Minestrone Soup Recipe

This veggie-loaded minestrone soup is hearty, delicious, and perfect for a chilly night at home!

What is Minestrone Soup?

Minestrone soup is an Italian soup made with lots of veggies (this is typically a “clean-your-veggie-drawer-out” kind of soup), usually some sort of starch (rice or pasta), and sometimes (but definitely not always), a ground protein. It’s a hearty, good-for-the-soul kind of soup perfect for a chilly night in!

Why is this the Best Minestrone Soup Recipe?

This minestrone soup recipe is incredibly delicious because it’s made with super simple ingredients — the list may look long, but each ingredient is pure and simple! It’s veggie-loaded and incredibly delicious.

Minestrone Soup Ingredients

Most of the ingredients on the list are pretty standard in Minestrone Soup! Here’s the full list:

• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – to start, you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of EVOO to saute your onion and garlic in.
• Onion – to amp up the flavors in this soup, you’ll need 1 small diced onion.
• Garlic Cloves – in addition to the onion, you’ll also need 4 minced garlic cloves.
• Italian Sausage – as for the protein here, you’ll need 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage.
• Celery Stalks – as for the veggies, you’ll need 5 chopped celery stalks, along with…
• Carrots – …5 carrots, cut into rounds.
• Tomato Paste – 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste will thicken the soup while also giving it a really nice, rich tomato flavor.
• Diced Tomatoes – for a nice texture and flavor-add, you’ll need 1 (28-ounce) can of diced tomatoes — be sure to drain them before adding to the soup!
• Sweet Potatoes – 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces, head into the pot as a nice starchy component.
• Kidney Beans – to give a little more substance to the soup, you’ll also need 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
• Pasta Shells – 1 cup of dried pasta shells go into the pot for a classic minestrone soup add.
• Broth – to add some liquid to the soup to thin it out, you’ll need 6 cups of either chicken or beef broth.
• Green Beans – 1 pound of trimmed and cut green beans head into the pot as one last veggie addition.
• Lemon Juice – to brighten the soup, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (about 1 whole lemon’s worth of juice).
• Salt and Pepper – to season the soup, you’ll need ½ of a teaspoon of fine sea salt and ½ of a teaspoon ground black pepper.
• Parsley – to garnish the soup, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley.

Ingredient Modifications

There truly isn’t much that you can do to mess up this soup! 

• Swap the veggies: if you don’t like a certain veggie included in the soup, swap it for one you do love. If you aren’t a fan of kidney beans, swap them for a bean you like or omit them altogether.
• Make it vegetarian: leave out the Italian sausage and swap the chicken (or beef) broth with veggie broth.

Does Italian Minestrone Soup contain meat?

During our minestrone research, we actually found that a lot of minestrone soup recipes are meat-free. This is absolutely an option if you’re looking for a vegetarian soup. If not, we chose to go with Italian sausage here, but feel free to use any other ground meat that you love. Ground beef, turkey, or chicken would be great too.

Can different vegetables be added to minestrone soup?

YES! There is *so* much that can be done with minestrone soup, y’all. Add or swap veggies as desired. This is, essentially, a “clean your veggie drawer out” kind of meal!

Does traditional minestrone soup include pasta? If so, can it be left out for a gluten-free diet?

Most minestrone soups do include pasta, but again, if you don’t have any (or can’t find pasta that will suit your dietary needs), feel free to omit as needed.  

Supplies Needed for this Recipe

• Large Pot
• Spatula

How to make Minestrone Soup

The process is super easy! Here’s how you’ll bring this veggie-loaded, hearty soup together:

1. Add olive oil to a large pot – add the olive oil to a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat. 
2. Saute the onion and garlic – once the EVOO is hot, add the garlic and onion. Stir, cooking until the mixture is fragrant and the onions are translucent (3-5 minutes). Be sure not to overcook and brown the garlic and onions here, as they’ll continue to cook with the sausage!
3. Add the sausage to the pot – add the Italian sausage to the pot with the sauteed onions and garlic. Cook and crumble the sausage until fully cooked through and crispy.
4. Add the extras – add the celery, carrots, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, and noodles to the pot. Then, pour in the broth.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook – bring the soup to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.
6. Add the green beans, lemon juice, salt, and pepper – after 15 minutes, add the green beans, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes more, or until the green beans are tender and bright green.
7. Serve, garnish, and enjoy – ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve!

Easy Minestrone Soup (Instant Pot Method)

While this recipe is intended to be cooked on the stovetop, there are definitely some adjustments that can be made in order for this recipe to be made in the Instant Pot. Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Saute the onion and garlic – set the Instant Pot on the saute mode and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and stir until the mixture is fragrant and the onion is translucent.
2. Add the sausage – to the Instant Pot, add the Italian sausage, and cook and crumble until fully cooked through and crispy.
3. Turn off the pot and add the extras – turn the Instant Pot off (hit “cancel”) and add in the celery, carrots, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and kidney beans to the pot.
4. Cook on high pressure – secure the lid on the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Once the 7 minutes is up, release the quick release the pressure on the Instant Pot, and once it’s fully released, remove the lid.
5. Cook the noodles – set the Instant Pot back to saute mode, and add the noodles to the pot. Let everything simmer for about 7 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through.
6. Add the green beans, lemon juice, salt, and pepper – add the green beans, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the pot and stir to combine. Let the soup continue to simmer for 3 minutes more, or until the green beans are tender and bright green.
7. Turn the Instant Pot off, serve, and enjoy – turn off the Instant Pot, ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve!

Storing and Reheating this Traditional Minestrone Soup Recipe

Store your leftover minestrone soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply microwave a serving, or, if you’re reheating a larger amount, pop the soup into a pot on the stovetop and heat over medium heat until fully warmed through.

Does it freeze well?

This is a great soup to freeze, if you’re going this route, I do recommend that you wait to add the noodles into the mix until you’re reheating the soup (this will help to avoid soggy, mushy noodles). Essentially, follow the recipe exactly, but omit the noodles. Freeze the noodle-less soup, then, when you’re ready to enjoy, pop the soup into a large pot and once it’s boiling, add the noodles in and cook until tender.

What to Serve with Minestrone Soup

This soup is definitely a complete meal all on its own, but if you’d like to serve it alongside something, a loaf of crusty bread and a simple green salad would both be great options!

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Minestrone Soup

By: Cassy Joy Garcia

4.8 — Votes 6 votes

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Prep Time: 15 mins

Servings: 5 servings

This minestrone soup is hearty, delicious, and perfect for a chilly night at home!

Ingredients  

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• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 small onion diced
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• ▢ 5 celery stalks chopped
• ▢ 5 carrots cut into rounds
• ▢ 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• ▢ 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• ▢ 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
• ▢ 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 cup dried pasta shells
• ▢ 6 cups 48 fluid ounces chicken or beef broth
• ▢ 1 pound green beans trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 whole lemon’s worth of juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Add the olive oil to a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat. 
• Once the olive oil is hot, add the garlic and onion. Stir, cooking until the mixture is fragrant and the onions are translucent (3-5 minutes). Be sure not to overcook and brown the garlic and onions here, as they’ll continue to cook with the sausage!
• Add the Italian sausage to the pot with the sauteed onions and garlic. Cook and crumble the sausage until fully cooked through and crispy.
• Add the celery, carrots, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, and noodles to the pot. Then, pour in the broth.
• Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, add the green beans, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes more, or until the green beans are tender and bright green.
• Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve!

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Minestrone Soup

Amount per Serving

Calories

657

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

35.7

g

55

%

Saturated Fat

 

11.5

g

72

%

Cholesterol

 

68.9

mg

23

%

Sodium

 

1872.4

mg

81

%

Carbohydrates

 

60.1

g

20

%

Fiber

 

13.1

g

55

%

Sugar

 

17

g

19

%

Protein

 

28

g

56

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.