Recipe card style photo of minestrone soup in a white bowl with vintage spoons, fresh parsley, and toasted bread arranged around it.

This delicious classic minestrone soup tastes just like Grandma's old-fashioned recipe. Made from scratch, veggies, broth, spices, beans, and pasta are simmered together for a rich, hearty dinner that tastes amazing!

Jump to Recipe

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Servings

There’s something about a big pot of minestrone soup bubbling away on the stove that just feels like home. It’s cozy, nourishing, and packed with veggies, beans, and pasta in a tomato-rich broth. This version leans classic, but with a few thoughtful tweaks to make it hearty, flavorful, and easy enough for a weeknight,.

Bright and colorful bowl of minestrone soup with vegetables, pasta, and beans, served with toasted garlic bread on a marble surface.

MINESTRONE SOUP INGREDIENTS

What is the difference between minestrone and vegetable soup? Vegetable soup is a handful of classic veggies like potatoes, carrots, and celery, simmered in broth. Italian minestrone soup boasts tomatoes, a variety of vegetables, beans, pasta, and is typically served with Parmesan or Ramano cheese. Sometimes meat is added as well. It’s considered a traditional Italian dish.

Here’s what you’ll need to make our version:

Flat lay of labeled minestrone soup ingredients including vegetables, beans, pasta, herbs, spices, and broth arranged on a white surface.

1 cup small shell pasta, uncooked
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salted butter
½ cup finely chopped sweet yellow onion
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (32 ounce) vegetable broth
1 (28 ounce) petite diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 (15.5 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh green beans, sliced in half
1 cup fresh baby spinach
2 dried bay leaves
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Ingredient Substitutions

You can use a variety of pasta in this recipe including elbow macaroni or even rotini. You can also use rice or lentils if you don’t have any small pasta on hand.

You can make this soup with meat and add in chicken, ground beef, stew meat, ground pork, Italian sausage, ham chunks or bacon.

Serving Suggestions

A sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan right before serving adds a salty, savory finish that ties everything together. If you’d like to keep it fully vegetarian, you can use a vegetarian-friendly parmesan alternative.

This soup is a meal on its own, but it pairs beautifully with:

Beer bread, garlic bread, or fluffy dinner rolls
A simple homemade Caesar salad

Storage & Make Ahead

Minestrone should be even better the next day, not disappointing. Because of the separate pasta method and balanced seasoning, this version keeps beautifully.

Fridge: Store in airtight containers for up to four days.

Freezer: Freeze soup (without pasta) for up to two months. Add fresh pasta when reheating.

Reheating: Warm gently on the stove. Just add a splash of broth when reheating, and it tastes freshly made.

Expert Tips For The Perfect Minestrone

This recipe has been tested in the Spaceships Kitchen multiple times—with different pastas, adjusting simmer times, and trying out variations with zucchini and kale. The method below is the one we come back to again and again because it consistently delivers a soup that’s flavorful, balanced, and keeps well for days.

Cook your pasta separately. I know it’s tempting to just throw it in the pot, but trust me—boiling the pasta on its own keeps it from turning mushy or soaking up all the broth. Rinsing it under cold water stops the cooking so it stays perfectly al dente when you add it back in.

Don’t rush the veggies. Those first few minutes of slowly sautéing the onion, carrot, and celery make all the difference. Let them soften and sweeten—it builds a flavor base that carries the whole soup.

Keep garlic from burning. Since garlic cooks so quickly, you don’t want it to burn as it will get bitter. You want that fragrant flavor, without any harshness.

Simmer uncovered. Leaving the lid off helps the broth reduce just enough so it’s rich and full-bodied, not thin or watery.

Fresh herbs = fresh flavor. Tossing in basil and parsley at the very end keeps them bright and lively, balancing out the heartiness of the beans and pasta.

Ladle full of vibrant minestrone soup above a pot, showing detailed textures of beans, vegetables, and small shell pasta.

Reader Confidence

We’ve made and served this soup dozens of times—sometimes with picky kids, sometimes to guests who wanted seconds before they’d even finished their first bowl. It’s a recipe that’s forgiving, adaptable, and tastes like you spent far more time on it than you did.

If you’re looking for a minestrone that delivers real flavor without complicated steps, this is the one.

More Soup Recipes

If you are looking for more cozy and hearty soup recipes this soup season, our hamburger soup and crack chicken noodle soup are two of our favorite soups.

We think you’ll also enjoy:

Minestrone Soup

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup small shell pasta, uncooked
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
1 tablespoon salted butter
½ cup sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
32 ounces vegetable broth
28 ounces petite diced tomatoes, do not drain
15.5 ounces dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15.5 ounces cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh green beans, sliced in half
1 cup fresh baby spinach
2 dried bay leaves
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Instructions

Heat a 2 to 3 quart saucepan of water to a low boil and cook the small shell pasta for about 7 to 8 minutes, just before the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
While the pasta is cooking, begin sauteing the vegetables. In 5-6 quart stockpot over medium high heat, add the extra virgin olive oil and butter. Stir until the butter is melted.Add the chopped onion, stirring often for about 5 minutes until the onion is opaque.
Add the sliced carrots and sliced celery. Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened.
Add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Lower the temperature to medium and add the vegetable broth, petite diced tomatoes (with juice), rinsed and drained kidney beans and cannellini beans, fresh green beans, baby spinach, bay leaves, kosher salt, dried italian seasoning, thyme, and fresh cracked black pepper. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. (You are only wanting to cook the uncooked veggies until tender)
Add the fresh basil and cooked pasta and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

You can add the uncooked pasta to the soup with the vegetable broth and petite diced tomatoes, but you will need to increase the cook time by 15 to 20 minutes to ensure the pasta is cooked through.
Canned great white northern beans can be substituted for the cannellini beans.
Add thinly sliced zucchini squash, sauteing with the sliced carrots and celery.
Fresh chopped kale, turnip greens and even chopped fresh cabbage for variety.
Coarse sea salt is a great substitute for kosher salt. Taste the soup before adding any extra seasoning.

Nutrition

Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb

Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Amy Tandiko Graphic Designer
Ina Chong