Minestrone soup Veg

Minestrone soup packed with vegetables, pasta and some simple ingredients you have in your stock, the whole family will love this for a filling dinner. This easy minestrone soup is vegetarian and uses homemade Vegetable broth. Step by step pictures for easy understanding, perfect for bachelors, teens to try.

This simple one-pot meal is filling enough for dinner, especially with some crusty bread on the side.

Check out my easy Pasta salad and by Bruschetta recipe to go along with this soup.

Jump to:

• About Minestrone soup
• Veg Minestrone soup ingredients
• Step by step pictures
• Top tips
• Storage
• Serving suggestions
• Recipe card

As I have said before, I am not big fan of soups, but I don't hate it. Minestrone soup recipe is always the one I wanted to try for long time.

I have seen this in the menu of Pasta mania, but was not comfortable having it there as I was worried if its pure vegetarian or not.

Otherwise, I love pasta, and sure it would be nice to have pasta in soups. We can add it to our usual tomato soup as well.

It will be nice, but when I saw this authentic minestrone soup recipe in an Italian cook book, I really wanted to try that way.

So tried it according to the ingredients availability and my taste. Minestrone soup is supposed to be made with lots of vegetables along with pasta or rice.

And it's supposed to be one pot meal that fills your tummy.

About Minestrone soup

Vegetable minestrone soup is a hearty Italian soup made with a variety of vegetables, beans, pasta and vegetable broth. The vegetables can vary depending on what you have on hand, making it a good recipe for using up vegetables from the fridge.

Small pasta such as Ditalini, along with beans and vegetables, makes this soup filling enough for a complete meal. You can also add potatoes, zucchini, carrots, green beans, spinach or kale for more variety.

This easy vegetarian minestrone is a simple one-pot soup with a flavorful broth and plenty of texture from the vegetables, alphabet & number pasta and beans.

Veg Minestrone soup ingredients

• Carrot - Adds natural sweetness, colour and a slight crunch
• Potato - For heartiness, helps make the soup more filling
• Beans - texture, fibre and plant based protein
• Celery - For fresh, savoury flavor and sweetness
• Onion - Builds the basic savoury flavour
• Tomato - Adds tanginess, colour and light acidity
• Black eyed peas - Protein, fibre and a bite
• Pasta - For body, filling
• Garlic - Aroma, savoury note
• Vegetable stock - Forms the flavorful base of the soup
• Butter - for richness, smooth, rounded flavour
• Parmesan - Adds a salty, nutty flavour, finishes the soup with richness (Use vegetarian friendly)
• Olive oil - Helps saute the vegetables and adds richness while serving
• Water
• Salt

Check my recipe card for quantities.

Step by step pictures

1. Finely chop garlic, onion and chop other veggies to small cubes. If you are using tinned bean, then drain and use in the recipe. If using dried bean, soak overnight, cook until soft. I pressure cooked for 3 whistles with a pinch of salt. In a large dutch oven/ cooking pot (I used my cooker), heat butter and oil together.

2. Add garlic, onion frying each for a minute in medium flame. After that, add all the vegetables long with diced tomatoes, one by one and frying each for a minute, without changing the colour. Stir in celery and lastly the bean.

3. Add cooked bean and mix well. Pour vegetable stock, bring to boil and simmer in medium heat to cook the vegetables.

4. Once the veggies are cooked (just right, do not over cook) add salt and pasta. Cook until pasta is done and top with water (add water) every now and then if needed or to get desired consistency of the soup. Season generously with pepper.

Serve minestrone warm or hot in a bowl, with olive oil and Parmesan for garnishing. Wholesome!

Top tips

• Don't overcook the vegetables. A little texture makes soup much more enjoyable.
• Cut vegetables into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
• The pasta continues to absorb liquid as the soup sits. If you are reheating leftovers, add a little water or vegetable broth to loosen the soup. Season accordingly.
• Minestrone is great way to use leftover vegetables. Zucchini, carrots, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, yellow squash, kale, spinach can all be mixed and matched depending on what you have.
• You can also change the beans. Cannellini beans or white beans or kidney beans can be used.
• For little spice, add red pepper flakes alon with other seasonings. Oregano, thyme and bay leaf give teh broth a simple Italian-style flavour.

Storage

Minestrone keeps well in refrigerator, though the pasta will continue absorbing the broth as it sits.

Fridge: 3-4 days, Freezer: 3 months

Cool the soup and portion it into freezer safe containers and freeze. To reheat, leave it overnight in fridge and then reheat gently on the stove top. Add water or broth as needed.

You can also freeze the soup without pasta and cook pasta freshly while serving.

Serving suggestions

Serve minestrone hot with crusty bread. For simple finish, sprinkle some fresh parsley and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (vegetarian friendly) along with a drizzle of olive oil.

Recipe card