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This hearty minestrone soup recipe is a comforting tomato-based soup loaded with fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta. Feed your army on a budget with this delicious soup inspired by the famous Olive Garden minestrone!
Try my Italian Sausage Soup and Lasagna Soup next!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This easy soup recipe is more than just a meal—it creates cozy moments when you need them most. The fresh vegetables and pantry staples like beans and pasta make it a versatile, budget-friendly option for weeknight dinners and feeding a crowd. Plus, it’s endlessly customizable and a great way to enjoy healthy comfort food during the colder months.
What Is Minestrone?
Minestrone is an Italian vegetable and pasta soup with beans and a tomato base. It’s so hearty and filling that it often serves as a main course. This classic minestrone recipe is a staple in our healthy meal rotation, offering the same cozy comfort as white bean kale soup but with a thicker tomato base.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and helps sauté the vegetables.
- Carrots, Celery, Onion, and Garlic: Budget-friendly aromatics that build the soup’s flavorful base.
- Zucchini: A versatile vegetable available year-round; swap for another seasonal veggie if needed.
- Beans: White and red kidney beans add protein and texture.
- Pasta: Use thicker pasta for the pressure cooker and thinner pasta for stovetop cooking.
- Canned Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes make the sauce thick and tomato-ey, but diced or whole peeled tomatoes are also delicious in this soup.
- Vegetable Broth: Substitute with chicken broth or turkey stock if preferred.
- Italian Seasoning & Oregano: Provide classic Italian flavors.
- Salt and Pepper: Adjust to taste.
- Fresh Spinach or Kale: Or use another leafy green.
- Optional Garnishes: Fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese, or croutons.
What Makes Minestrone Different from Vegetable Soup?
Minestrone features a hearty tomato broth, pasta, and beans, making it more substantial than traditional vegetable soup. These additions give it the texture and nutrients to serve as a main dish.
Best Pasta for Minestrone
Thick pastas like orecchiette or elbow macaroni are great for the pressure cooker because you can easily prevent them overcooking. However, I love to use medium shells for the stove method because they cook faster.
How to Make Minestrone Soup
Start by sautéing onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beans, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. Bring the soup to a boil, add pasta and zucchini, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir in fresh spinach at the end and garnish with your favorite toppings before serving.
Stir in tomatoes and bring everything just to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is fully cooked.
Now it's time to garnish this scrumptious soup with your favorite toppings. I love the combination of Parmesan cheese, parsley, and croutons. Then serve and devour! You'll love the minimal effort it takes to make a delicious minestrone soup that feeds an army on a budget.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid overcooking pasta: For perfectly cooked pasta, monitor cooking times closely.
- Flavor builder: Sautéing the vegetables first deepens the soup’s flavor, so try not to skip this step.
- Enhance the flavor: Add fresh herbs or a splash of lemon juice before serving to brighten the flavor.
- Freezing tip: To freeze, portion cooled soup into freezer-safe containers and label. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe Variations
- Add vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans can be added before simmering.
- Boost protein: Stir in shredded chicken or leftover meat during the final minutes of cooking.
- Spicy kick: Add cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or serve with hot sauce.
- Fresh herbs: Garnish with fresh basil, oregano, or thyme for extra flavor.
Can I Freeze Minestrone Soup?
Absolutely! Let the soup cool completely before portioning into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 90 days. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding broth as needed.
Serving ideas
Serve this minestrone soup with homemade French bread or my quick yeast dinner rolls, homemade crostini, or top it with Parmesan cheese and croutons for an extra layer of flavor.
Easy soup recipes you'll love
- Zuppa Toscana
- Old Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup
- Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Kale Chickpea Soup In A Hurry
📖 Recipe
Minestrone Soup Recipe (Olive Garden inspired)
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Video
When scaling the recipe 2x or 3x, the gray ingredient note stays the same. Adjust quantities accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 2 ribs Celery, diced
- 3 medium Carrots, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce can) Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce can) White Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano, or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 (28-ounce can) Crushed Tomatoes
- 6 cups Vegetable Broth, or more to adjust consistency
- 1 cup Shell Pasta, or pasta of choice
- ½ pound Zucchini, 2 small, halved and sliced
- 2 cups Fresh Spinach or Kale, finely chopped
Optional Toppings
- Fresh Parsley, Croutons, Parmesan Cheese.
Instructions
- Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat and add OLIVE OIL.
- Sauté ONION, CELERY, CARROTS, and GARLIC until tender.
- Stir in KIDNEY BEANS, WHITE BEANS, OREGANO, ITALIAN SEASONING, SALT, PEPPER, CRUSHED TOMATOES, and VEGETABLE BROTH. Bring to a boil briefly.
- Reduce heat, add SHELL PASTA and ZUCCHINI, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- In the last 5 minutes, stir in the SPINACH.
- Serve warm, garnished with your favorite toppings.
- To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
See footnotes for pressure cooker instructions.
Recipe Notes
Equipment
- 4-quart soup pot or 6-quart pressure cooker
june says
Hi Traci am asking for an unusual question. I was wondering if there is a pre-mix ready made where in i could just add the frozen veggies and some pasta with italian herb spices for a quick meal.
Very sorry for the question.
Am a vegetarian and love subway loafs but they do not have veg soups we have to go to many outlets to get some soup along with my meal. Instead of that i could just put this soup together
Thank you for reading my post
Traci says
Hi June! Not a silly question at all! While I don’t have a pre-mix myself, you might try keeping veggie broth, Italian seasoning, canned beans, and a jar of crushed tomatoes on hand. Then just toss in frozen veggies and pasta for a quick, cozy meal anytime. It’s a simple way to make your own shortcut version at home. Hope that helps!
Patricia says
It looks delicious . I don’t know if the seasoning is a bit much.
Traci says
It's definitely known for being delicious. If you’re concerned about the seasoning, feel free to start with a little less and adjust to your taste. I hope you give it a try and let me know if you have any questions. xoxo
BN says
Loved it. We used 8 C of broth too because we also added sauteed mushrooms and more celery.
Traci says
Yay!! I'm so glad you loved it! Thank you for bringing my recipe into your kitchen. Appreciate the feedback. Cheers! xoxo
Linda Jager says
This recipe is perfect. The only thing I did differently was I used 8 cups vegetable broth. Delicious.
Traci says
Yayyy!! I'm so glad you found your way to the recipe. Thanks for the feedback and please enjoy! xoxoxo
Sue says
Absolutely delicious! Put in the majority of ingredients listed as well as whatever veggies I had in the fridge to use up on a cold windy day. Heavenly and heart warming. Even the neighbor was excited about it after her surgery. Thanks for sharing.
Traci says
Yay!! I'm so glad you're loving this soup as much as we do! I appreciate your feedback – and the fact that you shared it with your neighbor. Day made!! Thanks for bringing my recipe into your kitchen. Enjoy!
Rosalee Adams says
Love this recipe and am looking forward to making it, but wonder if
I can use another bean instead of kidney beans?
Thanks so much for posting it
Traci says
Hello! Yes, you can use any bean you prefer for this recipe, especially since canned beans are fully cooked. Let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks for the inquiry. Enjoy!
Margaret says
I have cooked your recipe for minestrone soup in instant pot many times. It is so rich and delicious. Used tri-color rotini cooked perfectly. Looking forward to trying other recipes.
Thank you
Traci says
Yay!!! I'm so glad you love it as much as we do! I appreciate you taking the time to leave this feedback - and for bringing my recipe into your kitchen. Enjoy!
Frank says
Best soup I've had in a long time. Thank you
Traci says
Awesome! So glad you went for it and thanks for the feedback. Enjoy!
Michelle says
Its good! I always squeeze one lemon into it, cuz I always add that to soup.
Traci says
Yay!! So glad you're enjoying it! Love that idea too. Thank you for the feedback!
Best Recipes List says
Your recipe caught our attention, so we added it to our list of best Italian recipes.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Keep up the good work!
Traci says
Hey, glad you like it! Thanks and enjoy!
Sarah says
It's always soup season at our house, and this minestrone has become a go-to recipe for our family! It's easy, yummy, hearty, and so affordable for such a big portion!
Traci says
Yay Sarah! I'm so glad you're enjoying this one 🙂 It's easily a favorite in our house too, so I'm happy it found its way into your home too. Thanks for the feedback. Enjoy!