minestrone soup

I have been so excited to share my Minestrone Soup recipe with you all. It is a fast and healthy version made with zucchini and fresh basil. It can be made vegan or gluten-free if desired. It’s high in fiber and only 111 calories per cup, but it is surprisingly filling! Also, it can be frozen too!

I have updated this post and republished it today. I originally shared it on September 7th, 2018. 

No question, soup is one of my favorite things to cook. Specifically I love making vegetable soup. I love chopping everything and layering the ingredients into the pot to cook them sequentially to maximize the flavors. It is so satisfying and something I relish when the weather goes from summer to fall.

This year I have been working on perfecting Minestrone soup. I love my Italian Soups, and regularly make Italian Wedding Soup and Pappa al Pomodoro.

This being the case, perfecting homemade Minestrone was a seemingly straightforward task. But not so, because a lot of Minestrone soup recipes fall flat on flavor. They have that “too healthy” or “low fat” taste of the ’90s low fat era.

If you’ve been to Italy and had authentic Minestrone soup, then you know that real deal Italian Minestrone is neither flat nor low fat tasting! It is usually full of body and flavor from tomatoes, herbs, really good olive oil. It’s often cooked with the rind of the Parmesan right in it.

Some Italian variations are also cooked with parts of the pork in the broth, that don’t actually add any chunks of meat to the soup, but they add lots of velvety mouthfeel.

So I set out to create an easy home cook version of Minestrone with the slow cooked Italian version in my mind’s eye. Here’s what I came up with.

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

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. 

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. 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.

Red kidney beans

Look for no salt added if you are on a reduced sodium diet. Make sure to drain and rinse the beans. 

Basil

To add fresh and bright herb flavor at the end I also add in fresh basil. This makes 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. 

How to Make This Minestrone Recipe

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 softening the vegetables in a quick Minestrone is tricky if the pasta is in the pot at the same time. Cooking the pasta in another pot eliminates the guesswork.

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.

Cook the onion and garlic first

Do this to get a little caramelization (that means the natural sugars have started browning) before adding in the carrots and celery which will contribute moisture and slow the browning process.  

Add the dry herbs

Adding the dry herbs with the veggies before the liquid is added will help bloom them so they will be more flavorful.

Look for fond on 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 make such a difference! You don’t want burning, so don’t let it go too dark. Burning is bitter.

Deglaze with white wine, which is acidic

This 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.

Choose a great vegetable broth

My favorite 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.

Add the zucchini at the end

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.

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.

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.

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.

Finish it with best quality olive oil

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.

 

Steps to Make This Recipe

Make Ahead Tips

Soups are one of the best make ahead meals out there! 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.

How to Reheat Minestrone

• 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.

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.

More Soup Recipes You’ll Love

• Vegan Vegetable Soup, this is possibly the most delicious vegetable soup on the planet. If you like this Minestrone, you have to make this veggie soup too! 
• Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, if you eat poultry, you’ll want to save this one as well. It’s full of hearty veggies and has so much flavor!
• Chicken and Quinoa Soup plus what to do with mustard greens this is a “cures what ails ya” kind of recipe. It is super healthy (with turmeric too! Save it for when you have a cold! It will be your lifeline.) 
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup a great weeknight soup dinner the whole family will love.
• Healthy New England Seafood Chowder if you haven’t made chowder from scratch, this is a great recipe for beginners. 
• The newest kid on the block is my Corn Chowder recipe, and it’s already getting rave reviews! 

Thank you for reading! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. It really helps a lot! 

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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