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Minestrone has got to be one of the best soups you can make in the winter. It’s simple, delicious comfort food, but it’s also nutrient-dense and full of fiber, vitamins and minerals. It’s really a whole meal in a bowl. I make this soup at least once a year when it gets cold. The recipe below makes a big batch and it freezes beautifully, so you can have some on hand for extra cold nights or easy dinners. It’s also a really great way to get rid of any sad vegetables lying around in your fridge. The staple ingredients for this recipe are a mirepoix of onion, carrots and celery as well as tomatoes and beans, but it’s very customizable. Feel free to add whatever you have on hand or whatever you like.
The Best Minestrone Soup (Stovetop and Slow Cooker)
This easy and delicious soup will be your new favorite minestrone recipe. It's hearty, filling and packed with nutrients from vegetables and beans.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups; russet or any other variety work great)
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced (any color works; see Note 1)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried rosemary (I like to crush it up a bit with a mortar and pestle, but that's optional)
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, gently crushed by hand
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomato or spicy pesto (see Note 2)
- 1 dry bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan rind, optional (see Note 3)
- 1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (see Note 4)
- 2 cups kale or spinach, packed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup dry ditalini pasta, or other small noodles of choice (see Note 5)
- Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving, optional
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and season generously with salt
- Cook ditalini or other pasta of choice until al dente then drain and set aside (see Note 6)
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the avocado oil
- Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté for 6-8 minutes until softened
- Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste, stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes until tomato paste has darkened
- Add the potatoes, bell peppers, dried herbs, black pepper, diced tomatoes, stock, pesto, bay leaf and Parmesan rind
- Stir then increase the heat to high and bring to a gentle boil
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender (if you prefer to cook the noodles in the soup, add them after boiling so they cook as the soup simmers; see Note 6)
- Stir in the zucchini and canned beans and cook for 10 minutes
- Stir in the kale or spinach and salt to taste then cook for another 10 minutes until wilted
- To serve, add the cooked ditalini to a bowl then top with a few generous ladles of soup and some Parmesan cheese
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place all ingredients except beans, zucchini and kale into a slow cooker and stir
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours
- Add the beans, zucchini and kale and cook for 30-40 minutes on low (if you prefer to cook the pasta in the soup, add it now as well; see Note 6)
- Cook the ditalini in a separate pot of boiling, salted water until al dente then drain and set aside
- Add the cooked pasta to a bowl then top with soup and Parmesan cheese
Notes
Note 1: Red, green or any other color of bell pepper work great here. You can really use any vegetables you have on hand for this recipe. Feel free to throw in green or yellow beans, peas, squash, fresh herbs, or any other vegetables you have in your fridge.
Note 2: Sun-dried tomato pesto or spicy pesto add amazing flavor to this recipe, but it’s totally optional. If you don’t have it on hand, just skip it. The soup will still be amazing without it.
Note 3: A Parmesan rind adds flavor and richness to the soup as it boils and simmers. If you don’t have one, you can definitely leave it out. I like to keep my Parmesan rinds in the freezer to add to soups and sauces, so I always have a few on hand for recipes like this.
Note 4: I love a mix of kidney beans and cannellini beans (navy beans) in this recipe, but you can use whatever you like or have on hand. Pinto beans, northern beans or even chickpeas would be great here.
Note 5: My favorite pasta shape to use for this recipe is ditalini pasta, but you can use any small pasta you like such as macaroni, shells or even rice or barley.
Note 6: I prefer to cook the pasta on the side for this recipe. The leftovers are best that way because the noodles tend to soak up a lot of broth and get soggy in the fridge. This also makes a big batch so you can freeze some to have on hand for easy dinners, and it’s best frozen without the noodles. If you do prefer to cook the noodles in the soup, add them right after the soup has boiled and you’ve reduced the heat to a simmer.
Nutrition Facts are calculated automatically and may be inaccurate. Nutritional information for this recipe is based on one serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 8gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 626mgPotassium: 717mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3817IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg
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