Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (2024)

Here’s an Italian style recipe for a vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe!

Loaded with fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta cooked into a savory broth, this uber-healthy soup packs nutrition, fiber, and flavor! It’s a hearty and filling dish that’s perfect for any meal, any time of the week! This is the last, best minestrone soup recipe you’ll ever need!

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (1)

Minestrone Soup Recipe

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Best Minestrone Soup Recipe

  • This hearty and heartwarming dish is also the perfect meal for a crowd. Keep it warm in a crock pot and let guests help themselves. Serve with a side of grated parmesan cheese and some cheesy breadsticks for dipping.
  • Kids love the mild flavor of comforting minestrone soup, and with all of its colorful ingredients, they won’t even know how nutritious it is. Add a side of grilled cheeseand make it a full meal deal!
  • Budget-friendly, minestrone soup is also a terrific time-saver. It can go from stovetop to table in less than 30 minutes!

Minestrone Soup Ingredients

VEGETABLES: Veggies like onions, carrots, celery, and spinach give minestrone color, texture, and amazing flavor. Minestrone soup is perfect for using up leftover veggies or if time is short, toss in a frozen bag of mixed vegetables. Sliced mushrooms, zucchini, diced sweet potatoes, corn, sliced cabbage, or kale can be added to or used in place of the vegetables.

BEANS: Red kidney beans add a boost of fiber and hold up well. Canned beans are best because they don’t need to be soaked first. Black beans, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, or any combination of beans will add more flavor to the soup.

BROTH: Everything is slow-cooked together in a savory vegetable broth with garlic and a can of diced tomatoes (including the juice).

PASTA: Ditalini are short pieces of tube-shaped pasta that are standard for this recipe. If ditalini isn’t available, small elbow macaroni or orzo will do the trick. Rice is sometimes added to a classic minestrone – white, brown, or long-grain will all work. Be sure rice is ready to use or parboiled.

PROTEIN: This recipe is written as a vegetarian recipe, however, all kinds of meat can be added to minestrone soup if desired. Leftover meat works especially well because it’s already cooked. Ground beef, sliced summer sausage, ham, chicken, turkey, and even frozen mini-meatballs will make this soup extra hearty.

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (2)

How to make Minestrone Soup

Easy-to-find ingredients are what make this soup such a winner!

  1. Saute carrots, onions, celery, and garlic in oil until softened.
  2. Stir in the next 4 ingredients and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
  3. Add pasta and cook until tender, then add spinach. Serve hot.

What To Serve with Minestrone Soup?

Bread is the perfect complement to any soup! It’s fun and delicious to dip and dunk Pizza Dough Breadsticks or Easy Dinner Rolls. Round out the meal and make an easy side Tomato Salad or a Spinach and Strawberry Salad while the soup is simmering.

Tips For the Best Soup!

Caramelizing the carrots, onions, and celery (also called a ‘mirepoix’) gives the soup its depth of flavor, so don’t forget this critical first step. Always drain and rinse canned beans before using for a recipe to rinse off salt or preservatives that would affect the flavor.

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (3)

Other Super Soup recipes!

  • Vegetable Soup With Cabbage – another healthy soup.
  • Low Carb Hamburger Vegetable Soup – full of hearty flavor.
  • Lemon Chicken Rice Soup – a favorite.
  • CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup – so easy to make.

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (4)

5 from 32 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Minestrone Soup Recipe

This is the best Minestrone Soup Recipe packed full of vegetables, noodles, and delicious flavor!

SaveReviewPrint

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 7

Author Shannon Johanson

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 cup celery diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 15 ounces red kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 4 ounces ditalini pasta
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach

Instructions

  • In a large stockpot over medium heat pour in olive oil. Add diced carrots, onions, celery, and minced garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.

  • Stir in kidney beans, vegetable stock, diced tomatoes, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, once boiling turn it down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

  • After 10 minutes add the pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

  • With 2 minutes remaining add spinach and heat until warm.

Notes

  • Caramelize the carrots, onions, and celery for an increased depth of flavor.
  • Drain and rinse canned beans to rinse off salt or preservatives that might affect the flavor.
  • Refrigerate cooled leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
  • Reheat on the stovetop over low heat.

5 from 32 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Nutrition Information

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1369mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3760IU | Vitamin C: 11.4mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

©The Shortcut Kitchen. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

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Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (5)

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30 Minute Meals, Kid Friendly, Main Course Ideas, Simple Soup Recipes

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About the author

Shannon is an Arizona transplant who traded the rain for a life in the sun. Her daughter is like having 5 kids in one so her “me” time is found outside running or in the kitchen cooking and creating recipes families will love. Shannon graduated with a Degree in Biology and went on to get her post-baccalaureate degree in dental hygiene. She feels the way to make people smile and come together is through good food, so she tries to create meals that will not only be easy to make, but delicious to eat. Shannon’s philosophy is, when all else fails, have a dream. So that is what she tries to do; dream, create, and bring her recipes to life from her kitchen to yours. Visit Shannon at The Food Cafe to learn more.
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Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the thickening agent for minestrone? ›

Use Tomato Paste For A Hearty, Thick Minestrone

You can prepare it at home or buy it in a tube and mix it with other food ingredients as needed. If your minestrone is too thin, add a few tablespoons of tomato paste while it's cooking. Start with 1 to 2 tablespoons, stir well, and see how it turns out.

How do you make minestrone soup thicker? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

What makes minestrone soup different than vegetable soup? ›

Minestrone soup is unique because it typically includes beans, pasta, or rice, as well as vegetables, and the ingredients are always left chunky (it's never blended), making it a heartier option. Vegetable soups are usually simpler and don't typically include beans or pasta, and you could have a blended vegetable soup.

What is Olive Garden minestrone soup made of? ›

Ingredients- 2 Tbs olive oil; 1 onion diced (1 cup); 1 celery diced; 1 carrot, peeled & diced; 1 zucchini, chopped; 2 tsp minced garlic; 14 oz can diced tomato; 32 oz vegetable stock; 1 bay leaf; 1 1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning; 2 Tbs tomato paste; 15 oz canned small white beans, rinsed drained; 15 oz canned kidney beans ...

How to make minestrone soup Gordon Ramsay? ›

Method:
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the onions, carrots, celery and some seasoning. ...
  2. Add the thyme, bay leaf and bacon. ...
  3. Tip in the borlotti beans and cherry tomatoes, then pour in the chicken stock or water to cover. ...
  4. Add the spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes.
Nov 6, 2023

Does minestrone soup contain potatoes? ›

Minestrone soup is essentially just a heartier version of vegetable soup. Instead of only having vegetables, herbs and broth, this easy minestrone soup recipe packs extra nutrients from the potatoes, pasta and kidney beans. It's a delicious lunch or dinner that will keep you full and satisfied.

Why is minestrone soup so good? ›

Made with lots of vegetables, greens and various beans, this dish can provide you with super nutrients that slow aging and help you stay fit. Minestrone has always been a symbol of traditional Italian cuisine and the Mediterranean diet. Made with vegetables, greens and beans, it is a super-healthy mixture.

How can I deepen my soup flavor? ›

Adding umami-rich ingredients like tomato paste or a parmesan rind to the soup will add a deep, rich savoriness and body to the soup.

How do you thicken vegetarian soup? ›

The most straightforward way to thicken soup is to puree the vegetables. Starchy vegetables in particular offer the most creaminess. Try with corn, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, or yams. Blend half (for a chunkier texture) or all of the vegetables and liquid together.

What does minestrone mean in italian? ›

The word minestrone, meaning a thick vegetable soup, is attested in English from 1871. It is from Italian minestrone, the augmentative form of minestra, "soup", or more literally, "that which is served", from minestrare, "to serve" and cognate with administer as in "to administer a remedy".

What is the difference between minestrone and minestrone? ›

Minestra is often confused with minestrone. They both have similar ingredients and require the same preparation, however minestrone is solely a vegetable soup, meatless and thicker than minestra. Minestra is vegetable-based but often meat is added if available.

Is minestrone soup vegetarian in Olive Garden? ›

Other vegan and vegetarian options at Olive Garden

Items free of animal products exist in numerous categories, including pasta, breadsticks, salads, entrees, and desserts. Along with minestrone soup, other vegan options include spaghetti with marinara sauce, fettuccine alfredo, and the chain's famous breadsticks.

What is the main ingredient in soup? ›

The most common ingredient in soup dishes is onion. Garlic, chicken broth, carrots, olive oil, tomatoes and celery are also common ingredients in soup recipes. For herbs and spices, cayenne pepper is popular.

What is the brief description of soup minestrone? ›

Minestrone (pronounced min-eh-STROH-nee) is a rustic Italian soup made with vegetables and beans in a tomato based broth. Depending on the recipe, it will also contain pasta, rice, or in some instances, both.

What is a interesting fact about minestrone soup? ›

Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and may even be more widely dispersed and enjoyed throughout Italy than pasta. The soup was initially made from small things leftover from previous meals, combined so as not to waste perfectly good food.

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