Name: Hearty Minestrone Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 stalk celery, diced; 1 yellow onion, diced; 1 large carrot, diced; 1 zucchini, diced; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 2 dried bay leaves; 28 oz crushed tomatoes; 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth; 1 – 15oz can white beans, rinsed and drained; 1 – 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained; 1 large parmesan rind; 8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces; 3/4 cup small whole wheat small pasta (like elbows, ditalini, or orecchiette); 5 oz spinach, chopped; 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (plus more for garnish); parmesan, for garnish

This hearty Minestrone Soup is packed with veggies, so easy to make, and comes together quickly. Serve it with a side of crusty bread for the perfect lunch or dinner!

Why You’ll Love This Hearty Minestrone Soup

It’s packed with veggies – this hearty minestrone soup is packed with fresh veggies like celery, zucchini, crushed tomatoes, and green beans.
It’s easy to make – this soup could not be easier to make. Just sauté your veggies, add your broth and pasta, and simmer.
It comes together fast – not only is this soup easy to make, it’s also comes together fast which makes it a great option for a quick weeknight meal.

What is Minestrone Soup?

Classic Minestrone soup is an Italian soup that’s traditionally made from plenty of vegetables and pasta. It commonly includes vegetables like onions, celery, tomatoes, and carrots as well as legumes like beans.

Minestrone Soup Recipe Ingredients

Garlic: this soup recipe starts by building strong base of flavor with plenty of fresh garlic.

Veggies: we’re using a combination of celery, carrot, onion, zucchini, green beans, and spinach.

Italian Seasoning: to add some extra flavor we’re using an Italian seasoning blend.

Bay Leaves: dried bay leaves help to give this soup so much flavor.

Crushed Tomatoes: I like to use no salt added tomatoes so that I can better control the amount of salt in the soup.

Chicken Broth: this is another ingredient that where I like to choose the low-sodium variety.

Beans: for this recipe we’re using a combination of white beans and kidney beans that have been drained and rinsed.

Parmesan Rind: this adds some delicious flavor to the soup. You may be able to find parmesan rinds at your grocery store in the cheese or deli section.

Pasta: I like to use a small whole wheat pasta for this recipe like ditalini, elbow noodles, orecchiette.

Basil: to really finish off the soup add a little bit of fresh chopped basil right before serving.

Ingredient Substitutions

Chicken Broth – if you need to keep this recipe vegetarian you can swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Zucchini – don’t have zucchini? swap it for yellow squash instead.
Spinach – you can easily swap the spinach for tuscan kale if you like.
Parmesan Rind – you can leave out the parmesan rind entirely to make this soup dairy free or use a vegan parmesan alternative.
Pasta – need to keep this recipe gluten free? you can easily use your favorite small gluten free pasta.

How to Make Minestrone Soup

Step One: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and then add the garlic, celery, onion, carrot, and zucchini. Sauté the veggies for 3-5 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent.

Step Two: Add the Italian seasoning, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, white beans, kidney beans, and parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil and the reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Step Three: After simmering, uncover and add the green beans and pasta. Simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Step Four: Lastly, remove the parmesan rind and bay leaves and then stir in the spinach and fresh chopped basil. Let simmer for an additional minute until the spinach is wilted and then serve with extra parmesan cheese and fresh herbs on top!

Tips and Tricks for the Best Minestrone Soup

Don’t skip the additional fresh basil before serving. It really adds that extra punch of flavor to the soup.
While I include a recommended amount of salt in the recipe ingredients, feel free to use less or a little more if needed to suite your tastebuds.
The starch from the pasta may cause the soup to thicken a bit after sitting, so if it becomes too thick you can add a bit of extra broth (just add the amount based on your preference) when reheating to help maintain that soup like consistency.

Can I Make This in the Slow Cooker?

Yes! This is the perfect soup to make in the slow cooker. Here’s how to do it:

Step One: Add everything to the slow cooker except the pasta, green beans, spinach, and fresh basil.
Step Two: 30 minutes before serving, add the pasta, green beans, and spinach to the slow cooker. Let cook until the pasta is tender.
Step Three: Lastly, discard the bay leaves and parmesan rind, and stir in the chopped basil. Serve and enjoy!

Storing and Reheating Instructions

Store the minestrone soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. When it’s time to reheat, you can either do so in the microwave or on stove top by letting it simmer on low until heated through.

How to Freeze

This a great soup to freeze and save for a rainy day!

Here are some of my favorite freezer tips:

Let the soup come to a complete cool – before placing the soup in the freezer, be sure that it’s come to a complete cool.
Freeze leftovers in smaller portions – I like to freeze the soup in smaller portions so that I can just thaw and then reheat what I need instead of the entire batch.
To reheat the soup from frozen – remove the soup from the freezer and place in the fridge to thaw. When it has thawed completely reheat the soup either on stovetop or in the microwave.

More Delicious Soup Recipes

Get all of our favorite Healthy Soup Recipes plus our favorite tips and tricks to get the best soup!

I hope you give this Hearty Minestrone Soup a try! They are so easy to make and delicious!

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