This classic Italian soup is one of my favorite!
Do you love Minestrone soup as much as I do?
My Minestrone Soup recipe is made with lots of fresh, good-for-you seasonal veggies, and pasta to make it hearty and filling. This recipe is SO easy and delicious. It’s filled with pasta, beans, tomatoes, and veggies and seasoned with Italian herbs. The delicate tomato veggie broth is spiked with white wine to ramp up this classic recipe. With this healthy and easy recipe, you can introduce a new recipe to your weekly dinner rotation.
Quick and Easy Minestrone Soup is an Italian favorite and one of mine as well! Now is the time to enjoy a healthy meal that will make you feel great from the inside out! This soup is full of aromatics and flavors, amazing to heat you up during the cold winter days. To be honest with you I am making this soup at least once a month, even during the hot summer days, that’s how much we love it.
What is a Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone is a thick Italian soup originally made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, sometimes both. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, leaf vegetables, stock, parmesan cheese and tomatoes.
You probably stumble on a few recipes while searching for the best one. There have been many variations of this simple vegetable soup throughout history, but my version is authentic to the original recipe as can be.
When It Comes to Minestrone, Improvise! You don’t need to be bound to what the recipe online says. I always like to use what I have in the fridge, that’s way this recipe for Minestrone Soup is quick and easy. One thing is certain about this recipe, regardless of how much you improvise or if you try to stay authentic. You will enjoy every bite.
I am a soup lover girl all year round. It doesnt matter if its hot or cold I love it. I know that not every one share my love for soups but this one its a winner. It is easy to make and perfect for vegetarians if you use a veggie broth. I like to use for this one a chicken broth, it give the soup more body and flavor.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE?
- Comforting Soup
- Ready in about 45 minutes
- Easy Weeknight Dinner
- Simple and affordable ingredients
- Spicy, warm, rich and healthy soup
- This soup is as easy as you can get, you pretty much dump everything in the pot and cook.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS AND TECHNIQUES
- To make the broth more flavorful use Parmesan rinds – (Optional) I saved some in my freezer for later use.
- Add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan- makes a such a difference- tomato and wine a the best combination ever
- For more body and flavor use Chicken broth instead vegetable
- Add tomato paste for more rich and deep flavor.
- Add peas -gives more sweetness and creaminess to the soup
- Cook the paste separate
- Add the cooked pasta as needed when you serve the soup
This classic vegetable soup is your perfect opportunity to load up all those veggies in your freezer or fridge that need a home. While these add-ins aren’t typical of a “classic” minestrone, your soup, your kitchen your rules.
This version is by far the BEST Quick and Easy Minestrone soup – a classic, hearty Italian soup with tomatoes, red beans, vegetables and pasta and of course a few extra things to make it more special and delicious.
Minestrone leftovers can be refrigerated for about a week and reheated either in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.
The soup also freezes fairly well, though the vegetables tend to be softer after freezing and reheating. Add cooked paste after after thawing and reheating.
There is nothing that soothes the soul and warms you up (both figuratively and literally) like a big bowl of this Quick and Easy Minestrone soup-Italian Classic with a twist.
Quick and Easy Minestrone Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion - chopped
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 medium carrots - chopped
- 2 stalks celery - chopped
- 3 medium zucchini - chopped
- 1 1/2 cup frozen peas/ or from can
- 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- 2 cups green beans
- 15 oz. red kidney beans - or any beans of your choice
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt - or to taste
- 1 tsp. black pepper - or to taste
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 bay leave
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. dry oregano
- 1 tsp. thyme
- fresh chopped parsley
- 8 cups vegetable broth - or chicken broth ( low sodium)
- 2 cups cooked pasta
- 1/4 cup white wine
- Parmesan rinds optional - optional
Instructions
Sauté the veggies
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, zucchini carrots, celery to the pot and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 more second, then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the 8 cups of veggie or chicken broth, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, bay leave, oregano, thyme and diced tomatoes.
- If using Parmesan rinds add them now. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Add the peas and green beans and cook for 5-8 more minutes. Discard the parmesan rinds if using and the bay leaves.
- Add the cooked pasta of your choice. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and fresh grated parmesan (optional)
Notes
- To make this soup dairy free/vegan, skip the Parmesan cheese.
- Cut all veggies the same size, so they take the same amount of time to cook.
- To make this soup low carb, skip the pasta.
- If you’re freezing the leftover soup, I would leave the pasta out until you plan on serving it.