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There is nothing like minestrone soup when the cold weather hits. This classic Italian soup is chock full of beans, vegetable goodness and then when you add pasta? Minestrone is comfort food perfection – add in some crusty, buttered bread and call it dinner!
If you are looking for some other vegetable soup recipes, try my Borscht recipe, it’s another classic soup, or my spinach, tomato and chickpea soup.
How to Make Minestrone Soup From Scratch
Minestrone is a hearty, Italian vegetable and bean loaded soup made with small pasta shells. It is incredibly easy to make from scratch and tastes infinitely better than anything that is
- In the bottom of a large soup pot on medium-high heat, melt the butter. add in the onion and fry until softened.
- Add in the celery, carrots, zucchini, green beans and minced garlic. Fry until the garlic is fragrant, two to three minutes.
- Add in all of the remaining ingredients except for the pasta shells. Mix the ingredients together until they are completely combined.
- Simmer the soup on the stove until the vegetables are tender, around 20-30 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, add the pasta. Simmer for another 9-10 minutes until the pasta is cooked to your liking.
- Remove from the stove. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan if desired.
Vegetables to Use in Minestrone Soup
There are so many different vegetables that you can use in minestrone soup that it is one of the easiest soups to customize to your liking. I didn’t use cabbage in my version as my daughter doesn’t enjoy it in soup ( I can’t believe she’s part Ukrainian) but I personally would love it.
- zucchini squash
- green beans
- carrots
- celery
- potatoes
- stewed tomatoes
Don’t feel that you have to match the ingredients exactly as I have written in the recipe, substitute in your favorites or what you happen to have on hand.The pasta in minestrone are usually small pasta shells, orzo or even elbow macaroni. You don’t want to use large heavy pasta as minestrone is loaded up with vegetables and beans, so you don’t want something that is going to overwhelm them, you need to match it in size.
Tips & Tricks for Making Minestrone Soup
- You can use canned or dried beans. If you are using dried beans you will have to soak them in water overnight and then discard the water the next day and rinse.
- This is excellent done in the slow cooker. Simply add all the ingredients except for the pasta and cook on low all day. Then cook the pasta shells according to the package directions and add it in at the end to warm it up.
- You can top it with Parmesan cheese if you like for a traditional taste.
Here are some other great soup recipes to try:
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
Classic Homemade Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Course
- Soups
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 126
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small white onion,chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1/2 cup fresh green beans chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic minced
- one 19 ounces can cannellini beans (white or red) drained and rinsed
- one 28 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups cubed Russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (optional)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup small pasta shells
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In the bottom of a large soup pot on medium-high heat, melt the butter. add in the onion and fry until softened.
- Add in the celery, carrots, zucchini, green beans and minced garlic. Fry until the garlic is fragrant, two to three minutes.
- Add in all of the remaining ingredients except for the pasta shells. Mix everything completely.
- Simmer on the stove until the vegetables are tender, around 20-30 minutes. Once they are tender, add the pasta. Simmer for another 9-10 minutes until the pasta is cooked to your liking.
- Remove from the stove. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan if desired.
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Sandra B. Mull says
Good instructions, but the recipe needs some garlic and please use real dry sherry, not the too- salty cooking sherry.
denise forbes says
Love love love this recipe.. my husband and daughter loved it too..