Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe (Paleo)

This Paleo Minestrone Soup has a healing broth base, Italian sausage protein punch, and plethora of healthy vegetables for bulk. It’s a delicious, healthy dinner option to enjoy right away or to freeze for later!

There’s a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant in San Antonio that I grew up visiting regularly with my family called Little Italy. We don’t frequent there much anymore (because, last I checked, I don’t think they have a gluten-free option), but I have the best memories of our dinners. There were a few Little Italy traditions that will always be frozen in time. First, they bring you a mini piece of pizza as an appetizer when you first sit down. Second, without fail, our entire family would ask for a bowl of their awesome minestrone soup before our entrees. Third, I couldn’t refuse the chicken alfredo. I’ve created a Paleo-friendly BBQ pork pizza for you (we used plantains for the crust!) and I just recently published a decadent lobster alfredo, but the soup was unfinished business.

Minestrone soup is traditionally a broth-based soup that is PACKED FULL of vegetables (carrots, green beans, tomatoes, celery, etc.) and usually some kind of pasta, rice, or even beans. I’ve had it with meat and I’ve also had it without (a veggie-only soup). When I make soup, I like for that bowl to be a complete meal (protein in all), which is why we’ve got some tasty Italian sausage as our protein base. To make this Paleo minestrone soup, I swapped in potatoes for the pasta/rice/beans, used lots of fresh veggies, and even added a generous touch of fresh lemon juice at the end to help brighten the flavor without having to use a ton of salt.

Nutrition Science Geeky Tidbit: DID YOU KNOW that sometimes, when we think food needs more salt, we can actually satisfy our tastebuds with just a touch of acid? If you find yourself over-salting foods, try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice instead. I bet you’ll be surprised by how much it satisfies! 

I hope you love this soup! Since making it (it makes a lot), we’ve enjoyed bowl after bowl from our baby freezer stash. I like to freeze it in individual containers so that we can reheat (on the stove) as we need portions. Find more on my freezer tips via my podcast episode HERE.

Minestrone Soup Recipe (Paleo)

4.38 — Votes 8 votes

By Amber Goulden

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

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This Paleo Minestrone Soup has a healing broth base, flavorful Italian sausage, and a plethora of healthy vegetables. It’s a delicious, healthy dinner option to warm you up this winter!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 pounds mild Italian sausage
• ▢ 1 small onion diced
• ▢ 2 hearts celery thinly sliced
• ▢ 6 carrots peeled and sliced into coins
• ▢ 5 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 pound green beans sliced in half
• ▢ 6 medium yellow potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• ▢ 1, 28- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• ▢ 10 cups chicken broth 2 quarts plus 2 cups
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons sea salt to taste
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ Juice of 4 lemons
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions 

• In a large pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until browned.
• Remove from pot and add the celery, garlic, onions, and carrots. Saute 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant.
• Add the sausage back into the pot along with potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, and seasonings.
• Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 30-45 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the pot and taste the soup for seasoning to check if additional salt is needed.
• Remove from heat, garnish with parsley (optional), and serve!

Recipe Notes

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup:

For the Instant Pot, cut this recipe in half. Complete steps 1-3 in your Instant Pot then cover and seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Quick release the pressure when done, then add lemon juice and garnish as desired.

Crockpot Minestrone Soup:

Proceed with steps 1-2 in a large pan, then transfer all ingredients except lemon juice and garnishes to slower cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low until done. Then add in lemon juice and garnishes as desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 2546mg | Potassium: 1409mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 8230IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 5mg

Additional Info

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 579

Keyword: minestrone soup, paleo minestrone

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