This easy, budget-friendly Minestrone Soup recipe is a simple and healthy vegetable-rich meal. A comforting tomato broth loaded with beans, fresh vegetables, & pasta shells.
Why You’ll Love it:
- Perfect for Weeknights– this soup recipe doesn’t take much effort, making it perfect for those nights you need something simple.
- Budget-Friendly– this recipe is made with only simple, inexpensive vegetables and pantry staples, and can be made in large batches. Perfect for meal prepping or feeding a crowd on a budget.
- Healthy, Feel-Good Meal- beans and fresh vegetables give this soup a boost of protein, Vitamin C, and antioxidants. A comfort food you can feel good about.
- Adaptable to Most Dietary Needs– this soup is naturally diary-free & egg-free and can be made vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free.
Ingredient Notes:
Find the full list of ingredients & amounts in the recipe card below.
- Fresh Vegetables– an aromatic mix of onion, carrot, zucchini, fresh garlic cloves, and baby potatoes.
- Canned Vegetables– green beans, red kidney beans, and corn.
- Crushed Tomatoes– slightly sweet and tangy crushed tomatoes usually come canned and can be found near the pasta and marinara sauce in most grocery stores.
- Herbs– bay leaf and Italian seasoning , a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme.
- White Wine– adds a fruity sweetness, and enhances the tomato broth.
- Brown Sugar– balances the acidity of the tomatoes and white wine.
- Broth– vegetable or chicken broth can be used.
- Small Pasta– I’ve used pasta shells, but elbows, ditalini, or orecchiette can also be used. Cooking the pasta in the soup releases starch and slightly thickens the broth.
Substitutions & Variations:
- Beef Broth– for a deeper, more robust flavor.
- Fresh Tomatoes- during the summer months, this recipe can be made with fresh crushed tomatoes such as Roma.
- More Veggies– kale, cannelinni beans, chopped cauliflower or broccoli, peas, squash, or mushrooms.
- No Pasta– try long-grain rice or another quick cooking grain such as barley. Or add extra veggies!
- Add Meat– such as meatballs, ground beef, shredded rotisserie chicken, or turkey sausage.
- Add a bit of Spice– with a pinch of cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or a few drops of hot sauce.
- Gluten-Free– use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Vegan- use vegetable broth and omit the Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese.
How to make Minestrone Soup:
- Melt butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, zucchini, and sliced carrots. Saute 6-8 mins, stirring often, until beginning to soften. Add minced garlic and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in white wine and allow to simmer 1 min. Stir in crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add potatoes, broth, corn, and bay leaf to pot. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Bring pot a boil, cover, and turn to a simmer for 14-16 minutes.
- Add green beans, kidney beans, and pasta shells and continue simmering 8-10 minutes, adding broth as needed, until pasta is al dente and potatoes are tender.
- Remove bay leaf, and add roughly chopped spinach. Continue simmering until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat & serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Tips & Recipe Notes:
- If using a different style of pasta, check the cooking time on the package.
- How to make Minestrone Soup in the Slow-Cooker:
- Add onions, carrots, garlic, white wine, crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, broth, potatoes, corn, salt & pepper, and bay leaf to slow-cooker.
- Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- Add green beans, kidney beans, zucchini, pasta shells, and spinach and continue cooking on high for 15-20 minutes until pasta is al dente.
Storage:
- Leftover soup will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Pasta will adsorb some of the broth as it sits in leftover soup. You may need to add more broth when reheating.
- If meal prepping, cook and store soup base and pasta shells separately. Add pasta when reheating.
- If freezing, cook soup base without the pasta shells. Let cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe storage container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator if frozen. Simmer soup base on the stove-top until base has warmed through. Add cooked pasta shells.
More Soup Recipes You Will Love:
- Pierogi, Kielbasa, & Cabbage Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Italian Pasta & Beans)
- Easy Chicken & Rice Soup with Pesto and Corn
- Easy Spicy Sausage & White Bean Soup
- Creamy Sausage, Kale, & Ravioli Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Creamy Cabbage & Orzo Stew
- Creamy Mushroom & Pearl Couscous Soup
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Minestrone Soup
This easy, budget-friendly Minestrone Soup recipe is a simple and healthy vegetable-rich meal. A comforting tomato broth loaded with beans, fresh vegetables, & pasta shells.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups yellow onion diced
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini diced
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6-8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 8-12 baby potatoes quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 15 oz can kidney beans drained & rinsed
- 14 oz can cut green beans drained & rinsed
- 8 oz can corn drained & rinsed
- 8 oz pasta shells
- 4-6 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt
- Shaved Parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, zucchini, and sliced carrots. Saute 6-8 mins, stirring often, until beginning to soften. Add minced garlic and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in white wine and allow to simmer 1 min. Stir in crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Add potatoes, broth, corn, and bay leaf to pot. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Bring pot a boil, cover, and turn to a simmer for 14-16 minutes.
- Add green beans, kidney beans, and pasta shells and continue simmering 8-10 minutes, adding broth as needed, until pasta is al dente and potatoes are tender.
- Remove bay leaf, and add roughly chopped spinach. Continue simmering until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat & serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Notes
- If using a different style of pasta, check the cooking time on the package.
- Gluten-Free– use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Vegan– use vegetable broth and omit the Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese.
- Storage:
- Leftover soup will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Pasta will adsorb some of the broth as it sits in leftover soup. You may need to add more broth when reheating.
- If meal prepping, cook and store soup base and pasta shells separately. Add pasta when reheating.
- If freezing, cook soup base without the pasta shells. Let cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe storage container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator if frozen. Simmer soup base on the stove-top until base has warmed through. Add cooked pasta shells if needed.
- Nutritional Information is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients and amounts used.
Nutrition
Calories: 309kcalCarbohydrates: 52.8gProtein: 12.7gFat: 4.5gSaturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 5.2mgFiber: 12gSugar: 11.6g
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