Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe

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 minestrone soup is the answer. It’s made with mostly pantry staples and it hits the spot after a long day.

Jump to:

• What is Minestrone Soup
• Ingredients
• How to Make Minestrone
• Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
• How to Thicken Minestrone
• Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe

What is Minestrone Soup

My friend, soup doesn’t get much better than a hearty, robust bowl of Minestrone. It’s a combination of vegetables, beans, and pasta simmered in a robust tomato broth. This is what you want on a cold, blustery day.

Okay, time for a tiny backstory on this classic soup recipe: Minestrone originated in Italy as a way to use leftover odds and ends of pasta and vegetables. Short, simple, and sweet.

And today, we’re keeping the concept the same with this stovetop recipe so you can enjoy it anytime with whatever ingredients you have on hand; such as canned beans, the last cup of macaroni shells, and those lonely veggies in your vegetable bin or fridge.

Ingredients

The concept of Minestrone is to use what you have in the fridge and pantry, and I like to stick to that.

For this Minestrone recipe, I use:

• Olive oil: for sautéing the veggies.
• Aromatic veggies: diced onion, carrots, garlic, and celery. Save time using prechopped veggies or frozen mirepoix mix. 
• Tomato paste: add flavor and consistency.
• Italian seasoning: you can swap it for Herbs de Provence or make your own blend with dried basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
• Tomatoes: your favorite canned diced tomatoes.
• Vegetable broth: the liquid we need for cooking the veggies.
• Zucchini: great for adding volume. Other veggies you can use are potatoes, cabbage, and spinach.
• Canned beans: I included white beans. Red kidney beans are also a great add-in.
• Italian green beans: more volume and nutrition!
• Pasta: any shelled pasta you have in your pantry.
• Grated Parmesan cheese: for serving.

You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Minestrone

After making the Instant Pot Minestrone I wanted to make this stove top 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 soup takes less than 30 minutes. More good news, it tastes better the second day. Soup always does that.

So let’s get to it:

1. Chop the veggies
   Onions, garlic, celery, zucchini, and any other vegetable you wish to include. Brownie points if you do this ahead of time.
2. Sauté
   Add the onions and the garlic and saute until fragrant, then comes the celery, carrots, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, and broth. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for ten minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients
   Now we can add the zucchini, beans, green beans, and pasta. Simmer for another 15 minutes while you finish whatever you were watching on Netflix. Not kidding.
4. Toast the bread
   You will WANT a toasted crust of bread to soak up the juices left in the bowl. This is an important step, so don’t skip it.
5. Add the cheese
   Don’t forget a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan. It’s the “cherry on top”.

Watch this recipe video to see how Minestrone soup is made:

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

Once again, we’re sticking to the original concept of Minestrone recipe, which contained no meat, to save money and keep it healthy.

Coming from a family of meat eater’s I can proudly say no one can turn down a bowl of this Minestrone. With all the vegetables, beans, and pasta it’s super hearty and filling. If you want to double up on the protein, add an extra can of beans.

Craving more epic meatless recipes?

How to Thicken Minestrone

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.

Like this recipe or soup in general? Good! Then you’ve got to check out this Easy Tortellini Soup and this Healthy Enchilada Soup. Other homemade recipes you’ll crave year-round are this delicious Stove Top Chicken and Rice and my Paleo Chicken and Veggie Chili. Want to put the crockpot to use? Make my epic Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup recipe!

Which soup will you try next?