Italian Minestrone Soup

Italian Minestrone Soup takes just 15 minutes prep time and is loaded with healthy vegetables and a rich, flavorful broth. It also freezes well!

Traditional Minestrone Soup Ingredients

Minestrone soup has a long history, believed to have originated around the 2nd century B.C. It began as a soup made from leftover ingredients, evolving over time. While there isn’t a fixed original recipe, traditional ingredients include vegetables such as onions, garlic, celery, tomatoes, and carrots, in addition to beans and pasta. Translating to “thick vegetable soup”, minestrone evolved to include meat and a variety of vegetables as they became more widely available. This evolution reflects the variety of recipe versions and adaptability over centuries.

Thus, this is one of those “use whatever vegetables and other ingredients are lurking in your refrigerator” kind of recipes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this Italian Minestrone soup, yet only recently started writing down the exact amounts of the ingredients I use.

My mom makes what she calls “refrigerator soup” which is using up whatever she’s got in the fridge. Minestrone is similar in that the vegetables can be swapped for your favorites or simply what you want to use up.

What makes this the best Italian Minestrone soup?

• Just 15 minutes prep time
• Plenty of healthy vegetables
• It’s versatile: use up whatever vegetables you’ve got on hand
• It’s FAR better than anything you can buy at the store without any unwanted ingredients
• It freezes well
• It’s even better the next day!

How to Make Minestrone Soup from Scratch?

Once your vegetables are prepped, sauté the onion, carrots, then the garlic for about another minute. Add some tomato paste, oregano, and thyme and cook a few minutes more.

Add diced potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, broth, a couple of bay leaves, and some water. If you have a parmesan rind, add it now. Bring it all to a boil then simmer it for 15 minutes.

Add a small pasta, such as ditalini, along with a can of white beans, peas, and some chopped kale or spinach. Simmer that for about another 20 minutes.

For the final steps, you’ll add a little fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper, then taste the soup and add more salt if necessary. The lemon juice brightens the flavors and, while it can technically be omitted, is an important ingredient. Ladle into serving bowls and serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side. Parmesan crisps are also a nice touch for serving.

Is minestrone soup good for you?

Italian Minestrone Soup is loaded with vegetables and has very little saturated fat or calories. It’s fairly high in carbs so I wouldn’t eat it on a low-carb or keto diet, although the carbs can be greatly reduced by omitting the pasta and potatoes and replacing them with small cauliflower florets and a low carb pasta alternative.

Omitting the beans will lower the carbs even further. The same goes for the carrots but they’re a crucial ingredient so only remove them if it’s absolutely necessary.

Can Italian Minestrone Soup be frozen?

Yes, minestrone can be frozen. Allow it to cool completely then pack it into airtight containers. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. It will also keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To reheat, place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir it occasionally until it’s hot. It can be placed in the saucepan directly from frozen or you can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

Tips and Variations for Italian Minestrone Soup

• You can add more or less liquid to this recipe depending on your preference. I prefer a heartier soup with less liquid, but you might like it with even more broth. Anywhere between 5-7 total cups of liquid (broth + water) is a good amount without the need to adjust the seasonings.
• Italian sausage is a wonderful addition if you’d like some meat added. I’ve made it with chicken breast, hamburger meat, ground turkey, and Italian sausage and enjoyed them all. My first choice is the sausage but try them all and see what you like best. Brown the sausage or hamburger meat, remove it with a slotted spoon, drain off the grease, then proceed with the recipe as usual. Add the sausage, hamburger meat, or leftover cooked and chopped or shredded chicken back into the recipe at step 4.
• This recipe calls for the rind from a wedge of Parmesan cheese. It’s optional but adds a lot of flavor. Instead of throwing them away, store your rinds in the freezer. You can add one straight from the freezer to any soup for a boost of flavor.
• Swap the vegetables for your favorites! Leeks, parsnips, fennel, green beans, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, and butternut squash are all delicious.
• Canned minestrone soup – If you’re ever really short on time but craving a bowl of minestrone soup consider elevating a canned soup by adding fresh vegetables, seasonings, herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano), a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and garnish with yogurt, sour cream, shredded cheese, croutons, or freshly grated Parmesan.

What to serve with Italian Minestrone Soup

• A nice loaf of crusty bread is really all you need!
• Take it a step further with some stuffed garlic bread.
• A salad is another obvious choice. Keep it simple with a balsamic vinaigrette and a mix of fresh baby spinach and spicy arugula. Maybe a fresh tomato or two!
• Although you can add meat directly to minestrone (see tips above), it’s also wonderful served as a side with grilled chicken or beef.
• Use the leftovers as a topping for baked potatoes.

Continue to Content

Italian Minestrone Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Don't let the long ingredient list fool you - this is an easy recipe with just 15 minutes prep time. It's worth every one of those minutes, too. This is a hearty, flavorful, and healthy soup that will warm your belly!

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Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled (chopped or sliced)
• 2 celery ribs (chopped or sliced)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup diced zucchini
• 2 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (regular is also fine)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 parmesan cheese rind (optional but recommended)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup ditalini or any other small pasta, such as conchigliette (small shell pasta)
• 1 15-oz can white beans (I used cannellini)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups chopped kale (or baby spinach)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

1. Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and, when it's shimmering, add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one minute, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the tomato paste, oregano, and thyme to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, zucchini, diced tomatoes, broth, water, parmesan rind (if using), and bay leaves to the pot. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and allow it to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the red pepper flakes, pasta, beans, peas, and kale (or spinach) to the pot. Simmer for about another 20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
5. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper, then taste and add more salt if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

Notes

Make this Minestrone Soup with meat by adding 1 lb of cooked meat at Step 4. Perfect with leftover meat! My first choice is hot Italian sausage (or mild) but any meat such as your preferred sausage, ground beef or turkey, pancetta or bacon, chicken (shredded or diced) or ham or prosciutto, will work.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 379Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 999mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 15gSugar: 11gProtein: 16g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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