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That is the best minestrone soup recipe, a hearty, vegetable-rich Italian soup comprised of scratch with loads of fiber from the beans and vegetables. Perfect for serving with crusty bread.

Minestrone Soup

This healthy soup is a classic vegetarian minestrone soup made with white beans, vegetables, fresh herbs, and pasta. Pureeing the beans within the blender thickens the soup, making it great for picky kids who don’t take care of beans. I like adding a parmesan rind for extra flavor, but it surely’s totally optional. Should you desire a slow cooker minestrone soup recipe or an Quick Pot one, take a look at my version here.

Why You’ll Love This Soup

• Healthy – the beans add fiber and it’s full of veggies.
• Freezer Friendly – perfect for meal prep!
• Cozy – comfort food you may be ok with eating.
• Vegetarian – if using vegetable broth and vegetarian Parmesan.
• Easy to make gluten-free – just use your favorite gluten-free pasta, or make it low carb and skip the pasta.

Minestrone Soup Ingredients

• Beans: Drain and rinse one can of white beans, like cannellini or navy beans.
• Broth: Get reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarian minestrone.
• Vegetables: Sauté diced carrots, onion, and celery in olive oil.
• Garlic: Mince two cloves of garlic.
• Tomatoes: Canned petite diced tomatoes – regular-size tomatoes are also high quality.
• Parmesan Cheese: The parmesan is optional, but I like to recommend using it. I at all times store leftover rinds in my fridge to make use of later in soups and stews. Let the rind simmer within the broth, and sprinkle grated cheese in your soup before eating.
• Herbs: Fresh rosemary sprig, chopped basil, Italian parsley, bay leaves
• Salt and Pepper
• Zucchini: You possibly can swap the zucchini with yellow squash.
• Leafy Greens: Fresh or frozen, defrosted spinach or baby kale will work.
• Pasta: Select a small pasta, like ditalini or orzo.

Tips on how to Make Minestrone Soup

1. Beans: Puree the beans with a cup of broth in a blender.
2. Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a big Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for about quarter-hour.
3. Simmer: Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, parmesan cheese rind (if using), salt, pepper, and all of the herbs. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot, and cook on low for 40 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and spinach, cover the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Serve: Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and parmesan rind, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls with pasta and top with extra parmesan if desired.

Saute onions, celery and carrots.
Puree a can of beans and add to the soup to thicken.
Finished soup before adding pasta.

What’s the difference between minestrone soup and vegetable soup?

Traditional minestrone soup is heartier than vegetable soup because it has pasta and beans.

Tips on how to Freeze Minestrone

I wish to cook and store the pasta individually in order that it stays al dente and doesn’t take in the broth. You possibly can keep the leftover pasta and soup together or separate. The minestrone will last within the fridge for five days and within the freezer for 3 months.

To freeze the soup, let it cool after which transfer it to freezer-safe containers. Thaw it the night before within the fridge, and microwave it or reheat it on the stove.

Variations:

• No Pasta: If you would like to make minestrone without the pasta, you may omit it and add diced potatoes or one other can of beans.
• Beans: If you would like to add more beans, try a mixture, like red kidney beans, together with the white beans.
• Veggies: Should you want more vegetables within the soup, add some chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and/or green beans.
• Herbs: Be happy to make use of any herbs you want. Oregano or thyme would even be lovely.

More Soup Recipes You’ll Love:

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

• ▢ 15 ounce can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini beans or navy beans)
• ▢ 32 oz container reduced sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth for vegan
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped onion
• ▢ 1 cup diced carrots
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced celery
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• ▢ Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• ▢ 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ fresh black pepper
• ▢ 1 medium zucchini, about 8 oz each, diced
• ▢ 2 cups chopped fresh, or frozen defrosted spinach or baby kale
• ▢ 2 cups cooked small pasta comparable to ditalini or orzo, al dente (or gluten-free pasta)
• ▢ extra parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and stir, saute until tender and fragrant, about quarter-hour.

• Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, parmesan cheese rind if using, salt and pepper. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, basil and parsley, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low 40 minutes.

• Add the zucchini and spinach, cover and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

• Remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, Parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

• Ladle 1-1/4 cups soup into 8 bowls with 1/4 cup pasta in each and top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Last Step:

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Serving: 1 1/2 cups, Calories: 175 kcal, Carbohydrates: 31.5 g, Protein: 8 g, Fat: 2 g, Sodium: 358 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 5 g