Minestrone Soup
on Jan 30, 2023, Updated Aug 29, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This thick vegetable minestrone soup is chock-a-block with good stuff. With some crusty bread, it's hard to think of a more satisfying simple meal.
Chunky and satisfying with loads of veggies in a tomato-kissed broth, this soup hits all of those beautiful minestrone notes. This version of minestrone is gluten-free, featuring potatoes instead pasta. However, this classic Italian soup is very customizable, and you can always add pasta or rice instead.
Nothing about this soup is complicated! Also, this recipe makes a very big pot of minestrone, which is beautiful. You can make it for a crowd, have leftovers all week long, or freeze some of it. Yes, you can also cut this recipe in half for a smaller crowd.
Pair this minestrone soup with a salad with Homemade Italian Dressing. If gluten is not a concern it would be great with Best Garlic Bread Ever or Zucchini Fritti.
Table of Contents
Chunky Minestrone Soup with Potatoes: This thick vegetable soup is chock-a-block with good stuff. With some crusty bread, it’s hard to think of a more satisfying simple meal.
Tweet This
What Is Minestrone?
In Italy, minestrones were and are typically made with what is on hand, so they reflect an area or region. Minestrone is the perfect example of the best kind of peasant food, deliciousness that comes from local ingredients, resourcefulness, and making the most of what is available. Many minestrones include beans and a starch (pasta, rice, or potatoes), setting them apart from other less hearty vegetable soups.
In the North of Italy, minestrones tend to feature white beans and rice; rice is a must in Milanese minestrones. But in the South of Italy, minestrones are usually more tomato-based, redolent with garlic and basil.
And that’s just the beginning — you might find vegetables like pumpkin, kale, cabbage, potatoes, and various legumes in minestrones. The soup also varies with the seasons, even within regions of Italy. Minestrone is a soup designed to make the most of seasonal and local produce, so you should feel free to switch things up!
The name minestrone comes from the Italian word “minestra” which translates to “soup” or “that which is served.” The word minestrone has been used in English since 1871 to describe a thick vegetable soup.
No. Minestrone does not traditionally contain meat, but it could. Minestrone is intended to contain anything that you have on hand and want to cook up, so if that includes meat, then your soup can have meat in it!
Adding a Parmesan rind to soups as they are simmering adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Save the rinds when you grate your fresh Parm or think about asking your favorite cheesemonger to give you one! (Sometimes, they actually sell them at cheese counters.) Remove it when the soup is done.
Minestrone Soup Ingredients
- Olive oil – It’s hard to think of many Italian recipes that don’t start with a base of olive oil!
- Diced pancetta or bacon – This gives the soup a savory, salty, umami base, but you can definitely skip it for a vegetarian or vegan version and add another tablespoon or two of olive oil.
- Diced carrots, celery, and leeks – The mixture of carrots, celery, and onions sautéed as the base of an Italian dish is called “sofrito.” In this case, I used leeks instead of onions, but the concept is the same, and you can use onions if you like!
- Garlic – A hint of minced garlic adds depth of flavor.
- Cabbage and kale – I like napa cabbage and lacinato or dinosaur kale, but any cabbage and kale are fine!
- Potato and zucchini – These vegetables give the soup substance, and the neutrally flavored vegetables soak up all of the seasonings and flavors.
- Tomatoes – You can use either chopped fresh tomatoes or canned, making these a soup for all seasons.
- Broth – I prefer reduced-sodium broths so I can season my soup to taste. Use vegetable broth for a vegan or vegetarian soup.
- Parmesan rind – Optional but adds lots of flavor
- Beans – I like white beans, such as Northern or cannellini. If you happen to cook your own beans, you can use some of the cooking water in place of the broth.
- Fresh herbs – Use a generous hand! This recipe calls for flat-leaf parsley, thyme, and basil. Dried herbs are definitely an option (cut the amounts in half), but fresh makes this soup sing.
Variations
If you want to make your minestrone vegetarian, use vegetable broth, skip the pancetta or bacon, and add another tablespoon or two of olive oil. If you want to keep the minestrone vegan, also skip the Parmesan cheese or use a vegan Parmesan.
How to Make Minestrone
- Sauté the base ingredients: Heat the oil in a large soup or stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta, if using, and sauté until the pancetta is crispy and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the cabbage and kale.
- Simmer the soup: Add the potato, tomatoes, and broth. Simmer until the potatoes are tender and the greens have softened.
- Mash the beans: Place half of the white beans in a bowl, and using a potato masher or a fork, mash the beans into a chunky paste.
- Finish and serve: Add the crushed and whole white beans to the pot along with the zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and serve.
What to Serve With Minestrone
Crusty bread! Gluten-free if you are sticking to a gluten-free menu. You truly don’t need anything else (except maybe a second bowl). But if you want to create a broader Italian meal, think about:
More Vegetable Soup Recipes
- Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
- Simple Vegetable Soup
- Escarole and Spinach Soup
- Asparagus Soup
- Vegan Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced pancetta or bacon (optional)
- 2 cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 leeks (white and light green parts only, washed and diced)
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups slivered cabbage (preferably napa)
- 4 cups chopped washed and chopped kale (thick ribs and stems discarded)
- 1 large potato (peeled and diced, about 1 cup)
- 3 cups seeded and diced ripe tomatoes (or 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice)
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth (preferably less sodium)
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional; see Note)
- 2 cans (15-ounce) white beans (such as Northern or cannellini, rinsed and drained)
- 3 cups diced zucchini
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- Grated Parmesan cheese (to serve; optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup or stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta, if using, and sauté until the pancetta is crispy and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and a very light golden brown. Add the cabbage and kale and stir occasionally for another 5 minutes, until the greens have wilted.
- Add the potato, tomatoes, and broth, and turn the heat to medium-high. If you have an extra Parmesan rind, add it here now. Bring the soup to a simmer and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the greens have softened.
- Place half of the white beans in a bowl, and using a potato mashed or a fork, mash the beans into a chunky paste. Add the crushed and whole white beans to the pot along with the zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Return to a simmer and stir often for another 15 minutes, until the zucchini is tender. Remove the Parmesan rind, if added, stir in the basil and serve.
