This authentic Italian Minestrone soup recipe is a quick and easy way to create a traditional Italian vegetable soup. By adding pasta to your classic Italian soup recipe, you will have a hearty comfort food dish. The concept is to make a classic minestrone soup from leftover vegetables. This hearty soup has many variations of ingredients. The best can be made with fresh seasonal vegetables. Known as “minestra” in Italian is one of the oldest soup recipes.
Authentic Italian Minestrone soup recipe Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Extra virgin Olive oil
1 Medium-sized Yellow Onion (chopped)
3 Stalks of Celery
3 medium-sized carrots
4 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (squash, zucchini, fresh green beans, butternut squash, and peas) are all good options
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
32 ounces of vegetable broth
Half a teaspoon of Thyme
Half a teaspoon of Oregano (dried herbs are ok, but fresh herbs are best)
Grated cheese for topping when serving (optional)
3/4 cup of your favorite small pasta (ditalini is my favorite) or small shells
Minestrone soup Directions:
- Start your Authentic Italian Minestrone soup recipe with a large Dutch oven or large pot. On Med-low heat 4 Tablespoons of Olive oil, when the oil is hot add the 4 cloves of fresh minced garlic, 1 chopped medium-sized onion, and 3 chopped celery stalks. Saute until the vegetables are soft and translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Next lets add the 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes and 32 ounces of vegetable broth. Increase the heat to high, and bring it to a gentle boil. Next, add half a teaspoon of Thyme and half a teaspoon of Oregano.
- At this time, you can begin heating a pot of salted water to cook your pasta. I recommend against cooking the pasta in the soup, as it doesn’t store well in liquid and can become soft and mushy. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. The best Minestrone soup should gently simmer for about 15 minutes. The timing for adding vegetables depends on your desired texture. If you prefer soft vegetables, add them now. If you like them crunchy, add them with 5 minutes left to cook.
- When the soup is ready add the cooked pasta to each serving. Store them separately. to keep the pasta fresh.
- Serve with some crusty bread and top the servings with grated cheese and Mangiamo !
Variations of this Authentic Italian Minestrone soup:
- The traditional minestrone soup recipe contains beans for protein. While the soup is simmering you can add white beans such as cannellini beans or navy beans. Some traditional recipes will include borlotti beans. Or you can use red kidney beans in a pinch. Lentils can also be used to make a lentil soup version of minestrone.
- If you want to make the recipe gluten-free simply replace the addition of pasta with gluten-free pasta or none at all. To make a vegan version simply omit the pasta. and the cheese
- This classic Italian minestrone soup can be made in large batches by doubling the recipe.
- Various greens can be added to your soup. Spinach and escarole are good options to add about five minutes before the cooking time is complete.
- To add a little heat to your authentic Italian Minestrone soup recipe add some red pepper flakes to your taste
- A Parmesan rind can be added while the soup is simmering to add a woodsy cheesy fresh flavor to your soup
- A Leek can be used instead of the yellow onion. The leek will add milder and sweeter flavor to your Italian Authentic Minestrone soup recipes.
- Fennel can be used instead of celery. The fennel will add a little anise or a mild licorice flavor to your soup
- Fresh seasonal vegetables can enhance your dishes. Consider experimenting with zucchini, squash, butternut squash, or even acorn squash. Keep in mind that these vegetables cook quickly, so add them to the soup just a few minutes before it finishes simmering.
- A shortcut can be a bag of frozen vegetables, but that is a last resort. Some frozen combinations include beans and other protein-rich combinations
Storage of your Classic Minestrone soup:
Your soup can be stored for several days in airtight containers. Remember to keep your soup and pasta in separate containers, as pasta does not store well in liquid. It will absorb the liquid and become soft and mushy.
If you want to preserve your recipe for a longer time, you can freeze the soup portion, and it will remain fresh for several months. To serve the frozen soup, simply defrost it and heat it up. Cook some pasta and combine it with the heated soup.
Please share your results
When you decide to try this recipe, please let me know how you liked it! If you made any variations, I’d love to hear about the results. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to leave a message in the comment section. I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Extra virgin Olive oil
- 1 Medium-sized Yellow Onion chopped
- 3 Stalks of Celery
- 3 medium-sized carrots
- 4 cloves fresh minced garlic
- 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables squash, zucchini, fresh green beans, butternut squash, and peas are all good options
- 1 28- ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 32 ounces of vegetable broth
- Half a teaspoon of Thyme
- Half a teaspoon of Oregano dried herbs are ok, but fresh herbs are best
- Grated cheese for topping when serving optional
- 3/4 cup of your favorite small pasta ditalini is my favorite or small shells
Instructions
- Start your Authentic Italian Minestrone soup recipe with a large Dutch oven or large pot. On Med-low heat 4 Tablespoons of Olive oil, when the oil is hot add the 4 cloves of fresh minced garlic, 1 chopped medium-sized onion, and 3 chopped celery stalks. Saute until the vegetables are soft and translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Next lets add the 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes and 32 ounces of vegetable broth. Increase the heat to high, and bring it to a gentle boil. Next, add half a teaspoon of Thyme and half a teaspoon of Oregano.
- At this time, you can begin heating a pot of salted water to cook your pasta. I recommend against cooking the pasta in the soup, as it doesn’t store well in liquid and can become soft and mushy. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. The best Minestrone soup should gently simmer for about 15 minutes. The timing for adding vegetables depends on your desired texture. If you prefer soft vegetables, add them now. If you like them crunchy, add them with 5 minutes left to cook.
- When the soup is ready add the cooked pasta to each serving. Store them separately. to keep the pasta fresh.
- Serve with some crusty bread and top the servings with grated cheese and Mangiamo !
