Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe

bowls filled with minestrone soup alongside pot filled with soup

Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe

Thick, hearty and comforting, Italian minestrone soup is a delicious combination of vegetables, beans and pasta. This is the dish you want to warm up with on a chilly day. Ever so versatile, you can make this classic Italian soup with a variety of vegetables you have on hand.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian bean, vegetable and pasta soup, minestrone with vegetables beans and pasta

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 255kcal

Author Nadia Fazio

Ingredients

1 large onion diced
2 medium carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery diced
3 tbsp. olive oil plus extra for drizzling at the end of cooking
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups canned whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes
1 large potato peeled and cubed
540 ml can of white kidney beans or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups water or chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. freshy thyme
Parmigiano cheese rind optional but strongly recommended!
1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini diced
1 cup small pasta elbow macaroni; small shells or ditalini
2 cups fresh spinach
fresh chopped parsley for garnishing
grated Parmigiano cheese for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Begin by washing, peeling and chopping all the vegetables. Dice vegetables roughly the same size to ensure even cooking time.
In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté onion, carrots and celery until soft, 7-8 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, breaking them up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the cubed potato and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in a pinch of salt.
Pour in water (or chicken broth); beans; aromatics and Parmigiano rind. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes.
Uncover and stir in green beans; zucchini and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the pasta of your choice and cook, loosely covered, until al dente or according to the package instructions. In the last 5 minutes of cooking stir in the spinach.
When done, remove and discard the bay leaves and Parmigiano rind. Adjust seasoning, if needed.
Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with grated Parmigiano cheese at the table.

Notes

Substitutions and Variations:

-Other vegetables can be substituted or added include yellow squash; butternut squash; sweet potatoes; green peas; swiss chard; escarole or cabbage.
-If fresh green beans are not available, substitute frozen green beans.
-Substitute 2 fresh, ripe tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes.
-Use red kidney beans instead of white beans.
-Add 1/2 cup of rice instead of pasta in the last 20 minutes of cooking or omit for a grain free minestrone.
-If you want to use dry beans instead of canned: soak 1/2 cup dry white beans in water overnight. Add to your pot in step #4 and cook until tender before adding the remaining ingredients.

Can minestrone be made with chicken broth instead of water?

-Yes it can however it is traditionally made with water. The use of aromatics and a Parmigiano cheese rind add lots of flavor to this soup.
-Since I use water, I add a pinch of salt at each step. However if using chicken broth that has salt in it, be mindful of extra salt that you add to your soup.
-Taste and adjust seasoning according to taste.

Should the pasta be cooked separately?

-I prefer adding my pasta directly in the pot along with the vegetables. This is ideal if you are serving your minestrone immediately. However, if you plan to freeze your minestrone or serve it the following day, cook the pasta separately and stir into the minestrone before serving. This is to prevent the pasta from becoming overcooked and mushy.

-If you cook your pasta separately, reduce the amount of water or broth added to the soup to 5 cups.

How long does minestrone soup keep for?

-Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Can minestrone be frozen?

-Freeze minestrone before adding the pasta. Let cool and freeze in batches in freezer safe containers for up to 6 months.
-Slowly defrost in a pot. Cook pasta separately and then stir into the minestrone.

Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.

Nutrition