Photo by Kate Lewis
This easy minestrone is the kind of soup I make when I want soup to be dinner. Thick and tomatoey, with navy beans, little ditalini, Yukon gold potatoes, carrots, celery and green beans, plus plenty of thyme and rosemary and a little red pepper for heat. It’s super filling, gets even better after it sits for a bit, and it’s so simple to make: do some chopping up front, then mostly leave the pot alone. One pot, one cutting board, many many bowls of soup.
And listen, I love a canned minestrone now and again. Give me a cold afternoon, a sleeve of crackers and a can of soup and I’m not complaining. But homemade minestrone soup is so much better and really not much more trouble. Most of what you need is probably already hanging around in the pantry or refrigerator drawer.
The title is pretty self explanatory. Everyone needs an easy vegan minestrone recipe, and everyone happens to love this one. It’s simple, flexible and full of all the little things that make minestrone so good.
This vegan minestrone soup is from Veganomicon, and so is the focaccia in the photo. The focaccia isn’t on the site, so if you want that exact one you’ll have to pick up the book. Or make these Home-Style Potato Rolls, also from Veganomicon, which are right here for the taking. Either way, a big pot of minestrone with some warm bread is one of my favorite dinners!
What’s in Minestrone? (Hint: You probably already have most of this)
Dried herbs: Thyme, rosemary and oregano give the soup its herby flavor. Crumble the rosemary between your fingers as you add it so you get all the flavor without the little needles.
Plenty of garlic. Six cloves. But it could always use more!
Onions and celery. Naturally!
Yukon gold potatoes: They get creamy and tender but still hold their shape, and their starch gives the broth a little extra body as they cook. Any thin skinned potato works so you don’t have to peel them. If you use russets, peel em.
Green beans: Fresh or frozen both work. If you’re using frozen, just add them straight from the bag. If you want to replace these with green peas, totally cool.
Pasta: Ditalini is perfect here because those little tubes fit right on a spoon with the beans and vegetables. Elbows work too, or use whatever small pasta you have: shells, orecchiette, what have you. Cook it al dente right in the soup.
Navy beans: Creamy and mild and exactly right in minestrone. Cannellini beans or great northern beans work too. While we’re at it, kidney beans and chickpeas are just fine, too. Or even lima beans!
Crushed tomatoes with basil: Crushed for a little texture. I like the basil kind here, but plain crushed tomatoes are completely fine. If you like, add some fresh basil at the end. If you want to replace with diced tomatoes, that’s okay! But it will be chunkier.
Sugar: Just a teaspoon to take the edge off the canned tomatoes. It won’t make the soup sweet.
Vegetable broth: Since there’s a lot of it, use one you like the taste of, storebought or homemade.
Tips For The Best Homemade Minestrone Soup
Dice everything small: Keep the carrots and potatoes at about 1/2 inch so they cook evenly and you can get a little of everything in each spoonful.
Let it sit: If you can wait 10 minutes after it comes off the heat, do it. The pasta plumps up and the soup gets even better.
Leftovers thicken up: The pasta keeps soaking up broth overnight, so the next day it’s closer to a stew. Stir in a splash of broth or water when you reheat it, or leave it thick. Both are good.
Minestrone Recipe Variations
Greens: Stir in a few big handfuls of chopped kale, chard or baby spinach near the end. Spinach only needs a minute and kale takes a few minutes longer.
Zucchini: Dice a zucchini or yellow squash and add it with the green beans.
A little cheesy: Add 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast right after you saute the aromatics. Once the garlic is cooked for that 30 seconds, sprinkle in the nooch and toss it around to toast for a minute or so. Then proceed with the recipe.
Gluten-free: Use your favorite small gluten-free pasta. If you’re planning on leftovers, you may want to cook it separately and add it to each bowl since some gluten-free pastas get very soft sitting in soup.
Pesto: Swirl a spoonful of Bestest Pesto into each bowl right before serving for a fresh basil flavor.
What To Serve With Minestrone
Bread. Obviously. The Veganomicon focaccia if you have the book, Home-Style Potato Rolls if you don’t, or a good crusty loaf. But since this soup is so easy you now have time to bake bread. That’s how that works, right?
Garlic bread. Is there anything better than dunking garlic bread into tomato soup? Answer: no.
Caesar salad. Something crisp and garlicky next to the soup. Try the Quinoa Caesar Salad or go simple with this tahini-based Classic Caesar Salad.
Grilled cheese. Soup and a sandwich. Always a good idea. You can use this homemade grilled cheese recipe (and skip the soup part for obvious reasons.)
Pasta. Yes, pasta soup and more pasta! Try any of these amazing easy pasta recipes.
Homemade Minestrone Soup FAQ
Can I freeze minestrone? For sure. The pasta gets softer after freezing, so if you’re making a batch specifically for the freezer, cook the pasta separately and add it when you reheat.
Can I use fresh herbs instead of dried? Yup. I love the ease of dry but fresh is always awesome. Use about 1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, about a teaspoon of oregano and add them with the garlic.
Is this minestrone gluten-free? Not as written, but it’s easy to make gluten-free with a small gluten-free pasta.
Do I really need both potatoes and pasta? Not really, no. You can skip either one. But why would you deprive yourself?
Can I use canned beans? Hells yeah. One 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained.
How did I end up here? You were searching for an easy minestrone that will please everyone and now you’re baking bread, too. It happens.
More One Pot Pasta Soup Recipes to Keep You Warm All Season
Everyone’s Homemade Minestrone Soup
Notes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced small
- 2 stalks celery sliced thinly
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus a pinch
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup diced carrot 1/2-inch dice
- 3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups vegetable broth purchased or homemade
- 1 cup ditalini or macaroni pasta
- 1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans or 1 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
Instructions
- Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery in the oil with a pinch of salt until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the carrot, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, add the pasta and green beans, and cook until the pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the beans, sugar and tomatoes and bring back to a simmer. Cook for another 10 minutes, then remove from the heat. It gets even better as it sits, so give it 10 minutes or so before digging in if you can. Taste for salt and seasoning and serve.
- If storing leftovers, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container.
I also add a very little bit of fennel, and grind it in a mortar/pestle or spice grinder, for that aroma of my Italian grandma’s homemade (nonvegan) sausages from childhood.