Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe

Closeup on a bowl of Italian minestrone soup, with a slice of bread.

5 from 7 votes

Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe

Italian Minestrone Soup combines an array of veggies, white beans, and orecchiette pasta with a bold tomato broth and a touch of pesto sauce. This flavorful soup will warm your belly and get you coming back for seconds!

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword minestrone soup, minestrone soup with pesto

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 436kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

For the sauteed veggies:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion - diced
3 cloves garlic - minced
3 large carrots - diced
2 medium celery stalks - diced
2 cups cabbage slaw mix - bagged version
1 medium sweet potato - peeled and diced
4 small yellow potatoes - diced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste (season in layers)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder

For the broth and additional ingredients:

30 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes
4 Tablespoons tomato paste
8-10 cups lower-sodium chicken broth - You will need extra broth for leftovers.
15 oz. white beans - cannellini or other white bean, rinsed and drained
1 parmesan rind - optional
2 bay leaves - optional
1/2 cup basil pesto sauce - store-bought or homemade
1 1/4 cup orecchiette pasta - or other small pasta, such as ditalini, orzo, or small elbow
3 cups baby spinach leaves
freshly grated parmesan cheese and extra basil pesto sauce - for serving

Instructions

Saute the veggies:

In a medium to large stock pot, add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, cabbage mix, sweet potatoes, and yellow potatoes. Stir and then add the seasonings - salt and pepper to taste, Italian Seasoning, and onion powder.
2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 large carrots, 2 medium celery stalks, 2 cups cabbage slaw mix, 1 medium sweet potato, 4 small yellow potatoes, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder
Cook for approximately 7-8 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften. Add garlic and stir for a minute.
3 cloves garlic

Add broth ingredients:

Next add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, 6 cups of chicken broth (add more as needed), white beans, the parmesan rind, and the bay leaves. Bring to a bubbling simmer, and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are just fork tender or slightly before.
30 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 4 Tablespoons tomato paste, 8-10 cups lower-sodium chicken broth, 15 oz. white beans, 1 parmesan rind, 2 bay leaves
Then add the pesto sauce and the pasta, and cook until pasta is al dente.
1/2 cup basil pesto sauce, 1 1/4 cup orecchiette pasta
Remove from heat, and add spinach. Stir until wilted. Remove the parmesan rind and the bay leaves.
3 cups baby spinach leaves
Serve the soup with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, extra pesto sauce, and some crusty bread.
freshly grated parmesan cheese and extra basil pesto sauce

Video

Notes

Don't be scared of the long ingredient list. It's mostly just veggies!
Make sure you DICE the potatoes so they don't take too long to cook in the soup.
You will most likely need at least 8 cups of broth, as leftovers usually require a touch more.

I've recently started adding some chicken sausage to this soup and it adds incredible flavor if you want to add extra protein!

Nutrition