Easy Minestrone Soup is the perfect cozy, healthy dinner! Vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan – it’s delicious and done in under 30 minutes! Make it in your crockpot, instant pot or on the stove – this hearty soup is one you’ll absolutely love! This post is sponsored by our friends at Thrive Market.
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Minestrone soup is a classic recipe we absolutely love. Our best minestrone soup recipe is veggie loaded, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free. It’s easy to make in your crockpot or instant pot but it only takes 30 minutes on the stove!
If you’re looking for a quick cozy dinner – this is the recipe for you!
It’s no secret we love soup around here. We’ve got over 35+ Healthy Soup Recipes from Healthy Italian Wedding Soup to Healthy Potato Soup to Healthy Vegetable Soup. It was time we finally added this quick and easy minestrone soup to the blog too!
Why we love minestrone soup:
We love classic minestrone soup because it’s so delicious – but it’s also great for other reasons.. here’s why we love it so much:
- Easy to make: This best minestrone soup is done in under 30 minutes. Other than chopping some veggies, it requires little to no effort!
- Loaded with veggies: We love sneaking veggies in soup (like this Healthy Broccoli Soup or Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup)
- Budget friendly: This recipe is made with basic affordable ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry/fridge. We always have our pantry stocked with Thrive Market goods!
You have probably heard me talk about Thrive Market before… it’s my favorite online grocery retailer and the prices are awesome! (You can read more in my Thrive Market Review)
Thrive Market does have a membership fee.. but in our opinion, it’s totally worth it! Now is the perfect time to sign up because you get a free gift and 30% off your first order!
Quick Minestrone Soup Ingredients:
To make minestrone soup you’ll need some veggies and pantry staples.
- olive oil
- onion, garlic, carrots, celery
- cooked kidney beans
- tomato sauce
- pasta
- vegetable stock
- water
- spices: bay leaves, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt.
- chopped baby spinach
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
How to make Vegetarian Minestrone Soup:
Making minestrone vegetable soup is so easy. That’s why this is called ‘Easy Minestrone Soup’!
- Heat your olive oil in the pan. Sauté onions, garlic, celery, and carrots until they’re soft.
- Add in broth, tomato sauce, and spices. Bring to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, stir in pasta.
- Cook the pasta until it’s just al dente – make sure not to overcook the pasta! It will continue to cook a bit after you shut the heat off.
- Stir in your kidney beans and spinach.
- Serve & enjoy!
Time Saving Tips for Quick Minestrone Soup
This easy minestrone soup recipe is pretty easy to make, but if you’re looking for some time saving tips – these can help you cut down on your kitchen time.
Cut your veggies ahead of time -You can keep them in the fridge for 24 hours so all you need to do is cook! I also use my food processor to make chopping carrots, onions + garlic SO quick.
Use canned beans- I try to find ones that are low sodium and always rinse/drain them. The cooked kidney beans from Thrive Market are our favorite!
If using dried beans, make sure to cook them ahead of time. Store in a container in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook
Substitutions for this healthy minestrone soup:
There are so many ways to customize this healthy minestrone soup recipe and adjust it depending on what you have in your pantry/fridge… Here are a few.
Adding meat: If you’re not vegan, you can sauté bacon or pancetta when sautéing your veggies.. It does add flavor, but I honestly prefer it without. Additionally – you can add cooked ground turkey or ground beef to this soup and it would be delicious! Italian sausage would also add flavor! You could also add a parmesan cheese rind to the soup as it cooks, but that is not necessary.
Pasta: You can use any small pasta. Elbows or ‘macaroni’ are my favorites, but ditalini also work, and I’ve even seen people use broken spaghetti!
Beans: I usually use cooked kidney beans to save time. You could also cook your own, or sub with navy beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans. Feel free to double the amount of beans for extra protein in this recipe!
Broth: If not vegan, you can use chicken broth, beef broth, or bone broth for the liquid in this recipe! We prefer vegetable broth.
Low Sodium: If you’re watching your salt intake – omit the salt from the recipe or add it at the end to taste. Also, make sure to check your canned beans/broth. Look for low or no salt added beans/broth.
Fresh Herbs: Substitute 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs for 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
Dried Beans: If you’d like to use dried beans in this recipe, cook them before adding them to the soup. You’ll need about 1.5 cups cooked beans. You can use any beans in this recipe: white beans or cannellini beans would make a great substitute
Veggies: Some minestrone soup recipes add chopped zucchini – I prefer to omit this because I think it gets too mushy, but you can add it if you like it. Feel free to also add more carrots/celery if you want to up the veggies! Some people also like to add small pieces of chopped potatoes – you can add them in when you’re sautéing carrots/celery/onion. Green beans are also a traditional vegetable in minestrone, feel free to add them
Oil: Avocado oil or vegetable oil can be used in place of olive oil.
Parmesan Cheese Rind: A parmesan rind is optional but highly recommended as it adds a ton of flavor. You can find them at most specialty grocers near the cheese section. If you are vegan/dairy free- omit this from the recipe.
Storing + Serving Healthy Minestrone Soup
As the soup sits, the pasta will absorb the broth/liquid and become thicker. Don’t worry! Just add more broth when you’re ready to eat your leftovers.
Minestrone soup is best served with a big piece of crusty bread, and lots of parmesan cheese! If you’re vegan, feel free to add nutritional yeast.
Fresh basil and cracked black pepper also add a lot of flavor!
Reheating: This soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat it in the crockpot, microwave or on the stove. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid overnight so you can just add some broth when reheating or enjoy it thicker
Freezing: You can freeze this soup, but it isn’t as good once it has been frozen. The pasta can get a little mushy – but it’s still totally edible! We like these containers for freezing.
We have a whole post on the best way to freeze soup!
Can you make this Vegan Minestrone Soup in the crockpot?
Yes, you can make minestrone in the crockpot – but I would really recommend making it on the stovetop. It’s super quick!
I’ve included crockpot instructions for this soup below. It’s important to note that you don’t add the beans/spinach to the crockpot until you’re ready to eat the soup. If you let them cook in the soup they will turn to mush!
Can you make Instant Pot Minestrone Soup?
Yes you can! See below for instructions. Here are some tips for making minestrone soup in your instant pot.
Be aware of the order of the ingredients. Tomato sauces tend to trigger a burn warning in the instant pot.
This was tested with regular macaroni. I would highly recommend a short cut like ditalini or elbows.
Very important note on the pasta – every pasta is different and cooks differently. I would warn against using pastas with lower cook times than 5 minutes. My recommendation is to set your instant pot to 1/4 the amount of time it needs to cook. If the pasta says it needs 10 minutes to cook, let it cook for 2-3 minutes. If the past says it needs 8 minutes, set it to 2 minutes, etc. Alternatively you can also cook the pasta totally separate too avoid it from getting over cooked.
Other healthy soup recipes:
We love soup recipes and have rounded up 35 Healthy Soup Recipes. We also have a free Healthy Soup Ebook you can download here!
Don’t forget – Thrive Market is still giving away a free gift and 30% off when you join. Click here to try out Thrive Market!
Looking for other healthy crockpot recipes? Check out these Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes!
Easy Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion minced
- 1 tablespoons garlic minced – approx 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup carrots minced
- 1 cup celery minced
- 10 oz cooked kidney beans rinsed/drained if using canned
- 28 oz canned tomato sauce
- 1 large bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional omit if you don't like spice or add to taste at end
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional – omit if using store bought stock with salt
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 8 oz small pasta about 2 cups dry pasta, gluten free if necessary. Elbows, Ditalini, Orzo all work.
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind optional
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic, carrots and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes until translucent.
- While vegetables are cooking, drain + rinse beans.
- Add tomato sauce, spices, stock and water to the pot, bring to a boil. If you’re using a parmesan cheese rind, add it now.
- Once soup is boiling, add raw pasta. Cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, about 7-8 minutes (depending on pasta directions). Do NOT overcook the pasta, because it will continue to cook slightly after you take it off the heat
- Once pasta is cooked, stir in cooked beans and raw spinach. Serve + enjoy!
- Notes: the pasta will absorb a significant amount of the liquid. Add more broth if you like a thinner soup
Instant Pot Instructions
- Sauté onion, carrot, celery and garlic on regular sauté for about 2 minutes.
- While vegetables are cooking, drain + rinse beans.
- Add in the spices, water and broth. Pour the tomato sauce on top. Do not stir it.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes and do a quick release.
- While soup cooks, boil a separate pot of water and cook your pasta. Do not cook your pasta In the instant pot with everything else, it will over cook.
- Once pressure has been released, stir in cooked beans, raw spinach, pasta and serve!
Crockpot Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic, celery and carrots in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add to crockpot base.
- While vegetables are cooking, drain + rinse beans.
- Add tomato sauce, spices, stock and water. Stir and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- 10 minutes before serving, stir in raw pasta. Cover and set to high. Your pasta may need 5-10 more minutes depending on cook time.
- When ready to serve, stir in cooked beans and raw spinach.
Lauren says
This soup recipe is incredible and was so easy to make on the stove. I even happened to have a block of parm so I was able to add some rind which I think really elevated the flavor. I accidentally doubled the pasta…but I’m not mad about it! This will be our go-to soup for Fall and Winter. Thanks Liz and Tyler!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Lauren! Thank you so much!
Nikki says
I was really excited to try this recipe! I am all about easy and on hand ingredients and this was both! It was so delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you enjoyed it, Nikki. Thank you so much!
Kim says
SO delish. Easy to make (I made on the stovetop). I already had all the ingredients on hand! Had it thick and also added water to make more soupy. Great both ways!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Kim! Glad you liked it!
Krissy Carter says
I just recently found your website and I have already made an ongoing list of recipes I plan on trying! This minestrone was the perfect dinner for my husband and I. We made it in the instant pot and had no problems at all. The recipe made plenty of leftovers so it’s perfect for meal prepping. Thanks for the awesome recipe. Looking forward to trying more!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Krissy! So glad you enjoyed the soup! If you’re looking for another soup to try check out this pot pie
Brit says
How did it reheat? I’m looking at using this for lunches for a week. Will everything be mush by day 4? lol
The Clean Eating Couple says
I think by day 4 the pasta might be a little bit soggy, but if you want to – cook your pasta separate and add it in the day you want to enjoy it. that way it wont be soggy!
Hannah Valenzuela says
This soup was delicious and so easy to make! Another great recipe to add to the lineup! Thanks for another great recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Hannah! Thank you!!
Michelle Price says
I really enjoyed this recipe!! So good!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Michelle! So glad to hear it!
Corinne says
So easy and so good! This will definitely be added into my meal rotation 🙂
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yay! Love hearing that! Thanks Corinne 🙂
Joyell says
This is a great soup! I added ground beef and used gluten free noodles. I also omitted the cheese to keep it dairy free. It’s delicious. I froze it in portions for lunches and it thawed really well. I will definitely make this again and again.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Awesome! Love those substitutions! Thanks Joyell 🙂
Katie says
This was so easy and delicious! My entire family enjoyed it, even with no meat which surprised me! I will definitely be making this throughout the winter!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad they all liked it, Katie! You could totally add cooked ground beef or even shredded chicken to it if they prefer meals with meat 🙂
Brynna says
Was not expecting to love this soup as much as I did! I usually prefer creamier soups but this minestrone has so much flavor! Will definitely make this again and again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Brynna! Glad you enjoyed the soup!!
Ervis says
Absolutely mazing. this is a must try and must eat especially now that is cold.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Ervis!
Meghan O’Halloran says
This soup is delicious! Hearty but not heavy, it’s perfect for the fall/ winter season. I made it in the crockpot and it turned out great. Thank you so much!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you enjoyed the soup! It’s one of my favorites for the fall/winter 🙂
Sara says
Made this tonight and it was delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy to hear you liked it, Sara! Thank you!!
Courtney says
Made this tonight and added lean ground beef and the Parmesan rind. OMG SO DELICIOUS. Thank you so much for making delicious recipes that don’t take a million specialty ingredients 🙂
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Courtney! Thank you so much!
Jordan says
Plan on making your soup tonight. When would you suggest adding meat? Assuming cook first and then add it.
The Clean Eating Couple says
If you’re using ground meat brown it in the pot before adding your veggies. If you’re using chicken you can add it when you add the broth.
Mandy says
Took me two times to perfect this one but it was worth it! 6 cups of liquid being added is intimidating for sure but trust Liz, it absolutely needs it! I even found my self adding a little more broth / water when reheating so that the noodles didn’t soak everything up. Great soup for the colder days, tastes just like how my Grandma used to make hers. Also freezes well but as mentioned above the pasta does get a little mushy, next time going to make without pasta to freeze then cook the pasta to add when reheating. Great heathy option to have on hand for quick meals on chilly days!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much!! It’s always tough to try to get the right pasta/liquid ratio but I’m so glad you liked it!
Elissa says
This is a great, filling soup. So easy to make. It’s a great meal that comes together quick, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand now! The flavor is amazing. I followed the recipe exactly, used elbow noodles and it was perfect. I highly recommend giving this soup a try.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Elissa!
Dianna says
We have been trying new recipes and this one is delicious 😋 thanks for sharing.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you like it!
Liz kane says
So good and so easy! I did add 1 extra cup of broth and I used banza chickpea pasta. and it turned out great!
Carrie says
Really great soup recipe! I’ve made it a few times and each time it’s been so good, I like to add in some ground turkey too. Super easy to make which is right up my alley!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Carrie. Thank you!
Toni says
We really loved this hearty soup. I’m not a beef eater but I browned up some ground beef – Butcher Box of course! I added that to my husbands soup and had mine without. Cooked it on the stove, it was quick and delicious.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Toni! Thank you!
Elizabeth Taylor says
This turned out SO delicious!! I made a few adjustments to the recipe (added ground turkey and a can of white beans). So so good and will definitely be making again. Perfect for the colder weather!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it! I love to add turkey to mine!
Laura C says
The perfect soup for a cold winter day! We added brown rice / quinoa noodles and some ground turkey, and it was very filling.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!
Alissa says
I made this for ladies Bunco night and received so many compliments. Delicious! I made as a crock pot meal and it was super easy! Thank you for a great recipe!
Erin says
This soup was super easy to make and delicious! It was simple but full of flavor ! Can’t wait to eat leftovers throughout the week
Toni says
This was Christmas Eve dinner and a hit. Made one pot with beef and one with ground turkey. Added a Caesar salad and some sourdough focaccia.
Liz says
Love this recipe! When I have some veggies ready to expire that I haven’t eaten I throw in my food processor to mince . So easy to make , so tasty and I use my souper cubes to freeze for future meals .
Taylor says
This recipe was so easy to make and the soup is delicious! Minimal ingredients and done very quick. Even my toddler kept asking for more! I will definitely be making this soup again!
Linda says
I’m confused. Ingredient list says tomato sauce. Instructions say add tomatoes. Which is it?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m not sure where the confusion is. The recipe calls for tomato sauce and says to add it! There are no whole tomatoes in this recipe, just tomato sauce 🙂
Gayle says
This soup was really good! The only ingredient I didn’t have was spinach. Added a bit of frozen corn as well. Used ground chicken for the meat component. The only thing was it absorbed SO MUCH stock. I didn’t even put in the full 2 cups of pasta. I added atleast 2 more cups. I wish I had of in the beginning as I put in Parmesan rinds which added nice flavour but only to part of the stock. All-in-all a good soup;)
Dave says
I am looking for a good recipe to cook for my vegan friends and this looks like a keeper. I totally plan to use it but I have a question. Why add 2 cups of water to the broth rather than just use 6 cups of veggie broth?
The Clean Eating Couple says
The water dilutes the tomatoes. You could use veggie broth if you want