It’s starting to get cool here in the Midwest so it’s time to break out all the soup recipes. Minestrone soup is a hearty vegetable tomato soup made with celery, carrots, onions, and sometimes squash. This recipe uses pasta instead of rice and is chock full of vegetables. It’s super easy to make it at home so skip going out to Olive Garden!
This recipe was recently updated with new pictures on 9/30/2020. It also includes new recipe tips and tricks to help you get the best minestrone soup recipe. I got this recipe from Ina Garten and lightened it up to make more WW friendly.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
How to Reheat: The soup will thicken in the fridge as it sets, so when reheating be sure to add a little extra broth or water to the soup.
Bring the soup to a gentle simmer on a stovetop. All you’re doing here is letting the soup heat up again.
Can this soup be frozen? Store in airtight containers in individual servings or in a ziplock freezer bag. Make sure to let out all the air for it gets closed.
What to serve with Minestrone Soup?
This soup is hearty and filling on it it’s own but it would be great with a side such as Ceasar salad and some breadsticks. I do not have a caesar salad recipe on this blog yet but the salad kits at the store are a great option for this.
Serve with a fresh baguette or make your own garlic bread. Check out my recipe for Air Fryer Garlic Bread.
How to make Minestrone Soup
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Discard the bay leaf.
Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick but if it's too thick, I add more chicken stock. Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach, and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad). Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Serve large shallow bowls of soup with a bruschetta on top. Sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot. Garlic Bruschetta: 1 French baguette Good olive oil 1 clove garlic, cut in half lengthwise Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the baguette at a 45 degree angle in ½-inch-thick slices.
Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.
Makes 8 servings, Serving size 1 cup
Other Recipes to Try
If you’ve tried this Winter Minestrone Soup or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. Snap a picture and upload it to share on Pinterest or Instagram! Make sure to tag me in the photo.
Winter Minestrone Soup
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pancetta, ½-inch-diced
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
- 2 cups carrots
- 2 cups celery
- 2 ½ cups (½-inch-diced) peeled butternut squash
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 (26-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 6 to 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 1 bay leaf Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 oz cooked small pasta, such as tubetti
- 8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup good dry white wine
- Toppings: parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1 French baguette
- Good olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, cut in half lengthwise
Instructions
- Add the pancetta to a Dutch Oven and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Discard the bay leaf.
- Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick but if it's too thick, I add more chicken stock. Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach, and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad). Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste. Serve large shallow bowls of soup with a bruschetta on top. Sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot. Garlic Bruschetta: 1 French baguette Good olive oil 1 clove garlic, cut in half lengthwise Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the baguette at a 45 degree angle in ½-inch-thick slices.
- Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.
- Makes 8 servings, Serving size 1 cup
Notes
myWW points: Blue 3; Green 3; Purple 3
serving size: 1 cup (does not include baguette)
- Category: Easy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 352
- Sugar: 11.2g
- Fat: 8.7g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7g
- Carbohydrates: 54.4g
- Fiber: 8.7g
- Protein: 16.5g
Keywords: minestrone soup
Willian says
Great soup. I followed your recipe. After a short while I had a wonderful meal. This formula works really well. Thank you for your useful article. Amazing food.
★★★★★
Lola Osinkolu | Chef Lola's Kitchen says
This looks like a perfect comfort food!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Thanks Chelle!
Chelle Thompson says
Delicious Soup. This is the best soup I have ever eaten. Great and tasty. Your recipe is easy to understand and follow. I follow your recipe and the result is a delicious and nutritious soup. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★