This minestrone soup recipe is a hearty, veggie-packed Italian classic that comes together in under an hour — perfect for chilly evenings when you want something warm, wholesome, and genuinely delicious.
Okay, real talk — minestrone soup is basically a hug in a bowl. I first made this on a rainy Sunday when my fridge was full of sad, lonely vegetables begging to be used, and somehow it turned into the most requested recipe in my house. It’s that good.
Table of Contents
What Makes This Minestrone Soup So Special
This isn’t your watery, bland soup-from-a-can situation. We’re talking a rich, tomato-forward broth loaded with tender veggies, creamy white beans, green beans, and little pasta that soaks up all that flavor like a dream. It’s vegetarian, totally customizable, and honestly better the next day (if it lasts that long).
Think of it like a greatest-hits bowl — every spoonful has something going on. It’s filling without being heavy, and it somehow manages to feel both rustic and fancy at the same time. Basically, it’s the soup equivalent of wearing pajamas to a dinner party and pulling it off.
The Coziest Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- wooden spoon
- Ladle
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
The Base
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 celery ribs thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 garlic cloves grated
The Good Stuff
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups cooked white beans or kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup green beans chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
The Finishing Touches
- ¾ cup small pasta elbows, shells, or orecchiette
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- red pepper flakes to taste
- grated Parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and go slightly golden around the edges.
- Add the garlic, diced tomatoes, beans, green beans, vegetable broth, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes. The broth will deepen in color and the herbs will infuse the soup with a gorgeous savory warmth.
- Stir in the small pasta and cook uncovered for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked through. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.
Notes
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need. Nothing fancy, nothing scary — just good, honest pantry staples.
The Base
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Extra-virgin olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| Yellow onion, diced | 1 medium |
| Carrots, chopped | 2 medium |
| Celery ribs, thinly sliced | 2 ribs |
| Sea salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| Freshly ground black pepper | Several grinds |
| Garlic cloves, grated | 3 cloves |
The Good Stuff
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Diced tomatoes (canned) | 1 (28-ounce) can |
| Cooked white beans or kidney beans, drained | 1½ cups |
| Chopped green beans | 1 cup |
| Vegetable broth | 4 cups |
| Bay leaves | 2 |
| Dried oregano | 1 teaspoon |
| Dried thyme | 1 teaspoon |
The Finishing Touches
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Small pasta (elbows, shells, or orecchiette) | ¾ cup |
| Fresh parsley, chopped | ½ cup |
| Red pepper flakes | To taste |
| Grated Parmesan cheese (optional) | For serving |
How to Make This Minestrone Soup Recipe
Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you — this comes together faster than you’d think, and most of it is just simmering hands-off while you do other things. Let’s go.
Step 1: Build Your Flavor Base
Heat your olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once it’s shimmering, toss in the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Cook everything, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.
You’re looking for the vegetables to soften and go a little golden around the edges — that’s where the flavor lives. Your kitchen should already smell amazing at this point. If it doesn’t, turn up the heat slightly and give it another minute.
Pro tip: Don’t rush this step. Properly softened aromatics are the secret to a minestrone soup that actually tastes like something, versus one that tastes like hot water with regrets.
Step 2: Add Everything and Let It Simmer
Now pour in the canned diced tomatoes, beans, green beans, vegetable broth, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Give it a good stir, put the lid on, and let it all simmer together for 20 minutes.
This is the “set it and forget it” phase. Go fold laundry. Check your phone. Do absolutely nothing. The soup’s got it from here. The broth will deepen in color and the herbs will infuse everything with this gorgeous, savory warmth.
Remove those bay leaves before serving — they’re flavor powerhouses but you definitely don’t want to chew on one. Trust me.
Step 3: Cook the Pasta
After 20 minutes, stir in your small pasta and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom.
This is also the moment to taste and adjust your seasoning. More salt? Add it. More pepper? Go for it. It’s your soup, you’re the boss here.
Quick note: If you’re planning to have leftovers, you might want to cook the pasta separately and add it per bowl. Pasta left in soup overnight gets a little… spongy. Still delicious, but heads up.
Step 4: Serve It Up
Ladle your gorgeous minestrone into bowls and top with fresh parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes for some kick, and a shower of Parmesan if you’re not keeping it vegan. That’s it. You did it.
Grab some crusty bread for dipping and absolutely refuse to share. (Kidding. Share it. It makes people love you.)
Expert Tips, Variations & Troubleshooting
Tips for the Best Minestrone Soup
Use good olive oil. Since it’s one of the first ingredients in, it sets the flavor tone for the whole pot. This isn’t the moment for the bargain bottle.
Grate your garlic instead of mincing it. It sounds fussy but it makes a real difference — grated garlic melts into the soup and distributes flavor way more evenly.
Add a Parmesan rind. If you’ve got one lurking in the back of your fridge (you know the one), throw it in with the broth. It adds this incredible savory depth that’s hard to explain but impossible to ignore. Fish it out before serving.
Fun Variations to Try
Make it heartier: Stir in a handful of kale or spinach in the last 5 minutes of cooking. It wilts down beautifully and adds extra nutrients without changing the flavor much. You’ll feel very virtuous.
Swap the protein: Not a bean person? (We need to talk, but also — no judgment.) You could use cooked Italian sausage or even shredded chicken instead. If you love beans as much as I do, check out this red beans and rice recipe for another cozy bean situation.
Make it gluten-free: Just swap in your favorite gluten-free pasta. Easy fix, same great soup.
Go all-in on veggies: Zucchini, potatoes, corn, bell peppers — anything goes in minestrone. It’s basically the soup that accepts everyone. Very wholesome.
Troubleshooting
Soup too thick? Add a splash more broth or water and stir it in. The pasta absorbs a lot of liquid as it sits.
Not enough flavor? A squeeze of lemon juice at the end can brighten everything up. Also check your salt levels — underseasoned soup is a sad thing.
Pasta turning to mush? You waited too long to serve it! See note above about cooking pasta separately for leftovers.
Storage Instructions
| Storage Method | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Up to 5 days | Store in an airtight container |
| Freezer | Up to 3 months | Freeze without pasta for best results |
| Room temperature | 2 hours max | Don’t leave it out longer |
Reheating
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen it up. Microwave works too — cover it loosely and heat in 90-second intervals, stirring in between.
No-Waste Kitchen Ideas
Leftover parsley? Blend it into a quick herb oil or stir into tartar sauce for a herby twist. Got extra beans? They’re incredible in a simple salad with lemon and olive oil. And that Parmesan rind you used? If you haven’t tried the rind trick yet, start saving them in a bag in the freezer — future you will be thrilled.
Nutritional Information
Approximate values per serving (serves 6)
| Nutrient | Per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~280 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 42g |
| Protein | 11g |
| Fat | 7g |
| Fiber | 9g |
| Sodium | 620mg |
| Sugar | 8g |
Minestrone Soup FAQs
Can I make this minestrone soup recipe ahead of time?
Absolutely — it actually tastes better the next day once everything has had time to meld together. Just store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you’re making it ahead, hold off on adding the pasta until you’re ready to serve so it doesn’t get soggy.
Is minestrone soup vegan?
The base recipe is completely vegan! Just skip the Parmesan on top, or use a vegan alternative. The soup is hearty and satisfying all on its own, I promise.
Can I use dried beans instead of canned?
Yes, but you’ll need to cook them first. Dried beans that haven’t been soaked and cooked properly will not soften properly in the soup and you’ll end up with little rocks in your broth. Canned beans are honestly perfectly great here — no shame in the convenience game.
What pasta shape works best for minestrone soup?
Small shapes are the way to go — elbows, small shells, ditalini, or orecchiette all work beautifully. They fit on a spoon with the veggies and beans, which is kind of the whole point of a perfect bite.
Can I add meat to this minestrone soup?
Totally. Browned Italian sausage, ground turkey, or even diced pancetta stirred in with the aromatics would be amazing. It’s a very flexible recipe — kind of like how a corned beef recipe is great for using up what you have on a cozy weekend.
Let’s Wrap This Up
This minestrone soup recipe is honestly one of those dishes that makes you feel like you’ve really got your life together — even when you definitely don’t. It’s warm, comforting, nutritious, and so simple that there’s really no reason not to make it tonight.
If you’re looking for more cozy meal ideas to round out your week, I love pairing a soup night with something bright and refreshing on the side — like this strawberry lemonade to balance all that coziness. And if you’re planning a fun weekend spread, this watermelon fruit pizza is an absolute showstopper for dessert.
Now go make the soup. Your future self, wrapped in a blanket with a big bowl, will thank you.
Loved this recipe? Save it to Pinterest so you never lose it, and drop a comment below to let me know how it turned out! Did you add kale? Try the Parmesan rind trick? I want to hear everything.
