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Easy, flavorful and healthy Minestrone Soup
Healthy, hearty and so delicious!
Our fresh Minestrone Soup is full of healthy legumes, green leafy spinach, vegetables, plenty of herbs, a handful of pasta, all in a wonderfully rich tomato broth. This recipe makes a big pot of delicious vegetarian soup. Make it on the weekend for dinner and have leftovers for lunch all week.
This Minestrone soup keeps well for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. The pasta shells soften a bit overtime, but not so much that they turn to mush. The pasta also soaks up some of the broth creating a thicker, chunkier soup. Simply add a little extra vegetable broth or hot water when reheating if desired.
Soup must be one of the most brilliant recipe ideas ever created. It’s filling and satisfying with a lovely combination of textures and flavors. Enjoy a complete and satisfying meal in a bowl of this wonderful, healthy soup!
Overview of ingredients for Minestrone Soup:
At first glance, this may look like a really long list of ingredients to prepare for one simple pot of soup. However, many of the ingredients come straight out of a jar or can. Don’t let this simple list scare you off!
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- zucchini
- fresh parsley
- dried oregano
- Italian seasoning
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- fresh ground black pepper
- sliced fresh basil leaves
- fresh thyme leaves
- vegetable broth – low sodium is best if you can find it. You can use chicken broth or chicken stock in place of the vegetable broth, but we prefer the recipe as written.
- canned diced tomatoes (low or no salt)
- Passata
- bay leaf
- canned Italian cut green beans
- red kidney beans (canned)
- cannellini beans (canned)
- garbanzo beans (canned)
- fresh baby spinach leaves
- small or medium pasta shells
- fresh Parmesan for garnish
What is Passata and where can I find it?
Passata is strained, uncooked tomato puree with the seeds and skins removed. This fresh tasting sauce is different from both tomato sauce and tomato paste which are cooked and often include seasoning and other ingredients like garlic and vegetables.
Check online at your local grocery store, or inquire at the customer service desk to see if they carry passata. Cento Rustica Passata and Pomi Strained Tomatoes are two popular brands you might find in your store. These products may be found near the canned tomatoes or the international section of the store.
If you can’t find passata, tomato puree will work. You can also buy whole steamed canned tomatoes and process them in a blender or food processor. Strain the blended tomatoes through a find mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
Finally, if you’re on the East coast, Wegman’s Grocery Store carries their own branded passata. It’s a great product at a wonderful price.
Grab a few bottles of passata when you find it so you can make this Minestrone Soup, our Baked Gnocchi with Tomato, Ricotta and Spinach, and this creamy Coconut Chicken Soup recipe.
How does this Minestrone Soup compare to Olive Garden?
We believe our Minestrone Soup recipe tastes much better than Olive Garden’s. Also our soup has a lot less sodium, so that’s a big plus. This Minestrone is loaded with fresh vegetables, the broth is incredibly flavorful and of course homemade is always better!
Now that restaurants have to post nutritional information, I’ve noticed high amounts of salt seems to be a real problem with many restaurant specialties. Sodium is the one thing I can’t have a lot of, therefore, it’s very important to me that my recipes taste fantastic even without tons of salt.
Some salt is necessary in almost every sweet or savory recipe. Please feel free to taste this Minestrone soup when finished, and make adjustments as needed for your family. If you’re adding Parmesan as a garnish, you probably won’t need additional salt.
What kind of greens can you use in this Minestrone Soup?
For this recipe I usually add baby spinach leaves at the end. However, feel free to substitute kale or Swiss chard if you prefer. For me, leafy greens are all pretty interchangeable. If using baby kale or Swiss chard, be sure to cook the greens just a little longer to soften.
I make, eat and create a lot of recipes for soups and stews. Some include many of the same ingredients, i.e. carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and fresh leafy greens like kale and spinach. You may be wondering if all the recipes taste the same. No worries, each bowl full has its own delicious personality and unique flavor.
This is one of our favorite soup recipes. Minestrone soup has an incredibly rich tomato flavor that is synonymous with authentic Italian cuisine. Just wait until you smell it simmering away on the stove top. Your family may just run to the table and beg for more of this great recipe.
We serve Minestrone with a nice crusty bread and plenty of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Sopping up the broth with a hunk of crusty bread is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a bowl of soup. Add a nice bottle of wine and you have a complete meal fit for company. This soup is healthy and filling and really hits the spot all year long.
How to make fantastic Minestrone:
Start by sautéing the vegetables. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Next add the zucchini, spices and fresh herbs, vegetable broth, tomatoes, passata, water and bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Finally, the spinach, all the beans and pasta. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish individual bowls with Parmesan and fresh basil leaves.
This soup is absolutely delicious and best served with a plenty of fresh crusty bread!
Can you freeze Minestrone Soup?
This Minestrone soup freezes very well, especially if you undercook the pasta. Reheat the soup gently so the pasta doesn’t turn to mush.
Another option is to leave the pasta out, freeze the soup and then add cooked shells when you reheat the base. This soup doesn’t need to cook all day, it’s pretty quick to throw together. If you freeze the Minestrone complete with pasta, just be sure to rewarm gently.
You can smell the amazing flavor before tasting the very first spoonful.
The aroma of our Minestrone is homey and fresh. After one bite you may find yourself transported to a small Italian bistro with white table cloths and bottles of red wine. A mini-vacation and you never have to leave the house!
Leftovers might even be better than the first bowl. Try it and see for yourself. I think you’ll agree! We love this recipe and hope you do too.
This is a great pot of soup that’s good enough for company and simple enough for lunch or dinner any day of the week.
Thanks for PINNING!
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 whole small carrots peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 medium zucchini sliced and quartered
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves julienned
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 8 cups vegetable broth (low salt)
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (low or no-salt) do not drain
- 24 ounce bottle Passata *
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 bay leaf
- 14.5 ounce can Italian cut green beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves lightly packed
- 1 cup small shell pasta or medium shells
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until slightly translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Immediately add the carrots and celery. Cook, stirring gently for about 2-3 minutes or until the oil has coated all the vegetables. Add the zucchini, spices, fresh herbs, vegetable broth, tomatoes with juice, Passata, hot water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the drained and rinsed green beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, baby spinach and pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Check the seasoning and add fresh ground pepper and salt if needed.
- Garnish individual bowls with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Without a doubt I could eat soup almost everyday and never tire of trying new recipes.
If you love soup too, and have an instant pot, you may want to check out this easy Vegetable Soup.
Finally, here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Soup is an easy load-and-go favorite for busy weeknights or anytime we want a healthy, hearty meal. This soup is packed with flavor and plenty of tender chicken, healthy kale and creamy soft beans.
Pasta e Fagioli is a deliciously hearty, stew-like soup loaded with pasta, beans and Italian sausage. Every bite is rich with flavor and plenty of vegetables.
With a silky, creamy broth, tender chunks of chicken, loads of fresh spinach and pillowy soft gnocchi, our Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is comforting, easy to make and very satisfying.
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Originally published January 2016, updated March 2021
Gillian Evans
Delicious and easy to make!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gillian. I could eat this soup year round.
Maryann
I made this soup yesterday and it’s absolutely delicious! I LOVE IT and had to eat two bowls immediately. I also LOVED the way it made my house smell like a professional Italian restaurant. I highly recommend this minestrone soup recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Maryann! We think it’s better than Olive Garden and can’t get enough of it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Kelli
This is the first recipe of yours I’ve made and it won’t be the last! This soup was wonderful! It’s already pretty cold up north now (and I’m recovering from being sick) and this was extremely comforting. My husband said he could eat this every day! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s definitely going into our rotation.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Kelli! I love soup and this recipe is a personal favorite of mine. Thanks for giving it a try and for taking the time to comment. Feel better soon ❤️
Jess
It came out absolutely wonderfully!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jess! It’s hard to beat a great bowl of vegetable soup. Thanks for giving it a try and for taking the time to comment.
Jennie
I just deleted all other minestrone soup recipes in my collection since making your recipe for dinner. I bought a rosemary olive oil loaf at bakery to accompany this delicious soup. It’s a cool night here in the Carolinas and your soup was a perfect meal for our dinner. The soup is light and flavorful and the fresh herbs added so much to the base. A truly yummy soup! Easy to make! Delightful!
Tricia Buice
You made my day Jennie! I agree, this soup is phenomenal and each bite is so flavorful. Thanks for taking the time to comment and for trying our recipe!
Larry
Great looking soup and needs to be on our list.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Larry! I bet you’re going to love it. Enjoy 🙂
Karen
Can’t wait to make. Been trying to find the Cento Rustica Passata, but the shipping is more than the product. What could I substitute?
Tricia Buice
Hi Karen. Sorry you’re having trouble finding Passata. As this is an uncooked tomato product with no additional ingredients, the best substitute would be plain canned tomatoes pushed through a food mill or sieve, or tomato puree. I’m sure the soup will be fine with either! Thanks for the great question.
Sue
Thanks for addressing the sodium content in most foods, but especially soups. Soups are my favorite but can NEVER order in a restaurant or god forbid from a can.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sue – hope you’ll give it a try! It’s great even without all the salt 🙂
Mike
You hit this out of the park with this recipe! This is the best minestrone I’ve had! I didn’t have the Passata so I substituted 1 small can of tomato paste. The recipe was simple, yet very tasty. Good mix of spices, veggies, and legumes. I will definitely make this again!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Mike! I adore this soup and could eat it once a week. Thanks for giving it a try and for taking the time to comment!
Sharon Mead
This soup looks so beautiful and colorful! It’tastes simply wonderful! I have never used Pasada before . I think it really adds to the freshness of the soup. My adult daughter loves Minestroni soup so will have her try this!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sharon! I’m always looking for ways to incorporate Passata because it has such great tomato flavor. Thanks for giving this recipe a trying, and for letting us know how it turned out for you.
Karen S. in Michigan
I made this a couple weeks ago but had to use tomato sauce instead of passata; otherwise, everything was the same as your recipe. It was the best minestrone soup I’ve ever had…delicious! Even my son, who isn’t a big fan of soup, loved it. Yesterday I found passata at our local grocery store, so I’m going to make it again this weekend. We got almost a foot of snow yesterday and it’s pretty cold here, so it’s a great time for a nice warm soup. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Tricia Buice
I love this soup Karen and so glad you did too. Passata is one of those ingredients I was thrilled to find and use it often in soups and sauces. A foot of snow – I am so sorry. We’re in Virginia and are supposed to get a dusting or so tomorrow night. I am over winter this year – here’s to an early spring!
Valerie
Another winner…your blog is rapidly becoming my favourite food blog!
I love the yield on this. My friend is due within the next couple of weeks, and she and her husband are vegetarians, so I’m thinking I might put together a batch to keep them healthy during their adjustment to life with baby…
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Valerie – we aim to please! I really love this soup and may just make it for my daughter-in-law who is expecting a daughter soon. Great idea 🙂 Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by.
Kate
Beautiful! I love a hardy minestrone and the weather is perfect for it.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Kate! I really love this soup and it kept very well.
Wendy
You say that you can smell the flavor before you taste it, but I swear I can see the flavor in these photos! The photos are delicious! Usually, I make “whatever is in the freezer/cabinet” soup, cooking an invented soup out of whatever we have on hand. Minestrone soup is one of my husband’s favorites. He will be delighted to hear I plan to use a recipe this time!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Wendy 🙂 I ate this soup for at least 5 days and it still tasted great. I love a big pot of soup that is good for a week of lunches! So filling and a true feel good soup!
Beth
Wonderful. I haven’t made minestrone soup in ages and it’s a favourite of mine. A perfect midweek supper dish!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Beth – I don’t know why we don’t have this soup more often. I ate leftovers all week and they were great each day. Have a super week!
Gerlinde @ Sunnycovechef
What a healthy and good looking minestrone . I love soup any time of the year.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gerlinde!
John/Kitchen Riffs
We’ve been making a ton of soups this year, too. And have a ton to go — it’s still pretty darn cold! Anyway, one of the things I love about herbs and spices is you can take the same set of ingredients, but totally change the flavor of things depending on how you season it. Oh, it’s a big more complicated than that, of course, but not much. Anyway, this is such a good soup! Love minestrone. Which reminds me, it’s been ages since I’ve made it. Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Thank you John – we’re still eating the leftovers and it’s still delicious … at least we love it. Thanks for stopping by and for commenting!
Summer
This looks so delicious ♥
Tricia Buice
Thanks Summer – we really love it.
Abbe @ This is How I Cook
I could use a whole pot of this today! We received a ton of snow last night and this looks so good!
Tricia Buice
So sorry about the snow Abbe – but spring is right around the corner!
Susan
Your photos make this look so tempting, Tricia! I love minestrone soup but haven’t made it in quite some time. This looks like a fabulous recipe!
Tricia Buice
We have eaten it for several days and I still love it. It’s a keeper 🙂
All That I'm Eating
So colourful and full of flavour and a great way to use up veg too!
Tricia Buice
You are right – love those veggies!
2 sisters recipes
wow ! Your soups looks amazing! And your photos are too. Have a great week Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much! Hope you are both doing great.
Monica
I love minestrone soup but I can’t remember the last time I had it! Thanks for bringing it back to us with such a beautiful recipe. It looks amazing!
Tricia Buice
It had been years for us too – I was really craving it 🙂 Thank you Monica!
Betty
I love to make a big pot of soup on the weekend so I can have it for lunch- it’s so much nicer than a cold sandwich! This one is absolutely gorgeous, with all of the colorful vegetables. My lunch buddies would be so jealous if I brought it. 🙂
Tricia Buice
You should make a pot to temp them all! I took it for lunch today – so good and filling. Have a wonderful week (back at work!)
Chris Scheuer
These pictures are magnificent Tricia. Just looking at them makes so clearly imagine the amazing aroma from your soup. I could enjoy this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Soup, to me, is the best part of winter!
Tricia Buice
I agree Chris and thank you so much for the kind words. It was a pretty subject to shoot 🙂
cheri
Hi Tricia, what a beautiful soup, I could enjoy this anytime of year any type of weather. Love all the veggies you added. take care, getting ready to rain here. Cheri
Tricia Buice
Rain in the desert – that should give you some spring flowers! Enjoy 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Haven’t had minestrone soup in ages!! You make it so inviting and beautiful. Love the last photo.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Angie – that shot was my husband’s suggestion so I’ll tell him you like it! The soup is delicious – hope you give it a try!
Dom
this is my go-to soup… who doesn’t have tinned toms and veg in the fridge? I made a curry over the weekend with some left-over tomato dip of all things and it was glorious! Yours looks so beautiful. That aroma when the cheese melts into the soup! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Tricia Buice
I know Dom – simple ingredients make a wonderful soup 🙂 Have a lovely week!
Larry
I don’t beleive we’ve ever made minestrone but your version looks so good it makes me want to. I like your last shot of it.
Tricia Buice
Hope you give it a try Larry – it is a good one!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
What a beautiful bowl! Minestrone is one of my favourite soups. I love the pasta and kidney beans 🙂 Pinning!
Tricia Buice
It is so filling and absolutely delicious – I love it too 🙂
sue|theviewfromgreatisland
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! sharing and pinning!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sue!
Muna Kenny
I only have soups in winter, and I love to have a big bowl, cuz I feel cold all the time in winter no matter how many layers of clothes I wear. This is a good looking soup, it’s in my to make list 🙂
Tricia Buice
It is filling and tasty Muna – hope you enjoy as much as we do!