Homemade Minestrone Soup Recipe (2024)

This minestrone soup recipe is delicious and easy to make. It's loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta - perfect for a hearty meal on a cold day!

Hearty soups and stews are my jam and we love having them any time of the year. From Italian beef stew and chicken stew to eggplant soup and even ash reshteh (Persian noodle soup), I'm always ready for a bowl of soul-warming soup. Minestrone is a classic Italian thick soup that should be on everyone's menu because it's so delicious! Read on to see how I made this soup and how you can make it in your own kitchen.

What is minestrone soup?

Originally from Italy, minestrone is a thick soup made with a variety of seasonal vegetables including but not limited to onions, celery, carrots, squash and tomatoes. This soup often contains some kind of small pasta or rice as well as beans.

Just like caponata, there is no "set and fixed" recipe for minestrone, it is always made with the vegetables in season and can be improvised to your liking. Leave out the beans, add your favorite vegetables or even meat such as browned sausage if desired.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Vegetables: In this recipe we have used onion, garlic, celery, carrots, leek, zucchini, yellow squash and spinach.
• Tomato paste: I would say this is optional, but I love adding some tomato paste to give the soup a nice color and a bit of depth in the flavor.
• Crushed tomatoes: It's best to use organic canned crushed tomatoes. Not only does it give a beautiful color to the soup, but also takes the flavor to the next level.
• Seasoning: We love using Italian seasoning in this recipe, it really brings the soup together. You can also use fresh herbs such as oregano, rosemary and parsley.
• Beans: White beans such as cannellini or navy beans work best for this recipe. If you don't like beans, you can leave them out.
• Pasta: Small pasta such as orecchiette or elbow would work well for this recipe.

How to make minestrone soup

1. Sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Then add the garlic followed by celery, carrots, leek, zucchini and yellow squash. Cook until the vegetables start to soften.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add in the beans and pasta, then add the vegetable stock or water.
3. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook the soup for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
4. Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes until it's wilted. Serve minestrone warm with some grated parmesan if desired.

Variations

• Vegetables: You can leave out the leek, zucchini or yellow squash or add other vegetables such as green beans, cabbage and butternut squash to the soup.
• Pesto: A couple tablespoons of pesto will inject some extra flavor into the soup.
• Parmesan: Add a piece of parmesan rind to the soup alongside the vegetable stock and remove it before serving. You can also top the soup with grated parmesan.
• Beans: Use navy beans instead of cannellini beans.
• Pasta: You can use any small pasta including elbow, shells or even macaroni for this recipe. There's no law against leaving the pasta out entirely, if that's how you like it.

Serving suggestions

Minestrone soup is a complete meal on its own. You can top it with grated parmesan and serve with some crusty bread and a simple salad such as caprese salad with basil oil or balsamic glaze if desired.

Leftovers and reheating

Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To reheat, place the soup in a saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally so it heats evenly.

As for freezing minestrone soup, you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. However, keep in mind that the texture of the pasta and vegetables would get a bit mushy.

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