Italian · Soup

Minestrone Soup Recipe

This minestrone soup recipe is a big pot of Italian vegetable soup: a soffritto base, courgette, green beans, potato, tomatoes, white beans and greens, with a small amount of pasta to make it a meal.

Minestrone was always made with whatever was in season, so treat the vegetables as a guide and use what you have.

Serves

6

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Per serving

250 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 2 celery sticks, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 large potato, diced
  • 1 courgette, diced
  • A handful of green beans, cut short
  • 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 1.5 litres vegetable stock
  • 1 can white beans (about 240 g drained)
  • 100 g small pasta
  • 2 handfuls spinach or chopped kale
  • Fresh basil
  • 30 g parmesan, to serve

Method

  1. 1Heat the oil in a large pot and gently cook the onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes. Add the garlic for the last minute.
  2. 2Add the potato, courgette and green beans and stir for 2 minutes.
  3. 3Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. 4Add the beans and pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, 8–10 minutes.
  5. 5Stir in the spinach until wilted, season, and serve with basil and parmesan.

Minestrone soup recipe: nutrition per serving

Calories

250 kcal

Protein

11 g · 16%

Carbs

42 g · 64%

Fat

6 g · 20%

One of 6 servings. Estimated from the ingredient weights above and per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy); brands and cooking change the real numbers.

Tips

  • Cut every vegetable to roughly the same size so they cook evenly and fit on a spoon.
  • A spoonful of pesto stirred into each bowl is the Genoese way to finish it.

Swaps and variations

  • Vegan: leave out the parmesan.
  • Gluten-free: use rice or gluten-free pasta.

Storage

Keeps 4 days in the fridge. Freeze without the pasta for up to 3 months.

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Frequently Asked Questions

There is no fixed list. Onion, carrot and celery are the usual base; after that, use seasonal vegetables such as courgette, green beans, cabbage, potatoes, peas or squash.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central records used