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A winter and fall favorite, this Easy Minestrone Soup combines seasonal root vegetables into one pot. It’s a loaded comfort soup with vegetarian option.

Is your kitchen still loaded down with garden veggies? Our garden produced vegetables in abundance this year. I have a table in my basement loaded with squash, plus tomatoes and beans in the freezer. I just love it!

But because we have so many, I always need to find a new way to serve them. This easy minestrone soup is the perfect comfort food for fall or winter.

Why you’ll love this soup:

Veggie packed.
Loaded with flavor.
Easy vegetarian option.
Low calorie
Ready in under one hour.

What is minestrone soup?

Minestrone comes from Italian origin. It is a meatless soup so is often considered vegetarian (just consider the stock). The vegetables can vary from soup to soup, but it is traditionally loaded with beans, pasta, tomatoes, onions, carrots and celery.

If you love minestrone soup, try our oven roasted veggie minestrone soup. Roasting brings out the sweetness of the veggies. It’s amazing!

Ingredients for Minestrone Soup

Onion & garlic
Bell pepper: Any color of Bell pepper will work for this recipe.
Carrots
Butternut squash: You can substitute butternut squash for your favorite type of squash or even potatoes. Sweet potatoes are delicious in this soup!
Zucchini
Salt and pepper
Diced tomatoes: Use canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes.
Chicken stock: The chicken stock can be replaced with vegetable stock for a vegetarian option. And just so you know, Olive Garden’s minestrone soup is vegan. If you’re looking for a copycat recipe, use vegetable stock.
Tomato paste
Bay leaves
Beans: Use cannellini or Great Northern Beans for this soup, but if you have a favorite type of bean it will work as well.
Pasta: When choosing a pasta to use in minestrone soup, look for a smaller pasta like macaroni, shell, bow tie, rotini, or fusilli pasta. The pasta shouldn’t be the star of this show. You really want it to blend in with all the other vegetables so that you achieve a nice variety every time you take a bite.
Spinach: Spinach can be substituted for shredded green cabbage if you prefer.
Cooking oil

How to Make Minestrone Soup

Saute. Heat oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables (bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash) and stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables have softened slightly.
Season. Add salt and pepper for seasoning.
Simmer. Pour the canned tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, and bay leaves into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and leave to simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
Simmer again. Add the beans, pasta, and green beans and stir. Leave to simmer, covered, until the pasta is al dente, about 10-12 minutes.
Add greens. Once the pasta is cooked through, add in the spinach and cook for 1 additional minute or until the spinach has wilted. If using cabbage, you may need to cook it for slightly longer until it is tender.

Can I add any other types of vegetables to my soup?

At its core, minestrone soup contains seasonal or root vegetables, pasta, and a form of stock. This is a great soup to get rid of all your uneaten vegetables, especially if they are seasonal or root vegetables. Any type of root vegetable is always a great option: potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, turnips, parsnips, etc.

How do I store my minestrone soup?

Your minestrone soup will last for an additional three to four days in the refrigerator. This soup tastes best the day of. The pasta tends to soak up a lot of the chicken broth after a couple of days. It still tastes really great and the flavors are wonderful, but I prefer it on the first day.

Can you freeze minestrone?

You can always freeze this soup for up to three months. Make sure to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.