March 22, 2022
Review RecipeMinestrone Soup
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!
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Easy and hearty, this old-fashioned minestrone soup is a homemade classic that you’ll love. Veggies and spices come together with a rich tomato broth, beans, and pasta for this fresh, from-scratch recipe just like grandma used to make.
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.
MINESTRONE SOUP INGREDIENTS
You’ll need:
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 (15-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes
- ½ cup Marsala cooking wine
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 1 (2-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 large zucchini, diced
- 2 cups ditalini pasta
- 1 can northern beans
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- 2 bay leaves
- parmesan rind
- salt and pepper
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
WINE: You can use a dry white wine instead of Marsala cooking wine if you’d like in this traditional minestrone soup recipe.
VEGETABLES: You can use a multitude of fresh seasonal veggies in this soup: yellow squash, butternut squash, green beans, mushrooms, peas, leeks, potatoes, baby spinach, swiss chard, or kale.
BEANS: You can switch up the beans and use cannellini beans as well.
PASTA: You can use a variety of pasta in this recipe including shell pasta, elbow macaroni, or even rotini. You can also use rice or lentils if you don’t have any small pasta on hand.
MEAT: You can make this soup with meat and add in chicken, ground beef, stew meat, ground pork, Italian sausage, ham chunks or bacon.
VEGETARIAN: Use vegetable broth instead of beef broth to turn this into a vegetarian soup.
GLUTEN-FREE: Use gluten-free pasta in this easy recipe.
HOW TO MAKE THIS MINESTRONE SOUP RECIPE
PRO TIP:
This recipe could also be made in the slow cooker. Add all ingredients except the pasta and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours. Stir in pasta and cook for another 20 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
STEP ONE: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Saute onion and garlic until translucent.
STEP TWO: Pour in Marsala wine and both cans of diced tomatoes and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
STEP THREE: Add broth, seasonings, tomato paste, parmesan rind, and carrots and bring to boil.
STEP FOUR: Allow to boil for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the pasta and zucchini. Simmer until pasta is cooked to al dente and zucchini is tender.
STEP FIVE: Stir in beans and turn off the heat. Remove bay leaves and the remainder of the parmesan rind.
STEP SIX: Serve immediately.
PRO TIP:
You can add fresh cheese on the top before serving.
HOW TO SERVE
For a complete meal, serve this easy minestrone soup recipe with cheese biscuits, easy beer bread, garlic bread, or fluffy dinner rolls. Our simple homemade Caesar salad is a great way to start this meal as well.
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STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: You can put leftovers in the fridge for up to two to three days.
IN THE FREEZER: You can store this Italian soup in an airtight container in the freezer. However, the pasta tends to get mushy after freezing and rethawing, so this is one meal I would suggest making and eating instead of freezing.
Simple and delicious, this from scratch homemade recipe is a family favorite. You’ll love the flavor of the spices combined with broth, pasta, hearty vegetables, and beans. This classic minestrone soup will be an often requested dinner for your family, too!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I freeze minestrone soup?
For this great recipe, we would recommend making it fresh as the pasta noodles tend to get soggy once the soup is thawed.
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.
Can I make this dish vegetarian?
Substitute the beef broth with vegetable broth and you’ll have yourself a vegetarian version of this soup.
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Minestrone Soup
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!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10
Ingredients
- ½ onion diced
- 2 large cloves garlic chopped
- 30 ounces petite diced tomatoes (two 5-ounce cans)
- ½ cup Marsala cooking wine
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 2 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups carrots diced
- 2 large zucchini diced
- 2 cups ditalini pasta
- 1 can northern beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- 2 bay leaves
- parmesan rind
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large dutch oven until translucent.
- Pour in Marsala wine and both cans of diced tomatoes and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
- Add broth, seasonings, tomato paste, parmesan rind, and carrots and bring to boil.
- Allow to boil for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the pasta and zucchini. Simmer until pasta is cooked and zucchini is tender, then stir in beans and turn off the heat.
- Remove bay leaves and the remainder of the parmesan rind.
Notes
TIP: This recipe could also be made in the slow cooker. Add all ingredients except the pasta and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours. Stir in pasta and cook for another 20 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
TIP: You can add fresh cheese on the top before serving.
Nutrition
Sodium: 520mg | Calcium: 78mg | Vitamin C: 23mg | Vitamin A: 4687IU | Sugar: 8g | Fiber: 5g | Potassium: 719mg | Calories: 200kcal | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 1g | Protein: 8g | Carbohydrates: 38g | Iron: 3mg
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Comments
Sarah says
So hearty and comforting!