Traditional Minestrone Soup Recipe
Vegetable Minestrone with parsley pistou is a flavorful and healthy Italian soup that's perfect for a cozy dinner at home. Made with creamy white beans, fresh herbs and loads of healthy green vegetables, this soup is gluten free and vegan adaptable!
Minestrone is a classic Italian soup, and like all of the best Italian recipes, each cook's version is slightly different. It's the recipe I always make whenever I've been indulging a bit too much and need a good reset.
For more soups and stews, try my cream of crab soup, the best clam chowder recipe, or pasta e fagioli.
Why this Minestrone Recipe Works
- Endlessly adaptable and super flexible.
- Utilizes canned tomatoes and cannellini beans for ease.
- Can be made vegan or vegetarian with a few simple swaps.
- Gets an extra pop of brightness and flavor with a simple, garlicky herb oil (pistou) swirled in at the end.
Easy Minestrone Soup Ingredients
Pancetta is a salty, unsmoked Italian bacon. You can substitute smoked American bacon or leave it out altogether for a vegan/vegetarian soup. Just add a little bit more salt, olive oil and herbs to makeup for it.
Parmesan cheese rind - This is added to the broth to impart more flavor, but don't worry about it if you don't have one. Whenever I finish a wedge of parmesan cheese, I throw the rind in a container and freeze for instances like this.
Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes - You can substitute crushed tomatoes.
Vegetables - Don't skip the carrots, celery, onion, garlic or tomatoes - these make the base of the soup. But any of the other vegetables can be easily swapped out for whatever you like or have on hand.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
How to Make Minestrone Soup
- Place a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil and pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it has given up most of its fat and is just starting to crisp, about 7 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
- Add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese rind (if using), Swiss chard, cannellini beans, zucchini and green beans.
- Bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for at least 30 minutes or longer to let the flavors meld. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Make the parsley pistou by combining the minced garlic, parsley and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Pro Tip: Short on time? Skip the pistou and simply drizzle with good quality olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan instead.
- To serve, ladle the minestrone into bowls and serve with parsley pistou on the side along with grated parmesan and crusty bread.
Best Minestrone Soup Recipe Tips
- Adapt this recipe however you like. Throw in some leftover shredded chicken, the rice from last night's Chinese takeout, a diced sweet potato that's laying around, or anything else about to go bad in your fridge.
- If making vegetarian or vegan, omit the pancetta and parmesan rind and add a few more glugs of olive oil and an extra pinch of salt to make up for the flavor.
- Fry a few slices of crusty bread in extra virgin olive oil until crisp, then rub them all over with a raw garlic clove for an extra delicious accompaniment.
How to Store
Let the soup cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water if it's too thick. Minestrone freezes well for up to 3 months.
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Traditional Minestrone Soup Recipe FAQs
Pistou is essentially the French equivalent of Italian pesto, but unlike pesto it doesn't contain any nuts or cheese. It's really just a simple, garlicky herby oil used as a condiment. Pistou, like pesto, is traditionally made with basil, but I've swapped in parsley here. You can absolutely use basil, but I opted for parsley because it's so much more prevalent in winter, which is when I typically make minestrone.
Traditionally, yes, but I usually prefer to leave it out to make the recipe extra healthy and gluten free. However, you can add some if you like. If using, boil it separately and then add it right before serving to make sure it doesn't absorb all of the broth and become mushy.
Yes! This soup freezes beautifully and can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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Best Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil or 2 tablespoons if omitting the pancetta
- 3 ounces Pancetta or 3 slices bacon, diced (see note)
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 5 stalks celery diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 medium-large carrots scrubbed clean and diced (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or sub ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary or sub ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste as needed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 parmesan cheese rind optional
- 1 bunch Swiss chard stems and leaves chopped
- 1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1½ cups green beans diced
For the Parsley Pistou:
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
- ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ - ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Soup:
- Place a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add in the olive oil and pancetta. Cook until the it has given up most of its fat and is just starting to crisp, about 7 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
- Add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese rind (if using), Swiss chard, cannellini beans, zucchini and green beans.
- Bring up to a simmer, cover and let cook for at least 30 minutes or longer (you can't overcook it). Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
For the Parsley Pistou:
- Combine the minced garlic, parsley and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors meld. (You can also add the whole ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.)
To Serve:
- Ladle the minestrone into bowls and serve with parsley pistou on the side along with grated parmesan and crusty bread.
Notes
- For a vegan / vegetarian version, you can leave out the pancetta and the parmesan cheese rind. Just add a little more salt and olive oil to make up for it.
- If you'd like to add pasta, cook it separately in boiling, salted water, then drain and keep on the side to add to individual bowls. If you add the pasta to the pot of hot soup, it will absorb all of the broth and turn mushy.
- This recipe is very flexible and adaptable. Throw in some leftover shredded chicken, the rice from last night's Chinese takeout, a diced sweet potato that's starting to sprout, or anything else about to go bad in your fridge.
- Short on time? Skip the pistou and simply drizzle with good quality olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan instead.
- Fry a few slices of crusty bread in extra virgin olive oil until crisp, then rub them all over with a raw garlic clove for an extra delicious accompaniment.
Question? I have had bags of different dried beans and dried split peas and lentils in plastic storage bags in my pantry for a long time. I looked at them lately and there are no use by dates or notes on expiration.Can i
still use them?
They are generally safe to use as long as they don't have any mold, pests or weird smells. However, they may not be as soft or creamy texturally and might take a lot longer to cook / rehydrate. If you want to use them, I recommend soaking them overnight or longer and adding a little bit of extra cook time. Since this soup calls for canned beans, you will want to cook your beans first before adding them to the soup so they don't absorb all of the broth. You can try using a pressure cooker or instant pot to make them faster, and you and try adding a pinch of baking soda to the cooking liquid which can help them soften. Let me know how it works out!
This soup has become a go-to recipe for me. Its easy, its healthy and everyone in my family love it. Always serve it with cheesy toasts!!
This is the best Minestrone I've ever had. The pistou absolutely makes it. Serve with lots of crusty bread