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 version 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 this is the recipe for you!
It’s no secret we love soup around here. We’ve got over 25 Healthy Soup Recipes from Healthy Italian Wedding Soup to Healthy Potato Soup. It was time we finally added this quick and easy minestrone soup to the blog too!
Why we love minestrone soup:
We love 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 recipe 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)
We’ve been using Thrive Market for almost two years now and have absolutely loved it. We’ve relied on it heavily this year as we have been avoiding in person grocery shopping as much as we can. You’ll love Thrive Market if:
- You want to avoid going to the store (super convenient!)
- Live far away from speciality grocers/Whole Foods
- Cook with/buy a lot of pantry goods (think dressings, sauces, canned goods, etc)
- Want to eat organic but hate the crazy prices
- Want to save some $$ but aren’t willing to go crazy watching sales or going to multiple stores.
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Quick Minestrone Soup Ingredients:
To make minestrone soup you’ll need some veggies and pantry staples. We love to stock our pantry with items from Thrive Market. We love their olive oil, pastas, dried spices and beans!
You’ll need olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cooked kidney beans, tomato sauce, pasta, vegetable stock, water and spices. For spices I used bay leaves, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt. You’ll also need some chopped spinach to stir in at the end!
How to make Vegetarian Minestrone Soup:
Making minestrone soup is so easy. That’s why this is called ‘Easy Minestrone Soup’!
First heat your olive oil in the pan. Sauté onions, garlic, celery and carrots until they’re soft.
Add in broth, tomatoes, 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 beans and spinach.
Serve & enjoy!
Time Saving Tips for Quick Minestrone Soup
This easy minestrone soup 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 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 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! 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 favorite, 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, canellini 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 stock, beef broth or bone broth for the liquid in this recipe!
WW Freestyle Note: Save 1.5SP per serving by spraying olive oil instead of pouring it into the pan. The points calculated for this recipe are for the blue plan. The only ingredients that have points are the pasta + the olive oil. The olive oil is 6SP for the whole pot, and pasta is 20SP for the whole pot. Depending on the broth/stock you use it could also add more points. We always recommend adding the recipe to your app.
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
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.
Oil: Avocado oil or vegetable oil can be used in place of olive oil.
Parmesan Cheese Rind: Parmesan cheese rinds are optional but highly recommended as they add 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!
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 – I would warn against using pastas with lower cook times than those two because that could result in over cooking. Similarly a thicker one requiring more time would undercook. Stick to pastas that cook in the 7-9 minute range for this one!
Other healthy soup recipes:
We love soup recipes and have rounded up 25 Healthy Soup Recipes. We also have a free Healthy Soup Ebook you can download here!
- Paleo Butternut Squash Soup
- Healthy Lemon Chicken Soup
- Vegan Pasta Fagioli
- Whole30 Italian Wedding Soup
- Healthy Beef Barley Soup
Don’t forget – Thrive Market is still giving away a free gift when you join. Click here to try out Thrive Market!
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 pasta, spices, water and broth. Pour the tomatoes on top. Do not stir it.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and do a quick release. Stir in cooked beans, raw spinach 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, water and raw pasta. Stir and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- When ready to serve, stir in cooked beans and raw spinach.
