Homestyle Italian Minestrone Soup
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This recipe for a traditional minestrone soup is my kind of everyday Italian cooking — it’s simple, hearty, and endlessly adaptable. You can make it year-round with a mix of basic pantry vegetables and dried pasta (or whatever’s fresh from your garden). Best of all, it comes together in about 40 minutes for a warm, nourishing bowl of homemade soup.
Minestrone was a staple in my mom’s kitchen, made from whatever beans, pasta, and vegetables she had on hand. My version keeps that vibe — a pot full of fresh vegetables, tender beans, and pasta that come together in a hearty, one-bowl meal.
There’s no doubt minestrone is one of those soups that instantly feels homey and comforting, in the same way my roasted tomato soup with fresh tomatoes is what you want when it’s time to curl up on the couch.
Vegetables for minestrone
What makes minestrone “minestrone”? There aren’t strict rules to follow when making authentic minestrone soup in the Italian style. But there are some veggies essential to the mix. Don’t worry if you don’t have every single one — it’s okay to improvise based on what you have.
According to Italian cooking expert Marcella Hazan, the character of authentic Italian soup — minestra — depends on two things: The season and the place. Imagine if you plopped yourself into summertime on the coast of southern Italy, your bowl of soup would likely be a fragrant mixture of ripe tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and pasta.
During colder months, you’d be more likely to encounter a hearty stick-to-your-ribs ribollita, a thick stew of beans, potatoes, stale bread and hardy winter vegetables like cabbage and kale.
Best pasta shapes for soup
Pasta for soup: There are hundreds of different pasta shapes, and of course there are types that are especially made for soups. Look for these pasta cuts that are 1/2-inch in size, or smaller.
- Ditalini
- Elbow macaroni
- Mini shells or bow ties
- Pastina: Look for stelline (shaped like stars), acini de pepe, or orzo.
- Short or broken egg noodles
Recipe steps
1. Cook the carrots, celery, and onion with olive oil in a large pot. 2. Stir in tomato paste, garlic and seasonings and cook 1 minute.
3. Pour in the broth and tomato puree. Simmer 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 4. Stir in the greens and cooked pasta. Serve warm, with grated Parmesan cheese.
Classic Italian Minestrone Soup with Pasta
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) chopped carrots (2 large or 3 small carrots)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped (1 ¼ cups)
- 1 (80 g) onion, chopped
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (30 g) finely chopped or grated garlic, 2-3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, dried thyme or oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
- 1 15-ounce tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans kidney or cannellini beans (or 1 of each), drained
- 4 cups (950 ml) vegetable broth
- ½ pound (225 g) green beans (fresh or frozen), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Parmesan cheese rind, optional
- 1 cup small dried pasta, such as elbows, small shells or ditalini
- 2 cups (80 g) dark leafy greens such as spinach, chard or kale, roughly chopped
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large (5 or 6 quart) soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables become softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, herbs and chili. Cook one minute, until fragrant. Add the tomato puree or crushed tomatoes, canned beans, green beans, 2 teaspoons salt and the Parmesan rind, if using. Pour in the broth or water and bring to a simmer. Cook 25 minutes, uncovered.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water. Cook until the pasta is al dente, according to package directions. Drain.
- Add the pasta to the soup and stir in the greens until they wilt. Add the parsley. Taste the soup for seasoning (if you used water, the soup will need another teaspoon or so of salt). The starch from the pasta will thicken the soup as it sits. Serve in bowls, with grated cheese on top.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- The minestrone is a very hearty soup served all by itself, but you can add sliced toasted of sourdough bread (for dunking!) and this kale salad to make a well-rounded meal.
- Freezing tips: Cool the soup completely before transferring to a leakproof freezer-safe container (this helps prevent ice crystals from forming). Don’t fill to the brim — leave a little space at the top, as liquid expands in the freezer.Â
- If you’re freezing a big batch of soup, consider leaving out the pasta because it will absorb the liquid and become too soft. After it’s thawed, add the cooked pasta to the soup and reheat. Â
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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It was so perfect. Rich and very flavorful. Thank you for sharing your art!
I made the recipe today I’m full-blooded Italian and it reminds me of what my grandma used to make excellent thick delicious thank you so much I forgot how to make it and I got a good recipe now
Amazing! So happy you enjoyed it, Rick.
Hi Karen,
How large a piece of cheese rind do you add?
They range in size, usually about 3 inches wide and long.
Thanks so much, Karen. Looking forward to making the minestrone this week!
I hope you enjoy!
Yummy ! Made this 2x ! I used stewed tomatoes in place of the crushed . Delicious !
Hello Karen,
I found your blog at BlogHer and I decided to visit. Your blog looks great, I really like it.
As for the Minestrone soup i like that you shared classic recipe since it’s delicious. It’s one of my favorites because it is so colorful and healthy. Great recipe.
This soup looks delicious! I don’t see the macaroni in the recipe. How much did you add and when? Thanks!
Jennifer – thanks for letting me know. I forgot to add the pasta to the ingredient list – oops! Use about 2 cups cooked pasta of your choice, smaller spoon sized shapes are best. Stir it in before serving since it will absorb the broth and soften if it’s in there too long before eating.
We are at currently at 37 degrees with a wind chill of about 27! Great night to make this minestra, I thought.
So I made it, following your recipe, always a delight and easy to understand! It looks and tastes amazing! Thanks, Karen!
I’ve made this soup many times, without the fennel (because I never have it), once threw in cauliflower and it was great, and sometimes with a little lemon juice and/or white wine, and it always comes out great. Except this time – didn’t have spinach so I threw in chopped broccoli. Not advised! I could smell my mistake as soon as it came to a simmer🙂. Purely operator error. Definitely recommended and easy.
Thank you for sharing how broccoli turns out in the soup! I’m happy you enjoy the recipe.
Bookmarking this so I can try. It looks delicious and like the perfect meal for a cold, North Eastern winter day…or night. Yum.