Minestrone Soup
This easy Minestrone Soup recipe can be made on the stove top or in the crock pot! The ingredients are simple and healthy with the best combination of flavors!
Be sure to pair this with my No Knead Bread and Olive Oil Bread Dip!
Minestrone Soup
This amazing Minestrone Soup recipe is an Italian classic with a ton of amazing flavor! My favorite part is how versatile it is, the vegetable combinations are truly endless!
The combination of seasonings is perfect, and the broth has so much flavor. Add a rind of Parmesan cheese to the soup while it simmers to level up the flavor even more!
This method also ensures that the pasta is perfectly al dente, and that the broth is plentiful. That is a must! Be sure to check out my PRO TIPS below!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Soften onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil. Add garlic, seasonings, and tomato paste, followed by diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add kidney and cannellini beans, zucchini, and green beans. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Boil pasta separately and add directly to serving bowls (or add to the soup pot if you don’t anticipate leftovers). Remove the bay leaf and serve with Parmesan cheese!
Crock Pot Method: See the notes section of the recipe card for the crock pot method!
Pro Tips
- Cooking the Pasta: Cook the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. This is crucial. Otherwise, the pasta becomes mushy and absorbs all of the broth (especially as it continues to sit in it). Al dente pasta with plentiful broth is key in a good minestrone!
- Flavor Enhancers: The Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers that can’t be tasted outright. Together, these ingredients round out the flavor profile for the best result!
- Rinsing the Beans:You’ll want to drain the beans, but rinsing them is optional. Doing so will reduce the amount of sodium that gets carried into the dish. I drain them and transfer to a paper towel lined plate until ready to use.
- Parmesan:I serve this soup with freshly grated Belgioioso Parmesan cheese on the side. If at all possible, add the rind from the cheese to the soup while it simmers for even more delicious flavor!
- Pasta: Ditalini is commonly used in minestrone soup. Other options include macaroni or small/medium shells.
- Vegetable add-ons include corn/baby corn, peas, edamame beans, mushrooms, squash, potatoes, spinach, kale, and more!
- 📘 Find this recipe on page 42 of my 2nd cookbook, Let’s Eat!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- This soup freezes very well, but be sure to leave out the pasta and boil fresh pasta for serving!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4.5 Quart Dutch Oven– The perfect size for almost any soup recipe.
- Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth/bouillon in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– For measuring seasonings, etc. ahead of time.
- Soup Ladle
- 16 oz. storage containers I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
Try These Next
- Lemon Chicken Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Pinto Bean Soup
- Baked Ravioli
- Chicken Meatball Soup
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ¾ cup carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cups chicken broth, can sub vegetable broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 15 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, I use Frank’s hot sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 15 oz. red kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
- 1 ½ cups zucchini, diced. About 8 oz.
- 1 cup green beans, fresh or frozen
- 3/4 cup ditalini pasta, see notes
- Salt/pepper
- Parmesan Cheese, grated. For serving.
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon EACH: Dried parsley, oregano, basil, mustard powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large (4.5 quart) soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, bouillon, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add the red/white beans, zucchini, and green beans.
- Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. After simmering, taste and season with salt/pepper if desired.
- Meanwhile, boil water for the pasta. Once a boil is reached, stir in ½ tbsp. salt. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to serving bowls.
- Remove the bay leaf. Ladle the soup over the pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Cooking the Pasta: Cook the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. This is crucial. Otherwise, the pasta becomes mushy and absorbs all of the broth (especially as it continues to sit in it). Al dente pasta with plentiful broth is key in a good minestrone!
- Flavor Enhancers: The Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers that can't be tasted outright. Together, these ingredients round out the flavor profile for the best result!
- Rinsing the Beans: You’ll want to drain the beans, but rinsing them is optional. Doing so will reduce the amount of sodium that gets carried into the dish. I drain them and transfer to a paper towel lined plate until ready to use.
- Parmesan: I serve this soup with freshly grated Belgioioso Parmesan cheese on the side. If at all possible, add the rind from the cheese to the soup while it simmers for even more delicious flavor!
- Pasta: Ditalini is commonly used in minestrone soup. Other options include macaroni or small/medium shells.
- Vegetable add-ons include corn/baby corn, peas, edamame beans, mushrooms, squash, potatoes, spinach, kale, and more!
- 📘 Find this recipe on page 42 of my 2nd cookbook, Let’s Eat!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- This soup freezes very well, but be sure to leave out the pasta and boil fresh pasta for serving!
Crock Pot Method
- Add everything to the crock pot except for the beans and zucchini.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours.
- Add the beans and zucchini and cook for 20 more minutes.
- Boil pasta until al dente and add to serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top and serve with Parmesan cheese!
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per cup. This recipe makes approximately 16 cups.
For an old guy who doesn’t cook much and doesn’t eat all that well, this was easy to make and very very good. And healthy!!
Nice work Dave! It’s definitely a good nutritious meal but still comforting, that’s what I love about it. Thanks so much for the review!❤️
Very yummy!
Yayyy! Thanks so much Samantha!🩷
I made this today for the fussy, non-vegetable loving people in my family and they LOVED it! My husband is on a low sodium diet so I used low sodium or no salt added products where I could and didn’t add salt. It really didn’t need any because it is packed with flavor!
That’s excellent news Doreen! I am so happy to hear that and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, you’re the BEST!! 🙂 -Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, girl, you did it again! You got to stop dropping theses BOMB 💣 recipes! I made this last week and added corn. My husband and loved it. I shared it with some friends and they are still raving about how delicious it was. I came home from work today and started another pot of this bomb dropping Minestrone Soup! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Brenda!! I am PSYCHED that the minestrone soup was a hit!! I really can’t tell you enough happy that makes me and how much I appreciate your review, THANK YOU!!! -Stephanie 🙂
I made this tonight it was so yummy! One thing I love about your recipes is the flavors in them without extra salt! Thank you! ❤️
You’re very welcome Pam! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💗
Really good! We loved it. At this point we may just stick with Cozy Cook recipes. Thanks again, Stephanie!
I’m so happy you guys liked the soup! I really like your plan, won’t argue with that 😄. Thanks so much for your support Betty💖
Another win for Monday night dinner! “Killer soup” “Sooo good” direct quotes from family tonight! Hearty and delicious soup, can’t beat the Cozy Cook recipes!
Wow I love those quotes Peg! It really is the best feeling when the family says great things like that. Thanks so much for taking the time to share that!💖
So delicious and easy to make. I used some other white beans what i got here in the stores and added a little bit more carrots and used only crushed tomatoes. It was very good.
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Loved the flavor profile and the fresh vegetables. I used fresh basil and tomatoes from my garden that I crushed it was all perfect. It’s really freezer ready. Thanks Stephanie
You’re very welcome Karen, I’m so happy you enjoyed it with fresh vegetables, you can’t beat fresh! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
My family loved this recipe. I made it for them last night and we finished the pot today for lunch. I like that it is full of nutrition but also so tasty! My kids ate it with french bread to dip. Next time I might try your No Knead bread to with it! I love nourishing soups. Thank you so much!
I’m so happy your family has been enjoying this one Courtney! It’s my new obsession, I’ve made it 3 times in the past week. Serving with fresh bread is the best, I can’t wait for you to try my No Knead Bread. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖