Minestrone Soup
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A colorful mix of vegetables, beans, and pasta simmered in a rich tomato broth, this classic minestrone soup is simple, satisfying, and perfect for weeknight dinners.
Minestrone is the ultimate clean-out-the-fridge soup—hearty, nourishing, and endlessly adaptable based on what’s in your kitchen. At its core, it’s an Italian vegetable soup with beans, pasta, and a tomato-based broth, but no two recipes are exactly alike. This minestrone soup recipe, shared with me by longtime reader Carol Winkelman (thank you, Carol!), has a few special touches: a bit of butter in the base for extra richness, a quick blitz of beans and veggies to give the broth more body, and a final swirl of olive oil and cheese to bring everything together.
Feel free to swap in any vegetables you need to use up. You can also trade pasta for grains for a different spin. For a cozy meal, serve the soup with homemade garlic bread.
If you’re a fan of Italian soups, you might also enjoy Italian wedding soup or pasta fagioli—both classics are hearty and packed with flavor.
“This will replace all of my previous minestrone recipes. We really loved it!”
What You’ll Need To Make Minestrone Soup
- Butter And Olive Oil: Create a flavorful base for sautéing the vegetables, adding richness to the soup.
- Yellow Onion And Garlic: Provide a savory, aromatic foundation that enhances the overall depth of flavor.
- Celery, Carrots & Zucchini: These veggies add natural sweetness and a hearty texture to the soup.
- Chicken Stock: Forms the backbone of the broth, giving the soup a deep, savory richness. Make sure to purchase stock rather than broth. Stock has a deeper, more robust flavor because it’s made using bones.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes And Tomato Paste: Provide acidity, sweetness, and a rich tomato base that gives the soup its classic flavor.
- Cannellini Beans: Add heartiness and a creamy texture while boosting the protein and fiber content.
- Russet Potato: Breaks down slightly as it cooks, helping to naturally thicken the soup while adding a comforting, starchy bite.
- Dried Thyme and Oregano: Infuse the broth with warm, earthy notes.
- Small Pasta: Absorbs the flavorful broth and adds a satisfying, hearty texture to the soup. Ditalini, shells, or elbow macaroni are all good options.
- Grated Pecorino Romano Or Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese: Adds savory, umami-rich depth to the broth.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions For Minestrone Soup
Step 1. Sauté the vegetables. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Step 2. Build the base. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, potatoes, salt, sugar, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 3. Purée to thicken. Ladle out about a cup of beans, veggies, and broth and transfer to a blender. Remove the center knob to vent steam, cover with a towel, and purée until smooth. Set aside.
Step 4. Add the pasta and zucchini. Stir them into the pot, bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the zucchini is tender. Stir in the reserved purée, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, cheese, and basil (if using). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Pro Tip: If you’d like to make the soup ahead, cook the pasta separately and add it when serving (it soaks up the broth and gets mushy). Or you can skip the pasta and use extra beans or veggies for a version that holds up better.
Step 5. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with more cheese, if desired. This soup is best fresh since the pasta absorbs the broth over time, but leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Customize Your Minestrone
- Add some heat: A pinch of red pepper flakes goes a long way.
- Make it gluten-free: Swap the pasta for rice or your favorite gluten-free grain.
- Mix up the veggies: Use whatever’s in your fridge and in season—green beans, fennel, sweet potatoes, kale, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, squash… it all works!
Video Tutorial
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Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium stalks celery, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken stock (see note)
- 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup small pasta, such as ditalini, shells, or elbow macaroni
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- ⅓ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant; do not brown.
- Pour in the chicken stock, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cannellini beans, potatoes, salt, sugar, thyme, oregano, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
- Use a ladle to scoop out about one cup of the beans, veggies, and a bit of broth and transfer it to a blender. Remove the center knob to let the steam escape, and cover the opening with a paper towel or kitchen towel to avoid splatters. Purée until smooth and set aside.
- Add the pasta and zucchini to the pot and stir to combine. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, covered and stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick to the pot, for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the zucchini is tender.
- Add the reserved purée back to the pot, then stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the cheese, and basil (if using). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary (I usually add at least ¼ teaspoon more salt, but it will depend on the saltiness of your chicken stock). Ladle the soup into bowls and top with more cheese, if desired.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this last Sunday for Monday’s dinner, and it was phenomenal! Just as you described, it’s a perfect soup for the transition from winter to spring. I’ve seen this soup listed on every Italian restaurant’s menu but had never had it, let alone made it until now. It’s such a shame I didn’t know what I was missing. This one will definitely be going into the rotation. Bravo!
Delicious as always, Jenn! I used Reames Egg noodles and thought that they added a little something extra to the soup. I think I will try replacing the potatoes with celery root next time as it might be a fun twist. Really good as written though! Thank you!
Outstanding!! Just last week, I had a great minestrone at a restaurant, and immediately came to this site looking for a recipe. There wasn’t one, but the next day, I magically got your email with this recipe added! It is wonderful, and I look forward to making it again and again.
I love all of your soup recipes – this is the top of my list! Cannot figure out how the simple ingredients blend together to create such a flavorful soup!
Many thanks and blessings sent to you for all of the wonderful recipes!
My family rejected the idea of minestrone soup UNTIL they tasted YOUR recipe. Now it’s a favorite soup. This is rich, filling, delicious, and quick! Perfect for a meatless meal, or eat as leftovers during a busy week.
Jenn I make so many of your soups and love them all. Last night I made this minestrone and it’s absolutely delicious! My husband keeps asking me what’s different it has such a rich broth almost a smoky flavor. He thinks I used pancetta. I followed recipe exactly except more carrots and celery because mine were small.
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes ❣️
My husband made it last night. We LOVED it! It had so much flavor. I went to look at the recipe to see if it was one of yours and of course it was. I just knew it would be. We have loved all your recipes!
I have made many minestrone soup recipes and this was the first that had a really rich and full flavoured broth. I suppose the addition of butter really did make a difference. I was surprised that this recipe included potato in addition to the pasta but I liked it very much. I would add more veg the next time I make it. Possibly yellow courgette, green beans, red pepper. I loved the added basil as well. As usual, a fantastic recipe.
Jenn…This soup is fantastic! The flavors were just wonderful. It is a lighter minestrone than the recipe I usually use and my husband said, “This is the best soup ever!” And I make a lot of soup. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used an Italian herb blend instead of the oregano and thyme. I added the fresh basil at the end. It was the perfect flavor to balance the soup. This is a light, healthy soup with plenty of oomph! Loved it. It is another winner from Once Upon a Chef.
I am so excited! You hands down make the best soups! Being GF, I am going to skip the pasta, and go for kasha perhaps – any recommendation on how much to use and when to add? Thank you 🙂
Hi Chrishy, I’d use ¾ cup of uncooked kasha. Stir it in at around the same time you would have added the pasta (it will take about 12 to 15 minutes to become tender). I’d love to hear how it turns out with the kasha!