Posted Jan 29, 2024 Nothing beats a cozy bowl of classic minestrone soup! It’s hearty and healthy, light and flavorful. In this minestrone recipe, vegetables, beans and noodles are cooked in a delicious tomato-based broth that’s infused with herbs and spices. It’s easy to make in 30 minutes on the stovetop, or you can cook it in the crockpot. Serve with a side of crusty french bread or no knead bread for a complete meal loaded with nutrients!
Minestrone Soup Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Onion. yellow, white and red onions are all great choices. Vegetables (Celery, carrots, zucchini, green beans). You can omit or add any vegetables you choose to this minestrone soup. It’s totally customizable. Olive Oil. Avocado oil or canola oil are good substitutes. Elbow Macaroni. Use your favorite pasta if you don’t have any elbow macaroni on hand. White Beans/Kidney Beans. Choose your favorite beans. Baby Spinach. up to half of the spinach can be substituted with kale in this recipe, if desired. Chicken Broth. Vegetable broth works great in place of chicken broth. Parmesan cheese. Romano cheese works well too.
How to Make Minestrone Soup
We’ll walk thorugh how to make minestrone step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by cooking the onion, celery, carrots, olive oil and garlic to a in a large stockpot until the vegetables begin to soften (5-10 minutes). Then, add the zucchini and green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is slightly soft. Next, add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta, beans, spinach, basil and parsley and return the mixture to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered until the pasta is cooked (about 10-15 minutes depending on package instructions). At this point, I suggest tasting and adjusting the seasonings (specifically salt and pepper) to your liking. The amount of salt depends greatly on the salt content of your broth. Start with 1 tsp and add more according to your own tastes.
Serve
Serve the minestrone soup warm garnished with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or basil. This minestrone pairs well with these recipes:
Top it with these homemade croutons and you will be in heaven! I love making this no knead bread or french bread and dipping it into the minestrone soup! Make a batch of these easy homemade biscuits. Serve it with homemade cornbread, cornbread muffins, or cornbread croutons.
Store/Freeze
Store this minestrone soup recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
