This veggie-packed, herby noodle dish is the classic minestrone soup you love with simple ingredients and flavors, perfect with some grated parmesan on top!

Don't let the ingredients list intimidate you! It's all hearty vegetables and flavorful herbs with beans, broth, and noodles to even it out. It's a comforting soup that's super easy to make any night of the week.

minestrone soup in a white bowl with blue rim on a blue and white checkered towel

Classic Minestrone Soup

Have you had minestrone before? It's a classic Italian soup that is chock-full of colorful veggies, hearty beans, yummy herbs, and the tastiest finale ever: noodles! So it's definitely filling and filled with flavor, but it's also super healthy thanks to all that veggie power loaded into it. I love a classic minestrone on cool evenings when all you want is a big bowl of something warm and homemade.

It comes together quickly enough, and it's one of those recipes that you can amend the ingredient list as you go based on what you have in your fridge and pantry. It's super flexible; just use what you like and have on hand and you'll be good to go! It's good enough to eat solo (and get seconds), or pair it with a simple side salad and a piece of crusty, rustic bread, perfect for dipping. A little sprinkle on parmesan on top, and bon appetit! You'll be in soup heaven.

ladle filled with classic minestrone soup over a pot of soup

What is minestrone soup?

Minestrone soup is a thick Italian soup made with a bunch of veggies, beans, and usually either rice or pasta (or sometimes both!). There's not one set recipe for minestrone because it's sort of one of those everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipes, which is great news for easy dinners and clearing out the pantry!

Where does minestrone soup come from?

Minestrone originated in Italy. The name literally means "big soup" and that is the perfect description of it! It's thick, rich, hearty, and full of great flavors and bunches of fresh ingredients.

What vegetables are in this minestrone soup recipe?

Common vegetables in a classic minestrone include onions, celery, carrots, and tomatoes, but you can throw in anything you like and have around! Potatoes, squash, zucchini, and green beans are all delicious additions. This is a great soup to use what you like, add veggies that are in season, and clean out the vegetable drawer with. I've never made a batch of minestrone soup that I didn't like and I basically make it different every time I make it.

how to make minestrone soup collage image

What spices do you put in minestrone soup?

Minestrone is definitely a herbacious soup and has garlic, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in it to give it that classic Italian flavor!

Can you make minestrone soup in the instant pot?

You can! Set it to the high saute setting and add the olive oil, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until onion is tender. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and thyme, and stir for another 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, water, mixed seasonal veggies, salt, bay leaves, pepper, pasta, and beans, and select the manual setting. Adjust pressure to high and set timer for 5 minutes. After it's finished cooking, quick-release the pressure. Stir in the spinach or kale and season with salt and pepper to taste! Serve hot with fresh grated parmesan on top.

Can you make minestrone soup in the crock pot?

Minestrone in the slow cooker is the easiest thing ever! Simply add all the ingredients to the crock pot, minus the spinach or kale, and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. Stir in the spinach or kale before serving -- it wilts quickly so it doesn't need to cook along with everything else!

bowl of classic minestrone soup with spoons on blue checkered towel

Why is this the best minestrone soup?

This minestrone is so incredible because it's totally flexible. The ingredients listed below make it incredible, but you can also play with it a bit and I promise you won't mess it up! Use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock if you want, or feel free to use any variety of vegetables that you like! Plus, it's a one-pot soup which makes prep and clean-up super simple. I think being able to make a recipe to your liking is an important aspect of making it "the best". You know what YOU like!

Can you freeze minestrones soup?

Absolutely! Minestrone soup is a great freezer item. Store in airtight, freezer-safe containers after it's completely cooled, and freeze for up to 4 months. To thaw, place container in the fridge overnight and reheat the soup in a large stock pot over medium heat until warmed through when ready to serve.

Minestrone soup variations:

You can really and truly add what you like and have to minestrone! Onion, carrot, celery, and tomatoes are important, but as for the other veggies, you can use all kinds: yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or anything else you love. Feel free to use either chicken or vegetable stock as the base. You can also use any sort of white bean you like or have, and you can use shell pasta, orecchiette, elbow pasta, or rice for the starch!

cup of pasta shells being poured into pot of minestrone soup

What kind of pasta do you use in minestrone soup?

I prefer using either shell pasta, orecchiette, or elbow pasta in minestrone soup, but you can also use rice if you like!

Can you add meat to minestrone soup?

Traditional minestrone soup is not made with meat, but if you want to up the protein and make the soup even heartier, feel free to brown some ground beef, turkey, or pork when you're sautéing the onion, carrots, and celery!

bowl of minestrone soup with cup of kale next to spoons

More soup recipes you will love:

If you’ve tried this Easy Minestrone soup recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.

Classic Minestrone Soup

★★★★★

4.6 from 121 reviews

Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 10-12 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This veggie-packed, herby noodle dish is the classic minestrone soup you love with simple ingredients and flavors, perfect with some grated parmesan on top!

Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium ribs celery, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
1 large can diced tomatoes, with the liquid (28 ounces)
2 cups water
2 cups chopped mixed seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, green beans and/or peas all work)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup small shell pasta, orecchiette, or elbow macaroni
1 can Great Northern beans or cannellini beans (15 ounces), rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups home cooked beans
2 cups baby spinach or chopped kale
Additional salt and pepper, to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnishing

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onions are tender, about 8 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
Add the garlic, oregano, and thyme, and stir to combine. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and water, and stir to combine.
Add the mixed vegetables, salt, and bay leaves, and stir to combine.
Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until all the vegetables are tender (if I’m using potatoes or fresh green beans, I like to throw them in first because they take longer to cook, and I’ll then add other tender vegetables like zucchini and beans after 15 minutes of cook time).
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring often so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add the beans and spinach or kale, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with grated parmesan on top if you desire.

Notes

So flexible! Use what you like and what you have, it's going to be great!
Feel free to use chicken stock instead of vegetable if that's what you have on hand.
If using gluten free pasta, just be sure to not over cook it (it tends to fall apart when over cooked).
Please see the post on instructions for how to make this in the Instant Pot AND in the slow cooker.
This recipe makes a large batch, feel free to make a half batch or plan on sharing with a friend or saving half in the freezer for a later date if you don't need as much.

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: American

Keywords: minetstrone soup, easy minestrone soup recipe, vegetable soup recipe, vegetarian soup recipe, how to make minestrone soup

Sides to go with all your favorite soups:

Minestrone soup is a classic Italian warming and thick soup full of veggies and comforting flavors, and it's an easy one-pot meal that anyone can make!

Classic Minestrone Soup