Minestrone Soup

Minestrone - a Classic Italian Vegetable Soup 

Minestrone soup is a classic Italian vegetable soup I love making with whatever seasonal veggies I have on hand. It’s typically made with a mix of vegetables, beans, and pasta or rice in a tomato-based broth. There’s no single “authentic” version—it varies by region and ingredients, often including things like carrots, celery, zucchini, spinach, potatoes, and borlotti or cannellini beans. While it’s usually vegetable-based, you can easily adapt it with meat or different broths depending on your taste. If you enjoy hearty, pasta-based soups with protein, don’t miss my lemon chicken orzo soup and Italian sausage tortellini soup.

Just a heads-up: my version includes Parmesan, so it’s not vegetarian or vegan—but you can swap in a vegan hard cheese if you prefer. 

As with most good soups a Minestrone begins with a sofritto which is a flavourful base made by gently sautéing finely chopped vegetables usually onion, celery and carrot in olive oil. It forms the foundation of Minestrone soup by adding depth and richness. My other favorite vegetable soup is a classic tomato soup.

The Ingredients You'll Need

• Vegetables: onion, carrots, celery (soffritto), garlic, green beans, and kale. This soup is lterally packed with veggies!
• Canned cannellini beans: I drain and rinse canned beans to reduce excess sodium and improve texture.
• Canned diced tomatoes: Super convenient!
• Pasta: Use small shapes like elbow or ditalini. I used elbow macaroni and cooked it right in the broth. Always add pasta toward the end—cooking it too early makes it mushy.
• Vegetable broth: high-quality, flavor-packed broth is essential!
• Garnish: fresh basil, shaved Parmesan - I add those just before serving.
• Everyday essentials: olive oil, salt, and pepper—staples that help build flavor in almost any dish.
• Tip: The below photo shows every single ingredient you need. Take a screenshot for your shopping list!

Serve with

• Classic Italian Salad (with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and a mix of baby spinach + baby arugula) 
• Apple Spinach Salad (with feta, pistachios, and honey-mustard lemon dressing)
• Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Mozzarella and Basil Pesto
• Greek Salad
• Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
• Spinach & Ricotta Flatbread
• Bacon Cheddar Scones

How to Make Minestrone Soup (Step-by-Step + Tips & Tricks)

• Cook soffritto: Heat olive oil in a large pot over low heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook gently for about 10 minutes until softened.
• Tip: I cook the soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) low and slow—rushing this step can lead to bland soup.

• Add the garlic and green beans, and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Garlic burns quickly, so I add it after the vegetables have softened, not with the soffritto.
• Tip: I dice the vegetables evenly so they cook at the same rate and give a consistent texture in every bite.

• Stir in the diced tomatoes and vegetable broth, bring to a simmer, and let the soup cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

• I simmer the soup gently, not at a rapid boil, to keep the vegetables from breaking down too much.

• Add the cannellini beans, kale, and pasta, then stir to combine and simmer for another 10–12 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through. I like to chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces so it wilts quickly and evenly in the soup.
• Tip: I add the pasta and the beans toward the end to prevent them from overcooking and going mushy.

• Season to taste with salt and pepper. I always do it at the end—broth and canned beans can vary in saltiness.
• Garnish with fresh basil and shaved Parmesan.

More Italian-Inspired Soups

• Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Italian Sausage Potato Soup
• White Lasagna Chicken Soup
• Italian Sausage White Bean Soup