Recipe

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This stovetop Vegetarian Minestrone recipe is the real deal and brimming with seasonal veggies, beans, and pasta in a robust tomato broth.

Whether you forgot to set the slow cooker to cook this morning or haven't made it to the grocery store in a week, this meatless Minestrone soup is the answer.

Best Meatless Minestrone Soup recipe

After making the Instant Pot Minestrone I wanted to make this stovetop version since not everyone owns an Instant Pot, and there's something special about a simmering pot of homemade soup on the stove. This is also where a Dutch oven comes in handy.

Thankfully, from fridge to table, this meatless Minestrone soup takes less than 30 minutes. More good news, it tastes better the second day. Soup always does that.

Ingredients

The aromatics in this soup are onion, carrots, garlic, and celery (fresh, prechopped, or frozen mirepoix mix). Then, I add zucchini (you can swap it for potatoes, cabbage, and spinach), canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian green beans, and white or red kidney beans for volume and nutrition. Finally, you’ll need vegetable broth and any shelled pasta you have in your pantry.

How to Make Vegetarian Minestrone

Making this meatless Minestrone soup is as simple as sautéing the aromatics and then adding tomatoes and broth. Let it simmer, then add zucchini, beans, green beans, and pasta, and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.

How to Thicken Meatless Minestrone Soup

The key to an amazing bowl of soup is in the broth! Minestrone should have a rich, thick tomato broth laced with the essence of basil and Parmesan cheese. In fact, think of it more as a chili of pasta and vegetables.

Unfortunately, some versions are a bowl of broth with bits of vegetables and pasta. This should never happen and the good news is, it’s fixable.

Here are a couple of pointers:

Add more beans and pasta. Both have a higher starch content which creates a nice, thick soup.
Using the back of a stirring spoon, mash some of the beans and vegetables. This will release the starches and cause the soup to thicken up.

More Meatless Soup recipes

Like this recipe or soup in general? Good! Then you've got to check out this easy tortellini soup, this acorn squash soup, and this healthy enchilada soup.

Delicious Meatless Minestrone Soup

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

This stovetop Vegetarian Minestrone recipe is the real deal and brimming with seasonal veggies, beans, and pasta in a robust tomato broth.

5 from 19 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
32- ounce can diced tomatoes
32- ounce carton vegetable broth
1 medium zucchini, sliced
15- ounce can white beans
15- ounce can Italian green beans
¾ cup shelled pasta
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Sauté:

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the celery and carrots, sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.

Simmer:

Add the tomato paste, basil, oregano, thyme, diced tomatoes, and broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the zucchini, beans, green beans, and pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.