This minestrone soup recipe is a completely customizable version of the traditional Italian vegetable soup. It is an easy, weeknight meal that is nourishing and delicious. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread for a complete meal!
When the weather gets cold and snowy, I love putting a big pot of soup on the stove. The aroma fills the house and just makes things feel cozy and warm!
Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients. Minestrone is a soup that was created to use up leftover vegetables. Feel free to substitute and use whatever vegetables you have at home! Normally, I use baby spinach, but for this soup I used kale. If you don’t have garbanzo beans, use cannellini or a second can of kidney beans. Green beans would work great in this soup too!
Once you have all of your vegetables cleaned and chopped, making the soup is very easy!
Some Soup Tips:
This is a very affordable soup and extremely versatile. You can mix and match any seasonal vegetables that you have available.
Don’t have pasta? You can swap in farro or barley.
If you have leftovers, the ditalini pasta will absorb the broth. Feel free to add a splash of broth or V8 when you reheat the soup.
The soup tastes even better the next day and is perfect to pack for lunch!
You can freeze individual portions that will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
How to Make Minestrone Soup:
Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil.
Add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until vegetables soften.
Add the broth, V8 juice, canned beans, zucchini, and yellow squash. Mix well. Add the Italian seasoning, pesto, bay leaves, bouillon, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a separate pot, cook ditalini pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Add the fresh baby spinach or kale and cooked ditalini pasta. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with parmesan cheese.
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 ribs celery chopped
- 4 carrots sliced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 4 cups V8 or tomato juice
- 1 can garbanzo beans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 medium zucchini quartered and sliced
- 1 medium yellow squash quartered and sliced
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach or chopped kale
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 3 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. pesto
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. Better than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base or Beef Base
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Instructions:
- Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil.
- Add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until vegetables soften.
- Add the broth, V8 juice, canned beans, zucchini, and yellow squash. Mix well. Add the Italian seasoning, pesto, bay leaves, bouillon, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a separate pot, cook ditalini pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Add the fresh baby spinach and cooked ditalini pasta. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with parmesan cheese.