Classic Italian Minestrone Soup

Classic Italian Minestrone Soup is a traditional soup that every family in Italy makes differently, but the common ingredients are different vegetables, beans and sometimes pasta. This is the recipe you need when you want a comforting meal that will leave you nourished and satisfied.

Minestrone is one of those light yet hearty recipe that is the perfect example of cucina povera, where you use humble ingredients that will nourishes your body and soul.

I usually cook minestrone soup in large batches and freeze individual portions to eat when I need a food that reminds of home the most. This authentic Italian minestrone soup and I must confess that I learned the secret of a good minestrone from my nonna El sa Elsa ( nonna in Italian means grandmother). My grandma lived until the age of 96 and probably eating minestrone twice a week has been her secret for longevity. 

The main ingredients in my grandmother’s minestrone are onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, zucchini, beans and sometimes some rice or small pasta. When I was a kid, I spent part of the summer at my grandparents’ house. Making minestrone – from boiling it to freezing it for the winter months – was an all-day process. Although minestrone was not my favorite, I always enjoyed making the soup and spending time with them.

Why you will love this recipe

– This is a classic Minestrone soup great all time of year and easy customizable with different seasonal vegetables.

– It a light yet hearty meal that everyone in the family will love, especially if you serve it with a crusty focaccia bread.

– This traditional Minestrone soup recipe is a vegetarian and gluten-free to suit all the dietary needs.R emoving Parmesan will make it vegan and adding pasta will make it not suitable for those of you who are celiac or gluten-intolerant.

Classic Italian Minestrone Soup Ingredients and Variations

The secret for a delicious soup recipe is the combination of simple ingredients:

Carrots, Celery and Onions: this combo is what we use to make soffritto, the base for many Italian recipes. Soffritto, which consists of 2 part of chopped onions, 1 part of chopped celery and 1 part of chopped carrots adds a flavorsome and deep taste to this recipe.

Garlic: add some minced garlic for more flavor.

Extra Virgin Olive oil: use good quality olive oil to make this soup and to drizzle it when you serve it.

Parmesan Cheese: grated Parmigiano Reggiano sprinkled on top is great. I also love to add a crust of Parmigiano cheese rind to give more depth to the broth.

Canned Crushed Tomatoes: you can use a good quality canned diced tomatoes. I usually love using Mutti products as their tomato sauce is less acid and in my family it is has been a staple ingredients for generations.

Mixed Fresh Vegetables: you will have to cut them in cubes, while this is a lengthy process, it is also part of the tradition. In Italy usually more than one family members helps in the process and it is a get together moment. The vegetables in this recipe are:

–Potatoes: Russet or Idaho potatoes works best.

–Carrots: cubed carrots add some colors.

–Sweet Potatoes: they add a delicious sweet taste to the dish.

–Zucchini: they add the green color and they are light.

–Spinach it is great to complement the ingredients.

–Beans: I use borlotti beans, the classic Italian bean type for this soup, but you can use pinto beans, red kidney beans or cannellini beans.

–Fresh Herbs: I love using some basil, harder to find in the winter, you can sub it with Parsley. I also add a bay leaf while I am cooking the soup, as it adds more depth and flavor.

Seasonal Vegetables options for Minestrone Soup:

You can vary your colorful mix of vegetables according to the season.

Fall: use pumpkin instead of carrots. Add kale instead of spinach. You can still use zucchini and consider also broccoli florets.

Winter: use Parsnip or Turnip instead of carrots. Use pumpkin instead of potatoes. Use chard, spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli.

Spring: add peas, asparagus, green breans, baby spinach, keep on using potatoes.

Summer: tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, green breans.

Other Variations:

Add Pasta: the addition of pasta is very common to make this soup more filling. Small pasta shape is best. Use ditalini pasta, which means “little thumbs”. Ditalini they are best in soup as they will keep al dente. Other godd shapes are small shell or little macaroni. My nonna was using rice, especially in the last few years, she was adding it while warming up the soup on the stove.

Use Garlic: when making the soffritto, you can also add some garlic if you like.

How to make Minestrone Soup

Start by dicing onions, potatoes, celery in small pieces. Add 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a large soup pot or dutch oven. When the oil shimmers add the soffritto and let it cook at low temperature until the onions become translucent.

In the meantime, prepare potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots, they are the longest vegetable to cook and you will have to start from them to avoid the rest of the veggies to become mushy. Add them to the pot along with 6 cups of vegetable broth and some bay leave. Add the canned crushed tomatoes and a Parmesan rind if you would like. Bring it to boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. In this time chop the zucchini, add them to the soup and add the cannellini beans as well. Cook for other 10 minutes, add the spinach and let it cook until it wilt. Serve it warm along with some crusty bread.

More delicious soup recipes for you

Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta with Beans)

Quick and Easy Cabbage Soup

Easy Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

Roasted Butternut squash soup

Green Detox Spring Soup

How to serve Classic Italian Minestrone Soup

This soup is a great warming meal in the winter season, and it is wonderful as a refreshing soup in the warmer months as well. Serve it with Italian Foccacia, that you can dunk in.

To complete your meal consider making a side salad such as Winter Cabbage Apple Slaw, or a seasonal Beet, Orange, Fennel Salad. You will never go wrong by serving a classic Italian Green Salad. If you want Leek fritters will be great served as appetizer.

How to store Classic Italian Minestrone Soup

Refrigerator: Leftover soup tastes even better the next day: store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Freezer: Minestrone soup makes a freezer-friendly recipe- except for the pasta! Pasta doesn’t freeze well as it gets mushy when thawed and reheated. Freeze without adding the pasta and cook the pasta separetely and then add the cooked pasta directly to the reheated soup and serve it.

If you try this recipe and you liked it, please leave a star review below! I would love to connect with you through my recipe and I will be very appreciative of your comments! If you make this recipe make sure to tag me on Ins

If you try this recipe and you liked it, please leave a star review below! I would love to connect with you through my recipe and I will be very appreciative of your comments! If you make this recipe make sure to tag me on Instagram  @Italian_kitchen_confessions.  To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.