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minestrone soup — Mediterranean Diet Hub

minestrone soup

Minestrone soup with beans and fresh vegetables, filling and full of texture, comes together in about 45 minutes. Great for meal prep lunches.
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Total Time 1 hour 1 minute
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 340
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup base
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 unit yellow onion diced
  • 2 unit carrots sliced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
Vegetables and beans
  • 2 cups green beans trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
  • 1 unit zucchini diced
  • 1 can (400g) diced tomatoes with liquid
  • 1 can (400g) white beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (400g) red kidney beans rinsed and drained
  • 2.5 liters vegetable broth
Add-ins
  • 1 cup small pasta ditalini or elbow macaroni, uncooked
  • 1 cup baby spinach roughly chopped
  • 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt more to taste
  • 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
Finishing
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 0.25 cup grated parmesan cheese optional, to serve

Method
 

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion looks translucent and the carrots start softening.
  2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. As soon as you smell the garlic, move to the next step.
  3. Stir in the green beans and zucchini, then pour in the canned tomatoes with their liquid. Add the white beans, kidney beans, and vegetable broth.
  4. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper. Bring everything to a gentle boil.
  5. Once boiling, add the pasta. Lower the heat to keep it at a steady simmer and cook about 10 minutes until the pasta is just tender. Give it a stir once or twice so the pasta doesn't stick at the bottom.
  6. Check the veggies with a fork — they should be soft but not mushy. Add the chopped spinach and cook for another minute. Taste and adjust salt if needed — I start with half the salt and only add more at the end if the broth seems bland.
  7. Turn off the heat. Ladle into bowls, finish each with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top if you like cheese.

Notes

I cook minestrone when I want something that somehow tastes like every vegetable in the crisper did their job. It’s the one soup where leftovers never mean boring.

What actually matters for flavor

Sweat the aromatics until the onions turn glossy and the carrots start softening. Skipping or rushing this step gives thinner, less interesting soup. If you want richer taste, I sometimes add a spoonful of tomato paste with the garlic, letting it brown just a bit.
Salt in stages, not just at the end. I add half of the measured salt with the broth, then taste again just before finishing. Store-bought broth varies wildly in sodium—a soup that tastes flat just needs more salt. Don’t be shy with black pepper here either.
Keep the pasta al dente. It will keep cooking in the hot broth. When reheating, it absorbs liquid, so I often cook the pasta separately and add just before serving—especially if I’m making a batch for the week.

Swaps and when not to improvise

Any canned beans work, but I like one creamy and one firmer—think cannellini plus kidney. Skip fresh green beans if out of season: frozen are fine, just toss them in straight from the bag.
I wouldn’t use whole wheat or chickpea pasta here; both turn mushy quickly. If you want gluten-free, tiny rice or just double the beans for extra body.

Meal prep and leftovers

This minestrone holds up in the fridge about 4 days, and I’ve frozen it many times (but always without pasta). Reheat gently, and add a splash of broth or water if it’s thickened up overnight. A little squeeze of lemon or extra olive oil perks it right back up.