My Homemade Minestrone Soup recipe is a delicious and filling way to enjoy this classic dish! This recipe makes a big helping so you will have enough for a large group or leftovers. Save it to Pinterest today so you can always come back!
The first time I had Minestrone Soup, I must have been in preschool. I was at my aunt’s house and she used to babysit me while my parents were at work. I remember her apartment set up exactly and can even see the little, round table she used to serve me at, just off to the side of her galley kitchen. It was a can of Campbell’s Minestrone but it was enough to make an impression on me.
Fast forward to today and no offense to Campbell’s but I think I prefer my version of Homemade Minestrone Soup. This recipe is full of good things and it is very similar to my homemade vegetable soup, but with a few more ingredients for some extra added flavor and depth. In fact the incredible flavor in this soup comes from layers of different ingredients that all combine to make a little magic.
All the flavors
So, let’s talk about all those flavors in my Homemade Minestrone Soup recipe. Besides using a lot of vegetables (the more the merrier) I also added in the normal red kidney beans and Ditalini noodles. Red kidney beans are pretty common for Minestrone (especially of the Campbell’s variety), but sometimes people use Cannellini beans too. I will swap this out based on whichever I seem to have hanging out in the pantry. As for the noodles, you can use Ditallini or you can use shells too. Go with whichever is easiest to find. I had to have my father in law bring me the Ditallini from Chicago because fun noodles are hard to find here.
For flavoring, I use pancetta, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, some dried seasoning and some white wine. All of this combines for a beautiful, robust flavor that is unique from just a regular vegetable soup and makes my Homemade Minestrone Soup recipe a standout.
Tips for making my Homemade Minestrone Soup
- Make sure to use a real extra virgin olive oil for the quality and extra flavor it adds.
- When cooking the pancetta for the recipe, you want it to crisp up. This takes about 6 minutes and is important for flavoring the soup.
- I use chicken broth in this recipe, but if you like you can also use vegetable broth.
- You can use kidney beans or Cannellini beans when making my Homemade Minestrone Soup. I like it with either, but do not drain the aquafaba from the can. Use it in the soup. This will be important for the soup flavor.
- I almost always cook my pasta noodles separately from the rest of my soup. Otherwise, they soak up too much of the broth and have a tendency to become too mushy. I serve the noodles and then ladle the soup over it. I also tend to eat low carb and Kevin eat higher carb. This allows me to control the noodles in my soup.
- Also for these reasons, I will also store the noodles separately from the rest of the soup. Especially when reheating the noodles being mixed with the soup can really take up the broth.
- This recipe make a big pot of soup and you will need a large Dutch oven like this one {HERE} or {HERE} to make it. It will serve about 6 – 8 people. I always make it and then eat it throughout the week. There’s certainly enough for leftovers.
Saving and reheating
- You can save this after making it for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- When reheating, you can do it on the stove or in the microwave for a few minutes. You might want to add a little additional broth.
- You can also freeze this Homemade Minestrone Soup too. To thaw it, put it in the refrigerator for one day before using. You can then continue to thaw it in the microwave or on the stove again, You might have to add a little more chicken broth to rehydrate it.
Looking for more delicious soup recipes?
If you’re a soup lover like me, try out these delicious soup recipes too!
- Chicken Tortellini Soup {HERE}
- Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup {HERE}
- Chicken Tortilla Soup for the Crock Pot or Instant Pot {HERE}
- Carrot Soup with Ginger {HERE}
- Beet Soup {HERE}
- Creamy Tomato Soup with Basil {HERE}
Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends! I hope that you love my Homemade Minestrone Soup recipe and that you come back again. You can find the full, printable recipe below. Happy eating!
Homemade Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- 1 Large Dutch oven
- Additional pot for cooking the noodles
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 5 oz. container of Pancetta
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 2 yellow squash, sliced
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes If you prefer to use fresh use 3-4 cups but make sure you get all the juices.
- 2 cana kidney beans or Cannellini beans
- 1/2 cup white wine I recommend Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 - 3 tsp. garlic salt
- 3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tsp. Fresh ground black pepper and then additional to taste
- 1 16 oz. bag or box of Ditalini pasta or small shells
- 1 parmesan rind or 1 cup parmesan
- 3-4 cups fresh spinach, packed
- 6 cups chicken broth
- Additional Parmesan, salt, pepper, thyme and basil for topping.
Instructions
- In the large Dutch oven, heat the extra virgin olive oil and then add the pancetta. Cook it until it is crispy for about 6-7 minutes and then remove it and add it to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add in the shallot, onion, carrots, celery and thyme. Cook everything down over medium heat, string on a regular basis for 5-7 minutes. Make sure the onions and carrots have begun to soften.
- Add in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, basil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the flame to low and cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes.
- In a second large pot, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. When it is boiling, add the pasta and cook per package instructions.
- When the time is up on the soup, remove the cover and add the squash, beans, white wine, garlic salt and parmesan rind. Simmer for another 15 minutes uncovered on low. Stir regularly.
- Turn off the heat and then add the spinach. Stir until the spinach has wilted and then serve over the noodles. Add additional salt and pepper, thyme, basil and parmesan cheese to taste.
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