Minestrone Soup (Classic Italian Recipe)
Updated Oct 27, 2025, Published Jan 26, 2021
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This Minestrone Soup is a beloved family recipe made in one pot and ready in just 30 minutes! A light yet hearty Italian vegetable soup that’s cozy, nourishing, and full of fresh flavor — the perfect comforting meal any night of the week.
Serve with your favorite crusty, crusty no-keand bread. Try my Tuscan White Bean Soup next!
Why you’ll love this family favorite!
A pot of Minestrone Soup is a staple in our home — simple, nourishing, and endlessly adaptable to any season or the vegetables you have on hand. It’s the essence of la cucina povera, the Italian tradition of turning humble ingredients into something deeply comforting.
I learned to make this soup by watching my nonna and mamma countless times, each stirring the pot with love and care. It’s light yet hearty, filling the kitchen with warmth and the aroma of home.
This recipe embodies everything I adore about Italian cooking — wholesome, healing, and best enjoyed with a slice of crusty homemade bread. Every spoonful is like a warm embrace. Grab a bowl and get cozy.
You’ll love our Italian Sausage Lentil Soup and Zuppa Toscana.
Made With Amore,
Minestrone Soup Ingredients
Fresh vegetables and basic ingredients make this classic Italian minestrone next-level delicious. It’s an easy vegetable soup you’ll make on repeat!
- Base Vegetables: Extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and zucchini create the flavorful foundation for this classic Italian soup.
- Additional Vegetables: Red bell pepper, green beans, and spinach add color, texture, and nutrients. Honestly, any leftover vegetables you have in the fridge!
- Tomatoes and Beans: Canned diced tomatoes and creamy cannellini beans add richness and heartiness to the soup.
- Liquid and Seasoning: Water or broth (chicken or vegetable) with salt and pepper ties all the flavors together.
- Optional Add-Ins: Small pasta turns this into a more filling meal.
- Toppings: Finish with fresh basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, and plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano for authentic Italian flavor.
Substitutions and Variations
- Beans: Use borlotti or kidney beans instead of cannellini for a heartier texture. Try my pasta e fagioli soup.
- Broth: Keep it vegan and vegetarian with vegetable broth or add depth with homemade chicken stock, just like in my pastina soup.
- Pasta-Free: Skip pasta for a lighter option, or swap in small shapes like ditalini, elbows, or shells.
- Vegetables: Use what’s in season — try butternut squash, yellow squash, kale, broccoli, or cabbage in fall and winter, or peas and asparagus in spring.
- Add Meat: Stir in cooked Italian sausage, beef, or pancetta for a richer, more robust soup like my Italian Sausage and Peppers.
- Herbs & Flavor: Add a Parmesan cheese rind while simmering for extra umami or finish with homemade Italian seasoning and a drizzle of your best olive oil.
How to Make Minestrone Soup
The easy stovetop soup comes together in one pot and little time. See the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with the complete amounts and instrcutions.
Step 1: In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, zucchini and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Step 2: Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 3: Add tomatoes; cook until some of the liquid evaporates, 1 minute.
Step 4: Add cannellini beans, and 7 cups water; bring to a low boil.
Step 5: Stir in green beans and spinach.*
Reduce to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
If adding pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions (undercook 1-2 minutes) and add to the minestrone.
Step 6: Season with salt and pepper; and basil. Serve sprinkled with parmigiano and, if using, torn basil and parsley. Drizzle with more oil, if desired.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
• Sauté first: Cook the onion, garlic, and veggies in olive oil to build deep flavor before adding liquid.
• Layer flavor: Season lightly at each step—don’t wait until the end.
• Simmer gently: Let the soup bubble slowly so the vegetables stay tender, not mushy.
• Add pasta last: If using pasta, cook it separately and stir it in just before serving to keep it from soaking up all the broth.
• Finish with freshness: A drizzle of olive oil, grated Parmigiano, and fresh herbs just before serving make all the difference.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover minestrone in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over medium heat until warm, adding a splash of broth or water if it thickens. For longer storage, freeze up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
What to serve with Minestrone Soup
Crusty Italian Bread: Perfect for dipping and fare la scarpetta (scooping up the last drops). Try my Crusty No-Knead Bread.
• Simple Green Salad: A fresh side like Pear and Gorgonzola balances the hearty soup.
• Cheese Board: Serve with Italian cheeses like Parmigiano, pecorino, or fresh mozzarella and a few olives.
• Pasta or Polenta: For a heartier meal, pair with Creamy Polenta or a small pasta dish.
• Dessert: Finish simply with Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake or a few Italian Butter Cookies for a sweet touch.
More delicious soup recipes: Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup, Italian Pastina Soup Recipe (with Chicken broth), ribollita recipe, Simple Artichoke Soup Italian Recipe, Classic Italian Style Lentils (New Year Tradition).
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Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 bunch celery, diced
- 3 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup cut green beans, may use frozen
- 1 ½ cups cut leaf spinach, may use frozen
- 1 large can diced tomatoes, 28 oz
- 1 can cannellini beans, 15 oz
- 7 cups water, or fill the tomato can twice with water, or broth
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional: 2 cups of your favorite pasta variety- cooked to al dente texture
- Toppings: fresh basil, parsley, and grated parmigiano reggiano
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, zucchini and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add tomatoes; cook until some of the liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Add cannellini beans, and 7 cups water; bring to a low boil. Stir in green beans and spinach.*
- Reduce to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; and basil. Serve sprinkled with parmigiano and, if using, torn basil and parsley. Drizzle with more oil, if desired.
- If adding pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions (undercook 1-2 minutes) and add to the minestrone.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love love all of your recipes I give them to my daughter, my granddaughter and of course to me. We make them sometimes with a Mexican twist, keep them coming.
Hi Lupe! I am so happy to hear this! I have an entire section on my blog that is Mexican-Inspired. You may also love those and I hope they are authentic enough for you! Enjoy all the traditional Italian as well!
Loved the minestrone soup recipe! So easy and it tastes amazing with all the fresh vegetables!!! I could eat this every day!
Yes! I agree, it is an “everyday” kind of soup recipe. Enjoy!
The flavor of this soup is spot on satisfying! Made and served on one of the days during a recent cold snap and my husband actually went back for seconds. Thatโs something that next to never happens! Go make yourself a batch of this soup now!
WOW! So happy to hear this! Many more Italian recipes to try- and hopefully they can make your husband come running for seconds as well.
Loved this recipe! I was in a hurry so I sautรฉed the veggies and then added the other ingredients and did high pressure in my instant pot for 4 minutes. Added the cooked small shells at the end. Loved the simplicity of the flavors and being able to get so many yummy veggies into a meal without a ton of unnecessary additives. Soo good.
Yay! So happy you loved this family recipe. You may also like my Italian sausage soup recipe to try next!