Simply Recipes Minestrone Soup

Make this summer minestrone soup with fresh garden vegetables. This recipe is made with chicken broth (use vegetarian for vegetarian minestrone), white beans, a little pasta, and tons of veggies.

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

When it's summer's high season, and the garden is overflowing with more vegetables than one can reasonably consume, a great way to make use of the bounty is to make minestrone soup.

Homemade Minestrone Soup

A few zucchini here, a couple of chopped tomatoes there, some beans, grab the lonely leek that's sitting in the fridge, add some chicken stock, a handful of pasta, and in a few minutes, you have summer in a soup.

You can use vegetable or chicken stock. The soup can be thin and focused on the broth, or it can be thick and stew-like.

On a recent trip to Italy, visiting my sweetheart's Italian relatives, we were served minestrone twice, both times with apologies (I'm sorry we don't have anything special for you, only minestrone), and both times the broth was exquisite, the vegetables perfectly fresh and tender.

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Olive Garden Recipe

This summer minestrone recipe captures the freshness of the soups we had in Italy. It's probably a bit thicker, we are serving up more veggies for the broth, but the taste is spot on.

Consider the recipe a guideline, and feel free to play with the amounts or types of vegetables. Make it your improvisation! (And let us know how it goes in the comments.)

Do you keep Parmesan rinds in the freezer? If not, it's time to get in the habit. They're fantastic for flavoring sauces and soups, especially ones with tomato, like this one. Simply throw a rind (or two) into the pot and fish it out when done cooking.

Spring Minestrone Soup

Whether you're refrigerating or freezing this soup, the pasta will expand and become chewy as it continues to soak up liquid. Consider storing it pasta-less and adding cooked pasta to individual servings as needed.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Vegan Minestrone Soup (healthy + Easy)

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

This favorite Italian soup is made with fresh seasonal vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based soup base (such as chicken stock).

The Best Minestrone Soup

So, what you put in your minestrone is really up to you. Don't like beans? Leave them out. Love pasta? Put some in (we recommend small pasta like ditalini). Minestrone really is all about improvisation.

But where to start? Here is a hearty base minestrone soup recipe, with plenty of white beans, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. It's one of our favorite soups to make when the weather turns cool.

Minestrone leftovers can be refrigerated for about a week and reheated either in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.

Simply Splendid Soups

Freeze well, so if you're planning on adding some, it's best to freeze the soup without the pasta and then add it after thawing and reheating.

This recipe doesn't call for pasta, but it can make minestrone extra hearty. Use small pasta like ditalini, but macaroni works in a pinch. About one cup of uncooked pasta is a good amount.

Do you add pasta to minestrone? If you want everything to cook in one pot, about 10 minutes into simmering the vegetables in Step 3. You'll probably need to add 1 to 2 more cups liquid bit by bit, since the pasta will absorb some.

Homemade Minestrone Soup {slow Cooker} Recipe

As leftovers sit, pasta absorbs broth and gets soft. To keep this from happening, boil it separately, drain, and add the cooked pasta as needed when you serve the soup. It’s best to freeze the soup with no pasta; add it after thawing and reheating.

You can't go wrong with crusty bread. And a big dollop of pesto floated on each bowl right at serving time is heavenly! If you want more meat, try adding Italian sausages to the soup, or have them on the side.

If starting with dry beans, soak about 3/4 cup of dry beans overnight in cold water (or pour boiling water over the beans and soak for 1 hour). Drain. Cover with a couple inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour, or until tender enough to eat. Then drain and use in this recipe as directed.

Classic Minestrone Soup Recipe

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.Hank has authored five cookbooks, the latest in 2021. His website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook won Best Food Blog by the James Beard Foundation in 2013.

Ina Garten's Winter Minestrone

Minestrone is one of my favorite soups, and it is infinitely malleable with the seasons. This version celebrates springtime, when fresh, new vegetables begin to show up at the market.

I know to make this soup whenever I can get asparagus, artichokes and peas all at the same time. These vegetables form the backbone to the soup.

Another good thing about this minestrone is that it takes only about an hour to make, from start to finish, including prep time. Classic minestrone takes at least a couple hours to make. There's something to be said for a quick version.

Ultimate Minestrone Soup

Keep in mind that the ingredients below are a guide. Minestrone is supposed to be free-form, with whatever looks good at the produce market.

Don't like artichoke hearts? Skip them. Despise chickpeas? Use some other bean. Just be sure to use lots of different kinds of vegetables and you'll be fine.

The other key to this recipe is to build the soup like a house. Don't toss everything in all at once, or some vegetables will be overcooked and some undercooked. This is why when you read the recipe below you will see that I add ingredients little by little.

The Easiest Minestrone Soup Recipe

Feel free to use canned or frozen vegetables in some cases. I use canned chickpeas and will often use frozen peas, which are almost as good as fresh. For a special occasion, use all fresh ingredients, though, as you can definitely taste the difference.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Springtime Minestrone Soup Recipe

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting