Minestrone Soup is a hearty vegetable soup made with fresh veggies, cannellini beans, potatoes, and pasta noodles. Try my Zuppa Tuscana for another delicious Italian-inspired soup.
Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is a delicious Italian-inspired soup that can warm you up on a cold winter day or be a lovely lunch in the springtime. It’s a vegetable soup that can be made with vegetables that are in season or using any of your favorites.
Minestrone is thicker than vegetable soup and has pasta and beans. It is versatile and, the bonus is that it is made in one large pot!
Soup Ingredients
Vegetables: Onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes are pretty standard in classic minestrone soup. Then, it’s fun to add the seasonal veggies to the mix.
Chicken Stock: Make your own homemade chicken stock to use in this recipe for loads of flavor.
Pasta: Pasta is one of the ingredients that help make minestrone a heartier vegetable soup. I used ditalini noodles, which are tiny tubular noodles. They are sometimes referred to as ‘little thimbles’. Any small pasta works well in this soup.
Beans: Cannellini beans are from Italy and are an off-white color. Be sure to drain and rinse the can of beans before adding them to the soup. You could also use kidney beans, white beans, pinto beans, or a combination of beans.
What are the Differences Between Minestrone, Vegetable Soup, and Pasta Fagioli?
Yes, minestrone is a vegetable soup. But, it is much heartier than a traditional vegetable soup. In addition, it oftentimes has added beans, pasta, or rice. When it comes to comparing and contrasting minestrone with pasta Fagioli, they are also very similar.
Pasta Fagioli means ‘pasta and beans’, which is the focus of the dish. Although minestrone often contains pasta and beans as well, the focus is on vegetables and the variations of vegetables that can be added. Pasta Fagioli can also be a bit thicker than minestrone and does not usually include such a wide variety of veggies.
How to Store Minestrone Soup
Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can also freeze the soup. To freeze, let it cool completely (up to 2 hours). Then, store it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. However, you may want to undercook the veggies a bit if you are planning to freeze the soup. The vegetables may get overcooked in the reheating process. And, add the pasta when ready to serve. When ready to enjoy, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More Soups
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced into rounds (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup seasonal vegetables, (We used zucchini), sliced, quartered
- 2 ribs celery, trimmed, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 large russet potato, peeled, diced
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup ditalini noodles, uncooked
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- To a large, heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid, add butter and oil. Heat over medium heat until melted. Add onion, carrots, zucchini, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Add garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Add chicken stock, potato, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a low bowl, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add dry pasta noodles, cannellini beans, and spinach leaves. Stir to fully combine. Cover and simmer on low for 15-20 more minutes, or until noodles are cooked through.
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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I made it today! My wife and I loved it. Very thick that I will probably add an extra cup of chicken broth. (I used broth instead of stock.) This is a keeper.
Excellent! We loved it
My whole family loves this recipe. I even made another batch to can for future.
Really enjoy the recipies and comments.
I always want this recip.NOW Im going to make it. Thank you so much….
I will let you know if taste good,as yours.
THANK YOU.
Delicious!