Minestrone Soup Recipe - Two Peas & Their Pod

If you read our blog regularly, you know I LOVE a good soup. White Bean Soup, Black Bean Soup, Lentil Soup, and Potato Leek Soup are a few of my favorites. You can check out all of our soup recipes HERE, there are a lot:)

I really love this Easy Minestrone Soup too. It’s a CLASSIC! And this minestrone soup recipe is easy, healthy, and comforting. It’s WAY better than canned soup or the Olive Garden’s minestrone soup:)

Minestrone is an Italian soup that usually includes vegetables, pasta, beans, and sometimes meat. I omitted the meat because I wanted the soup to be vegetarian and honestly, I don’t think it needs it. The soup is super hearty because all of the vegetables, beans, and pasta.

The soup is made in ONE pot and I always love a good one pot meal. It is the perfect soup for a cold day or when you need to use up the veggies from your garden or veggie drawer.

Let’s get this soup party started!

Soup Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Veggies– carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans
• Diced tomatoes– use canned tomatoes and don’t drain! You can use fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.
• Vegetable broth– can use chicken broth if you don’t need the recipe to be vegetarian.
• Cannellini beans– rinsed and drained
• Herbs– dried basil, oregano, and thyme
• Elbow macaroni– can use gluten-free pasta
• Parmesan cheese & fresh basil– for garnish

How to Make Minestrone Soup

• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add in zucchini, green beans, and diced tomatoes.
• Stir in vegetable broth, beans, basil, oregano, and thyme. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. If you need to add more broth, you can.
• Season soup with salt and pepper. If you want a little heat, you can add crushed red pepper flakes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Variations

• Minestrone soup is very versatile. You can add whatever vegetables, beans, and pasta you like. I included carrots, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, and green beans. You could also add in bell peppers, yellow squash, peas, spinach, or kale.
• I used cannellini beans, which are a white bean. I use canned beans to keep the recipe super simple. You can use great Northern beans or red kidney beans too.
• I chose whole wheat macaroni for the pasta, but any small pasta will work well in this soup.
• Spice it up with crushed red pepper flakes.
• If you want the soup to be vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese and if you need the soup to be gluten free, you can use gluten-free pasta.

Serving Suggestions

Garnish a steaming bowl of minestrone soup with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. I also like to serve the soup with a loaf of fresh crusty bread.

You can also serve with:

How to Store

I always make a big pot of this soup because it reheats well and we love eating the leftovers. I could eat it for lunch and dinner all week long, and I usually do. It is a great recipe to have on hand durning the cold winter months.

• Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
• You can also freeze the soup for up to three months. The pasta might break up a little after defrosting and reheating, but it will still be good.

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