Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe (Paleo)

at a glance
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings
4.4 — Votes 7 votes

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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!

Paleo Minestrone Soup

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 pizza for you HERE (we used plantains for the crust!) and I just recently published a decadent alfredo HERE, 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! 

Paleo Minestrone Soup

Paleo Minestrone Soup

Paleo Minestrone Soup

Paleo Minestrone Soup

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)

By: Amber Goulden
4.4 — Votes 7 votes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Servings: 8 servings
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  

  • 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!

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Minestrone Soup Recipe (Paleo)
Amount per Serving
Calories
579
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
37
g
57
%
Saturated Fat
 
13
g
81
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
16
g
Cholesterol
 
92
mg
31
%
Sodium
 
2546
mg
111
%
Potassium
 
1409
mg
40
%
Carbohydrates
 
41
g
14
%
Fiber
 
8
g
33
%
Sugar
 
10
g
11
%
Protein
 
23
g
46
%
Vitamin A
 
8230
IU
165
%
Vitamin C
 
58
mg
70
%
Calcium
 
145
mg
15
%
Iron
 
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.
Meet the Author
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Cassy Joy Garcia

HOWDY! I’m Cassy Joy and I am just so happy you’re here. I’m the founder, Editor-in-Chief, and Nutrition Consultant here at Fed and Fit. What started as a food blog back in 2011 has evolved now into so much more.
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    Recipe Rating




  1. Kim says

    Kim —  02/19/2018 At 19:25

    I made this tonight for dinner. It was fresh and delicious! Thank you. 🙂

  2. Lori says

    Lori —  02/23/2018 At 16:01

    I made this for a few nights ago for dinner and it is delicious! My kids gobbled up bowl after bowl!

  3. Jamie says

    Jamie —  09/07/2018 At 06:07

    I love this soup! Do you think it would work well in an instant pot?

  4. Shanon H. says

    Shanon H. —  12/09/2018 At 00:33

    5 stars
    This was so good! I just subbed collard greens for the green beans and made it in the Instantpot (20 min). My toddler and husband loved it!!

  5. Jojo says

    Jojo —  01/07/2019 At 20:47

    5 stars
    Best we’ve had! Didn’t have green beans, but used 2 zucchinis instead. Absolutely delicious!

  6. RIc says

    RIc —  10/02/2020 At 07:22

    1 star
    The title is Paleo yet has yellow potatoes. Did they mean sweet potatoes? Seems some just wanted to market some non-paleo as paleo.

    • Brandi Schilhab says

      Brandi Schilhab —  10/05/2020 At 08:46

      The grand majority of Paleo nutritional educators (Cassy being one of them) agree that all potatoes are Paleo. Feel free to omit them if you’d like, though!

  7. Roxanne says

    Roxanne —  02/14/2021 At 06:47

    5 stars
    This was seriously an easy and amazing soup! Do you think I could swap out the ground sausage for ground turkey or chicken?

  8. Vickie O says

    Vickie O —  09/23/2021 At 12:25

    5 stars
    I’ve made this twice, it’s delicious!! I love that there is plenty to share with a neighbor or sick friend!!

    • Brandi Schilhab says

      Brandi Schilhab —  09/23/2021 At 14:42

      That’s so great to hear, Vickie! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!