Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup

Warm up with a bowl of this satisfying Italian minestrone soup! It’s filled with hearty vegetables, noodles, and is super easy to make. The whole family will love this soup for any occasion!

I absolutely love soup season! Once the air gets crisp and cold (or even before then) you’ll find me making tons of vegetable soups. And this super hearty minestrone soup has all my favorites in it – potatoes, pasta, tomatoes, and white beans! Mmm. It truly is so perfect.

I’ve made this on several different occasions and I’ve used either a slow cooker/crockpot or have simmered it on the stove top. Both ways have successful and tasty results – so you can pick which way you fancy more!

I’ll always remember making this soup for my dad not too long ago and him saying minestrone is one of his favorite soups. So, with that in mind – Dad, this one’s for you. ❤️

Ingredients You Need

To make this cozy soup you’ll need a handful of fresh produce and some pantry staples. Here’s the full list you’ll need: carrots, celery, potatoes, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, yellow onion, dried Italian herbs, garlic, tomato paste, oil, broth, dried pasta, white beans, and kale.

 

How to Make Italian Minestrone Soup

• First, sauté onions and garlic until soft. Then add carrots and celery – cook for several minutes.
• Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, and diced potatoes – simmer for 15-20 minutes. Potatoes should be soft when tested with a fork.

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• Then add dried pasta, cook until pasta is “al dente” – pasta should be soft/cooked but still has a bite to it (about 10 minutes).
• Before serving soup, taste and season with salt & black pepper as needed. Top with fresh chopped basil and serve!

Extra Soup Tips

• Best small pasta for soup: when it comes to soups, we like to use smaller pastas such as small shell pasta, macaroni, ditalini, and orzo.
• Make it gluten free: use chickpea pasta to make this recipe gluten free friendly. It also has lots of extra protein and is 100% plant-based!
• Leave carrot peels on: My mom always taught me to leave the skin on because that’s where a lot of the nutritional value is. I recommend leaving carrot peels on because it’s less hassle and more flavor!
• Fire roasted tomatoes: I recommend using fire roasted tomatoes for an extra level of flavor.
• Add more vegetables: you can also add more vegetables to your soup like zucchini, spinach, and leeks.
• Flavor with parmesan cheese rind: if you have a block of parmesan cheese, you can cut off the rind of the cheese and add it to your soup while it simmers. This will help build rich flavor in your soup. When soup is ready to serve, remove the rind.

Slow Cooker Method

Add all of your ingredients to a slow cooker (minus pasta noodles and greens). Cover and set on LOW for 3+ hours. 15-20 minutes before serving, add pasta and chopped kale. Serve when pasta noodles are cooked through or when texture of noodles is al dente.

Sprinkle with fresh basil, season to taste with salt & black pepper if needed before serving.

How to Store & Freeze Leftover Soup

Keep leftovers fresh: store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Freezing tips: store cooled soup in airtight glass container or freezer-friendly bag, freeze for 2-3 months. When ready to reheat, thaw soup at room temperature and then empty into pot and simmer.

This hearty vegetable soup has all the Italian flavors, rich tomato broth, and so many vegetables. I love it for any season because it’s fresh and not too heavy!

Serve this soup up with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and a side of crusty bread. You can’t go wrong with this crowd-pleasing meal!

More Cozy Vegetable Soups to Try:

• Tuscan White Bean Soup
• 30 Minute Leek and Potato Soup
• Healthy Tomato Basil Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup (vegan)