Minestrone Soup Recipe – Simple, Healthy & Hearty

Ingredient Notes

Pasta

I like to use macaroni, but another small pasta shape (like mini shells) works fine too. If you are following a gluten-free diet, use your favorite gluten-free pasta. 

Extra-virgin olive oil

To cook the veggies and for drizzling at the end you’ll want olive oil. While the cooked oil will not add too much flavor, the finishing oil will. That is why I recommend a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for finishing this dish. If you happen to have two different in your kitchen, use the less expensive olive oil for cooking and then use the nicer reserved oil for topping the soup at the end.

Veggies:

• Onion: Read how to dice an onion here. 
• Garlic: A must! Freshly chopped is best.
• Carrots: Peel and chop the carrots to about the same size as the onion and celery.
• Celery: Cut into small pieces so that it will become tender in a shorter time.
• Zucchini: to bulk up the veggies more I also added in diced zucchini. If you prefer you can use green beans instead.

Italian seasoning

This is a dry seasoning blend found in large supermarkets. It has a nice balance of herbs that wake up beautifully in the soup. 

Salt

I use table salt here. If you prefer to use coarse kosher salt, read this info about substituting. If you are on a low-sodium diet, simply omit the salt and use a low-sodium broth. Then just add salt and pepper to taste at the very end if you feel you need it.

Dry white wine

To bring out the flavors and add acidity to the soup, I use dry white wine. Look for one without a lot of oak or residual sugar. I like Italian whites for this such as Orvieto or Pinot Grigio. 

Vegetable broth

My favorite brand of veggie broth is Imagine No Chicken. It tastes amazing and is not bitter or dark. This is a vegan soup, but if you eat poultry, you can also sub in chicken broth or homemade stock. 

Canned whole peeled tomatoes

The tomatoes help by adding acidity to the soup. They also are yet another veggie to add in. Look for whole Italian-style plum tomatoes. I prefer the rustic texture of hand-crushed whole tomatoes to canned diced tomatoes, but if you are looking for a shortcut, diced tomatoes will work instead.

Red kidney beans

Look for no salt added if you are on a reduced-sodium diet. Make sure to drain and rinse the beans. If you prefer white beans look for cannellini beans instead which are white kidney beans. For a change of pace, Great Northern Beans too.

Basil

To add fresh and bright herb flavor at the end I also add in fresh basil. This great way to make a big flavor pop. Do not sub in dried. If you do not have it you can skip it. 

Grated Parmesan cheese 

This recipe is vegan, but if you eat cheese, I love the way a bit of Parmesan tastes on top. Freshly grate if you can for the best flavor and texture. 

Step By Step Instructions For This Minestrone Recipe

Step 1: Cook the pasta separately

This is the one and only sure-fire way of making sure your pasta is cooked but not overcooked. Trying to time soften the variety of vegetables in a quick Minestrone is tricky if the pasta is in the pot at the same time. Cooking the pasta in another pot on the stovetop eliminates the guesswork. Check your package for proper cooking time and follow the instructions to boil the pasta. Then once your soup is finished, stir the cooked pasta into the hot soup!

Step 2: Cook the onion and garlic first

In a large Dutch oven, add the oil, chopped garlic cloves and onion and saute first. Do this to get a little caramelization (that means the natural sugars have started browning).  

Step 3: Add the carrots, celery and dry herbs

After the onions brown, add the carrots and celery which will contribute moisture and slow the browning process. You will also want to add the dry herbs which will help bloom them so they will be more flavorful.

If you like to add meat to your minestrone, you can add 8 ounces of Italian sausage to the pot with the veggies. Remove the casings and crumble it with the spoon as it browns.

Look for fond in the bottom of the pot. Fond is the tasty browned bits that stick to the pan. Fond is your one-way ticket to Flavortown. You want that! I do the same thing in my Ratatouille recipe and it makes such a difference! You don’t want to burn the pot, so don’t let it go too dark. Burning is bitter.

Step 4: Deglaze with white wine

White wine is acidic which is important because it and helps to draw up the fond (aka your one-way ticket to Flavortown.) Acidity also helps to brighten and balance the other flavors in the Minestrone. Wine as an ingredient also helps our taste buds perceive flavor.

Step 5: Add vegetable broth and zucchini

My favorite vegetable broth is Imagine “No Chicken.” Of course, making your own stock is always a great idea, just make sure to peel your vegetables- peels are bitter and are for compost and chickens, not for stock. If you do make your own vegetable or chicken stock, increase the added salt by 1/2 teaspoon to compensate.

Wait and add the zucchini with the broth because the other veggies have had a head start already.

The zucchini on the other hand not only cooks quickly but it won’t caramelize in the first place so there is no point in sautéing it with the onions etc. That’s because it has a very high water content, and to caramelize it you need a much dryer and hotter environment- like a pretty empty hot skillet with oil or a hot oven with oil or a grill with oil.

(Don’t miss this grilled zucchini recipe!) To read more about why this is the case don’t miss my explanation of caramelization and why that occurs.

Step 6: Crush the canned tomatoes by hand

I know this seems like extra work, but I like to crush them by hand into the soup. I love the rustic, irregular texture. Look for those with the label that says San Marzano. Use the tomato sauce from the can too. That gives the soup body.

Step 7: Add beans and pasta at the end

Wait to add the beans and pasta into the soup and just heat it through. That will ensure the pasta doesn’t become overcooked and the beans will not break down.

Step 8: Stir in the basil

Add the basil after the Minestrone soup comes off the heat. Fresh basil has volatile compounds our noses pick up, but they evaporate quickly when heated. So stirring the basil in at the end will keep as much fresh basil flavor for serving.

Once you ladle the minestrone soup into bowls, top it with a drizzle of more (good) Italian extra-virgin olive oil. It’s delicious and you can really taste the olive oil when it hasn’t been cooked. I add on Parmesan cheese too- but if you’re vegan you can skip it.

Expert Tips and FAQs For This Recipe

Ingredient Substitutions

This recipe is very versatile so if you do not have one or more of the ingredients, feel free to use any fresh vegetables you have on hand. For example, you can use fresh green beans instead of zucchini. You can also make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. We save our Parmesan rinds too, so if you happen to have one, add it into the pot with the stock. If you like a little heat, add a half teaspoon of red pepper flake with the Italian Seasoning.

Start with a good soup pot

I particularly love my heavy enameled cast iron pot for making soup. It has a wide bottom, so I can brown the vegetables quickly and they don’t over-crowd and steam. The thickness of the bottom is important because it will prevent the food from burning.

Make Ahead Tips

Soups are one of the best make-ahead meals out there! I love the way the flavors marry and taste even better the next day. I will often make a big pot on the weekend with the express purpose of having it for lunches for the week. This Minestrone soup can be made ahead up to 5 days in advance.

If you like al dente pasta, keep it separate and only add it just before serving. Once it is stirred into the soup it will continue to soften and absorb liquid.

How to Reheat Minestrone on the Stovetop

• To rewarm, bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat stirring occasionally.
• Do not simmer for too long as this will overcook the pasta and zucchini and dull the flavor of the basil.
• For best flavor, leave the basil out until it is re-warmed. If the flavors seem dull, feel free to add salt and pepper to taste.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Yes, this Minestrone can be frozen up to three months. Here’s how:

1. Divide into containers with convenient number of servings.
2. Cool completely in the fridge before covering tightly and freezing.
3. Freeze for up to three months.
4. To thaw, transfer the container to the refrigerator and thaw at least 24 hours.
5. Or reheat from frozen in the microwave, breaking up ice as it thaws every 4 minutes or so.