I settled on. I have to tell you this soup is the gift that keeps on giving – so full of flavor!
neither of us are vegetarians and I had made chicken the night before, so instead of olive oil, I used chicken fat to soften the veggies. I used zucchini, yellow squash, potato, and spinach in addition to the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Dished it out with some super crispy garlic bread and we were both amazed at how good our apartment smelled, and how flavorful the soup was.
Making it for the second time in a week tonight because it’s excellent meal prep. Love love loved it!!!
Betty
I love this! I first thought that I really didn’t need a recipe for minestrone, but I’m glad I followed this one. Very flavorful and easily made. I used a bunch of leftover vegetables in the fridge and gluten-free corn rotini (couldn’t find elbows). I wasn’t sure how the pasta cooked in the soup would turn out, but it all came together wonderfully. Thank you!
Eve Frantz
I have made this soup twice. It’s delicious. Also, a great way to use whatever veggies you have in the fridge.
Emma Kilpatrick
Hi! Ive never had luck with leftover minestrone because the pasta thickens it up in the fridge overnight. Is there a trick to prevent this? Thanks :)
Kate
Hi Emma! So, I kind of like how it turns more stew-y as time goes on. Sounds like you don’t—you could cook the pasta separately and store it separately, adding it to bowls as needed. Hope that helps!
Deborah moss
Homemade pesto or puréed garlic basil in olive oil added right before or after Turing off heat adds special flavor!!
Ziggy
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! This turned out exactly like the pictures and I’m already buying ingredients to make it again!
Jaclyn
Love this soup, I’ve made it several times. Was curious about freezing it, do you freeze with the pasta? Or add the pasta after you defrost?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Jaclyn! If you like thick, stewy minestrone, you can freeze it with the pasta (it absorbs more moisture as it reheats). If you’d like to keep the texture consistent, however, you could add the pasta after you defrost. Up to you!
Emily
Absolutely amazing!! Swapped a few veggies, added kidney beans, and throughly enjoyed! Great recipe!
Superchick92
Awesome recipe!! I made homemade vegetable broth, which is easy to make, especially when you don’t want loads of sodium!! My family and friends love this. Definitely a favorite!!
Katie
Hi,
I really love this recipe but am wondering if there is an error in the amount of pasta to use. It says one cup, which must mean measured dry since the recipe directions say when adding the pasta at the end to cook “until the the pasta is cooked al dente”. The first time I made this soup, I did that and almost all of the liquid was absorbed by the pasta, which made it a stew rather than a soup. The second time I made it, I cooked the cup of pasta first before adding it to the soup, and then added it at the very end. The soup was still more than just thick, it was close to a stew. I used whole wheat elbow pasta.Any thoughts? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Katie! You cook the pasta in the soup. It’s a thicker soup, not a ton of liquid. What type (size) of pasta did you use?
Katie
Thanks for the quick reply!I used Barilla regular sized whole wheat elbows.
Amy @RIPEFoodandWine
Kate, your recipes are always wonderful! Thank you so very much for putting the time and energy in on your posts and your wonderful book, Love Real Food—I recommend it to everyone I meet who wants to eat better and is game to cook. I hope you don’t mind that I occassionally adapt your recipes for my blog, always pointing people to your site and book.
Judith Arayaes
Delicious! Thank you!
Susan
Made your minestrone soup today for lunch for me and my mom. Great recipe, thank you so much for sharing!
Aubrey Mortensen
I’ve made this several times and it’s always a family fav! My go to veggies are golden potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and fresh green beans if I can find them. I use gluten free elbows for the husband and serve it over a batch of spicy meatballs for the kiddos. We also have a small batch of fresh parm from my bosses last trip to Venice. Delicious! Best and most affordable minestrone recipe I have found online.
Monique
Great recipe! I just used water, no broth, and added fennel bulb and shallot from the beginning with the onion, celery and carrot. Lovely taste and texture. Thank you!
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Monique!
Carlotta
So so good. I love your recipes. My changes: I nearly doubled the veggies (used yellow squash, zucchini, one Yukon potato, and green beans), and added 1.5 cups water beyond what the recipe called for and then tossed in two of my fave veggie bullion cubes (I like strong flavor) in addition to the 32 oz “Imagine” brand veggie broth, increased the fresh garlic, used fire roasted diced tomatoes. Delish!!! Thank you, first review ever posted
Kate
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
neal hauser
LOVED it. Beats all restaurant soups we ever bought. Thank you
Victor
This is fantastic! I have a veggie patch and this is my go to recipe to use them when they are piling up.
Don’t be afraid to use fresh herbs and get a little bit heavier on the chilli.
Cindy
Making this soup right now – just simmering at the moment. Wish I had not added the tomato paste in step one as I’m using a Dutch oven pot and even though I had it on low – it burned the tomato paste … hope this doesn’t ruin the whole batch :(
Kate
Oh no! Sounds like your heat was a little high. How did it turnout?
Ann Starkey
Brilliant perfect soup for current situation. Followed recipe very tasty.
Kate
Thank you for your comment! I’m happy you loved it, Ann.
C.R
AMAZING!!!!!!
Chiropam
Delicious! I made mine with kidney beans, and spelt twist pasta, and makes a brilliant hearty soup and very handy for a nutritious immune booster!
Jill
My daughter got me your amazing cookbook for Christmas. The pages for this recipe are all splattered. I’ve used it many times. This is an exceptional, very forgiving recipe that everyone loves. And it’s beautiful! Thank you!
Kate
That sounds like mine too! Thank you for sharing, Jill.
Leighanne
Absolutely delicious! I’ve been making minestrone for years but mine pales into insignificance compared to yours……
Thanks so much.
El
This is the best soup every!!! Even my 14 yo who went vegan (not any more) lived on it for 2 months!! The lemon at the end just brings this soup to another level!! I do freeze it but add veg broth when i reheat!!!!
Roxanne Murray
Delicious! Lots of fresh vegetables and great flavor! I will definitely make it again!
Pamela Bennett
This was amazing. Hearty, healthy and very flavorful.
Emily
Can you cook this in a crockpot instead? I’ve been enjoying trying your recipes, thank you!
Kate
Hi Emily! I suppose you could, but I haven’t tried it. I would still recommend to follow the saute instructions as that is really where a lot of flavor comes from.
Kristi Juette
Delicious. Great flavors. Next time I will cook the pasta separately and combine it when serving individual bowls. The pasta bloats and sucks up all the lovely broth when served as leftovers.
Natasha
I made this for lunch and it was so wonderful on a rainy day. I used light green summer squash and yukon gold potatoes for my veggies, and collard greens for the greens, adding the collards with the broth since they tend to take so long to cook. I tossed a parmesan rind in the broth to use it up. Also, I cooked my orecchiette separately so that the leftovers would have non-soggy noodles (the leftovers are stored with the soup and noodles in separate containers). Thanks so much for the recipe–it’s a huge pot of soup for two quarantining people, but we’ll eat it. It’s great to have something healthy on hand and ready to eat, and I love how versatile this is with regard to vegetable use. :-)
Lili
Kate, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I did it exactly the way you did and it came up delicious! My husband loved it. Definitely a recipe I will do over and over again. This is the third recipe I’ve tried from your website, I have loved all three. I share your love for cooking, I love it! I’ve been cooking all my life and now with cooking websites like yours it gets so much easier and delightful!
Louise
Thanks Kate, this was delicious. I used what veggies I had and put in 3 cups, I will be making this regularly,
Louise
Faye
Hi there! If I used Idaho potatoes (baked potatoes) should they be baked first or can I chop them up as is?
Kate
Hi Faye! You can add them to the soup to cook as noted. You may just need a little longer cooking time. I hope that makes sense?
Amanda
This soup is great! Used orzo pasta and added left over roast chicken. Ran out of carrots so used a red and orange peppers instead. Will definitely make again
Katherine Bastien
Best minestrone soup ever. Thank you very much.
BG
This is so good! There is nothing here that needs to be changed. Thank you!!
Mez
Made it today and included chorizo and corn. So good I’ve had two bowls already!
Kt
I only have chicken broth. Do you recommend using it or water instead?
Kate
Hey there! Honestly, either one should work well. If you want to save the broth for something else, use water.
Winifred Shawcross
I have made this recipe numerous times now .. it is delicious, healthy and so easy to make…. now my go to recipe for vegetarian soup.
Usha Luna
This soup was delicious!! I love all the vegetables, it was perfect for my vegetarian family. Will definitely be making this again.
Michelle
Hi Kate
This soup is amazing!!!! It will be a regular for me. Im a fan of your vegan Lentil soup, i have been making it for a few years now, i always have it handy in the freezer.
Zed
I made this today, very tasty and easy to make. Had to split in to 2 pots because my pot not big enough. A lot nicer than store bought. Worth the effort. Ate it with the bread I made.
Louise
This soup is soooo good, thanks for the recipe!
Gertrud Prinz
This is a wonderful recipe! I made it today and both my husband and I were thrilled. We could not stop eating! I omitted the beans (because I did not have any) but we did not miss them at all. Excellent minestrone!
Kate
You know it’s great when you can’t stop eating it! I love it. Thank you for sharing, Gertrud.
karen schuster
Best Minestrone I ever made!
Kate
Wonderful, Karen! Thank you for your review.
Summer
Such a delicious recipe! Love how easy it is and it uses leftover ingredients that you’re very likely to have at home. Left mine to boil a little too long and lost most the liquid so will be sure to add a bit more next time!
Kelli
Excellent! I doubled the batch and used frozen kale. Absolutely delicious!
Kate
Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Kelli!
Tracey Ingebretsen
Best Minestrone Recipe I have ever used. Excellent
Andrea
Just made this today and everyone absolutely loved it – even my Dad, who usually hates all veg – thanks so much for posting it!
Gina
This turned out so great!! Delicious! I added less water though. I think the lemon juice really works well.
Jenny
Really great minestrone!! I’m picky because of my Italian grandma, and this was just like hers. Cooking the onion in tomato paste for 10 minutes, I think, sets this recipe apart from other minestrone soup recipes. It really brings out the flavor of the onion and sweetens the tomato paste, removing the acidic trace of the tomatoes in the soup.
Molly
This recipe is great. Love how flexible it is—a great way to clear the fridge and pantry.
Kristin
OMG!!!! Made this last night for a “6 Foot Dinner” with my husband and best friend outside (since we are having to stay physically distant at this time). Was looking for something warm and homey during a somber time in the world, and this was the BEST! I absolutely love to cook and am so glad I ran across your website! My husband asked me to make it again tonight, so I have to cut this short because I need to go back to the store! Love, Your Newest COOKIE+Kate Fan
Casey
This was AMAZING. No other words to describe. So good.
Clarrissa
I have made this soup so many times, it’s delicious!! We have it with some bread on the side
Tracey INGEBRETSEN
I made this soup last week and my kids asked me to make it again. And it makes me feel good because they are eating good food. Excellent recipe.
Kate
Thank you, Tracey! I’m happy to hear that.
Katie Souvannavong
This is now my go-to soup recipe! The soup was delicious and so intuitive! I am not a great cook, but with a family of 6, I cook almost every meal so I cook exclusively from recipes. Lately, I have been trying to find recipes that can serve as a “base” for me to cook over and over again depending on what I have on hand. This soup covers all the bases!! I LOVE your recipes and I have actually made many of them. Thank you for the focus on veggies and health :)
Jeanne
Thanks, I enjoyed the minestrone a lot. It’s a great recipe and I will use it again. I added fresh thyme at the end, and that was great.
Michelle Pyka
This is worth making – the flavors are outstanding. I’ve tried many different minestrone soup recipes and this is my favorite!
Renee J
Incredible! This was so easy to make and delicious.
Emilia
LOVED it! My husband wanted canned soup but gave me a try, and it was so delicious that we hummed while eating. I added potatoes and zucchini, had only one can of diced tomatoes but it worked so well. Thank you, it’s our new favorite!
Peggy Seme
Made this on Tuesday! Loved it and had leftovers today. Easy to make and great here in NJ being we have been having abnormally cold weather! I used some frozen veggies I had on hand so I didn’t have to run to the store and organic black beans.
San Antonio Chef
Making this today for delivery to my personal chef clients tomorrow. I tossed in a parmesan rind. Using butternut and calabeza squash, and I may add some cooked Italian sausage at the end if my clients want meat. I don’t have beans or normal pasta but I’ll be using egg noodles – watching for the perfect al dente cooking time at the end, wish me luck! I’ll deliver with parmesan and some pita chips for crumbling on top.
Annette
I’ve never made Minestrone soup and a friend gave me the basics. But since I have trouble combining seasonings and amounts, I found your recipe and decided to follow it. Besides the carrots/onions and celery, I used rutabaga/zucchini/kale and green cabbage. I didn’t have dried thyme leaves, so I used ground thyme. I had leftover spaghetti and added it toward the end just to warm it (instead of cooking a pasta in the soup). Wow!. This turned out fabulous. Everyone loved it. I am usually not a fan of normal vegetable beef soup, so I was unsure if I would even like minestrone soup. I will definitely make this again. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!
Kate
Thank you for sharing your combination of vegetables, Annette! I’m excited it was a hit.
Alexa
Absolutely loved it! I am not cooking skilled but this recipe it is really simple to follow ans delicious!
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Alexa! Thank you for sharing.
Nicole
Fantastic! So flavorful & easy enough that even I could make it. I did add a bit more veggies than 2 cups – but, it came out wonderfully. I see a lot of people mentioning throwing in a parmesan rind. When would you add that?
Kate
Hi Nicole! I know a lot of people have enjoyed that. You would add it in during the simmering step.
shannon
I’m in lockdown with my family of carnivores here in MA. Made this for lunch today and they loved it. I used potato, zucchini and baby arugula for the veggies/greens because I had them on hand. (The baby arugula was an instacart sub that I never thought I would find a use for!) The only additional step I did was to hit it with my immersion blender just a couple of times so there is a bit of a thicker texture to the broth. This recipe is wonderful.
Jacki
Best minestrone I’ve ever made, flavourful and rich without being heavy.
I followed directions exactly as written, however, as I used one large potato as one of my ‘seasonal veg’ the soup needed more liquid. So I added two more cups of stock and heated through. Absolutely perfect.
Francina Taveras
OMG! I was so surprised on how wonderfully delicious this soup came out. I did use red kidney beans instead since it was all I had at the moment. Please note I’ve never made this soup before and it came out so delicious for a first timer. Thank you so much! I will definitely make this again.
Cari
Thanks for the detailed recipe. I really appreciate it. It came out delicious! I cooked the pasta on the side and added it after since someone commented about it soaking up too much broth. Thanks again!
Jennifer S
This was so hearty, flavorful, and healthy! The soup is so versatile; you can use many types of veggies/beans based on what you have on hand. Will keep this recipe for sure! Thank you!
Leisa Brady
Made this recipe for a friend and a sick aunt. They both raved about it and once finished both asked me to make more. It has so much flavour and just really good comfort food. THANKYOU so much for all your awesome recipes kind regards Leisa
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear that, Leisa. I appreciate your review.
Jenni T
SO GOOD. I didn’t end up adding the lemon (already tasted pretty bright to me). I also increased the garlic a little and used 1 leek instead of the onion – otherwise followed the instructions exactly.
Engela
Brilliant recipe, kids love it!, considering we could not get them to eat veg! Now we have the answers thankyou!
Carolyn
Just the soup flavour I was looking for. Absolutely delicious whole family loved it. Will be cooking again soon yum yum.
JESSICA METZ
This has made me a minestrone convert. Somehow never really got how good minestrone is until this recipe. Thanks!
Werner Steyn
Delicious, thank you for sharing xxx
Kata
Great recipe! I made it out of dry beans, so I just let the whole thing cook for over an hour until the beans were cooked, and it turned out deliciously creamy and comforting.
Sarah
I love this soup so much! I make it all the time now! I like to add mild Italian sausage taken out of the casing. As the recipe says, whatever is on hand for veggies makes for a different taste every time you make it so you don’t get bored. Such an awesome recipe! Thank you!
Suzi Damjanovic
Love this classic minestrone soup it is our family favourite. Thanks so much for sharing.
Barat
Followed this recipe without the cheese and lemon juice, used fresh tomatoes in place of canned and horsegram instead of cannelini beans.
It’s come out perfect, our whole home is filled with the goodness of seasonal veggies and other heavenly flavors
Kathleen Tillinghast
Like everyone else in these comments, I substituted veggies and omitted paste as I didn’t have any, and it still was the best minestrone I ever made. Partner said better than our Italian take out last week! It’s the seasoning that makes this I think. Just a perfect blend of herbs and spices in your recipe.
Debbie
I like the stewy consistency that develops. My variations: Instead of tomato paste, I sauteed thinly-sliced sun-dried tomatoes with the celery, carrots and Vidalia onion. Added vegies were diced sweet potato, chopped zucchini, partial bags of frozen sweet peas, butternut squash (which was soft and thickened the broth), thinly-sliced sun-dried red peppers. Put 28 oz. tomatoes through the food processor (daughter doesn’t like chunks of tomatoes). Less chicken broth, with leftover “broth” from steamed red beets & broccoli used for part of the water. Leftover cooked ground turkey (to use it up), no beans. For noodles, Ronzoni SuperGreens thin spaghetti, broken into 1-1/2 inch pieces (possibly about 1/2 cup broken). Shredded parmesan on top. To even out and speed cooking, I think I will pre-steam the carrots, sweet potatoes or winter squash. Soup is hearty, satisfying, tasty. The melted cheese kept sticking to my spoon and teeth. Will eat a hard cheese on the side next time, and cornbread sticks! Thanks for a great recipe!
Frances Shieh
Absolutely delicious! I used homemade chicken broth that I had a ton of and it made the soup even more hearty. I love how the vegetables stay somewhat firm even after simmering the soup… my hubby had 3 bowls! And we still have leftover. Thank you so much for a homerun recipe! This is staying in the vault.
RW
OMG!!!! one of the best soups I made! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us