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This easy Minestrone Soup is as healthy as it is hearty! Tender noodles, delicious veggies, and a savory broth will have you feeling full, warm, and happy.
What is minestrone soup?
Minestrone is a classic Italian vegetarian soup that includes pasta, beans, and veggies. Different regions have variations of this rustic recipe, but this one fits the traditional vibe people in the United States have grown to know as minestrone. It’s tomatoey broth gives loads of flavor to the small, tender pasta, and the hearty beans and veggies add tons of vitamins and minerals. You’ll love this healthy soup so much, you’ll want to make an extra batch to freeze for later!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Easy – This is a one-pot soup that doesn’t require any fancy steps, extra dishes, or complicated ingredients. It’s great for beginner cooks as there’s a minimal amount of chopping, and the veggies are very forgiving.
- Healthy – Each bowl of this soup has under 300 calories, about 6 grams of fat, and 11 grams of protein. The high sodium can be reduced with low-sodium broth (or homemade stock using no salt at all). You can find full nutritional values in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Meal Prep Friendly – This soup is great for prepping ahead of time! It freezes and reheats perfectly, so it’s a great freezer stocking recipe for growing families or sick neighbors. Leftovers make easy lunches, too.
Minestrone Soup Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this easy soup. Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for exact amounts and instructions.
- Ditalini pasta – This little pasta is perfect for soup. Each piece is shaped like a tiny tube, as if macaroni had been chopped into smaller pieces. If you can’t find any (gluten-free versions are hard to find in some places), you can use other small noodles like elbow or shells.
- Yellow onion, Carrots, Celery, Canned diced tomatoes, Frozen green beans, and Kale – These all combine to make a healthy, hearty soup with a great variety of flavors and textures. Canned and frozen options require no prep, but the rest can be chopped up to a day ahead of time to make dinner quicker later. Spinach is a great substitute for kale if you prefer.
- Avocado oil – Extra virgin olive oil or your preferred cooking oil will be fine.
- Canned white beans – I used Great Northern beans, but cannelini or navy beans will work fine as well if they’re canned.
- Vegetable broth – You could also use chicken broth (or homemade stock) if you prefer, but obviously it would no longer be a vegetarian meal.
- Italian seasoning, Salt, and Pepper – This is an easy way of complementing the veggies without overpowering them. Adjust the salt and pepper to your own taste.
- Optional: parmesan cheese for garnish
How to Make Minestrone Soup
This simple, classic recipe is a one-pot wonder that will satisfy the whole family. You’ll just need a large pot and a stovetop or hot plate. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Saute veggies
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, then saute until vegetables are softened (about 3-4 minutes). Add in the tomatoes, beans, broth, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Boil
Add in the dry pasta and bring the entire mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until pasta is al dente. This is usually about 7-8 minutes for ditalini, but you may need an extra minute or two if you’re using a larger pasta. Remove the pot from the heat once the pasta is al dente.
Stir in kale
Stir in the chopped kale and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes while the kale softens. Once it has wilted and is bright green, ladle into bowls and serve with parmesan cheese!
What to Serve with Minestrone Soup
We love this soup topped with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs! Add a side of Jalapeno Gouda Bread, some Cheddar Cornbread Muffins, or these Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks to help soak up that tasty broth. If you really want to stretch the meal further, you could serve with an Air Fryer Grilled Cheese or this Antipasto Salad. Your guests will leave full and satisfied!
Best way to store soup
Allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature, then place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. It’ll last up to 3 days.
This makes a delicious, healthy leftover lunch, so I light to store individual portions in microwave-safe containers that are easy to pack. This is a fantastic soup for a thermos if you don’t have a way of heating up a lunch on site!
Can you freeze minestrone soup?
Yes, this is the perfect recipe for stocking the freezer! For the best texture, eat within 3 months of freezing and allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Soup freezing tips:
- Leave room – When liquid freezes, it expands. This means you need to leave some room in your container, otherwise your freezing soup can break it.
- Freeze flat – Freezer bags are extremely convenient and make for quicker thawing and less space needed for storage! Simply ladle into a freezer bag, then lay it flat on the freezer shelf to freeze. When you’re ready to eat, this flattened soup will defrost much, much quicker.
- Thaw slowly – When food is freezing and thawing, the cell walls in the food are exposed to a lot of pressure. This can cause some of them to rupture, and that’s what makes some food mushy after defrosting. Thawing food slowly in the fridge gives the cells more time to adjust, leading to less breakdown and a better texture.
How to reheat soup
The best way to reheat soup is to heat it in a pot on medium low, stirring occasionally until warmed throughout. You could also reheat it in the microwave, but I recommend setting it to 50% power and covering with a paper towel to avoid any surprise splashes. The soup may thicken after cooling, so you can always add a splash of broth or water to thin it out.
If you like this soup, you’re going to want a bowl of each of these recipes!
- Easy Mushroom Soup – This vegetarian recipe is SO flavorful! It’s a gorgeous bright orange from the smoked paprika, so it’s sure to make a statement.
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup – If you love an ultra-creamy, cheesy soup, this one is for you! It’s super kid-friendly and perfect for leftover lunches this week.
- Low-Carb Lobster Bisque – This is a quick soup that has TONS more flavor than you would expect from the short cooking time! The garlic butter lobster is so decadent.
- Homemade Tomato Soup – You’ll love this classic low-carb tomato soup! The flavor of the tomatoes really shine. Make a grilled cheese and enjoy the simple pleasures!
- Slow Cooker Potato Soup – This recipe is full of tons of veggies and comes out perfectly creamy! The crock pot makes this dinner super easy, too.
Minestrone Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 15 oz can Great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable broth, or chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups frozen green beans, cut or chopped variety
- 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup ditalini pasta, or other small pasta noodle
- 2 cups chopped kale
- Fresh grated or shaved parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until vegetables are softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, broth, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the dry pasta and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until pasta is al dente (about 7-8 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Stir in the chopped kale and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes until kale is softened and bright green. Ladle into bowls and serve with parmesan cheese!
Notes
- This soup freezes really well for up to 3 months and keeps in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container.
- This soup is on the heartier side for minestrone, but still has lots of broth. Can be served with bread, crackers, or on it’s own!
- You can sub in elbow noodles, shells, or any other smaller pasta noodle if you can’t find ditalini.
- Feel free to sub in spinach instead of kale.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
