A hearty, healthy Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian soup made with beans, veggies, and some pasta. High in protein and fiber-rich, makes it quite filling and can be enjoyed as a meal itself. This soup is so easy to make and a perfect complete meal for weeknight dinners that comes together in under 30 minutes. This soup can be made VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Minestrone is loaded with veggies, beans, and pasta making it a complete, well-balanced meal, loaded with nutrients. High in protein and fiber-rich, this Minestrone will keep you fuller for longer, with lower calories.

This hearty Minestrone is loaded with beans, veggies, pasta and flavored with Italian aromatic herbs such as thyme, oregano, and basil. Simmered in savory tomato and vegetable broth. 

Minestrone is made with basic pantry ingredients and some commonly used veggies such as carrots, celery, zucchini, and spinach. The best part about this soup is that this soup is so versatile you can add veggies, beans, or even pasta of your choice and end up with a hearty bowl of soup, sure to please your palate.

A perfect weeknight dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. Yes, it does not take long to make this hearty, comforting soup. With little chopping, this is almost a dump-and-go recipe that I make for those busy weeknights. Serve this delicious one-pot meal with some crusty bread or with some garlic bread on the side. Enjoy!

Pic Shown: Classic Minestrone Soup

WHAT IS DITALINI

Ditalini or “small thimbles”, is an Italian name for pasta, shaped into small tubes. It is very similar to short macaroni and is often referred to as “salad macaroni”. It is used in various dishes from soups, salad, or even as a side dish.

One of the classic rustic Italian soups “Pasta e Faggioli” (pasta and beans), uses Ditalini and beans, cooked along with some veggies, resulting in a hearty bowl of soup.

Ditalini makes a great alternative to add in pasta salad instead of Penne or Rotini, for that little pasta bite.

I like to use Ditalini in soups as it cooks in the same amount of time as the rest of the ingredients. Thus saving me some time and an extra pot for boiling pasta separately. You can use pasta of your choice. If cooking pasta with the rest of the ingredients, make sure the cooking time of pasta is the same as the other ingredients to avoid under-cooked or over-cooked pasta and/or veggies.

Short pasta such as mini shells, macaroni, orzo cook in the same amount of time as the rest of the ingredients. Thus, makes them an ideal candidate for dump-and-go, one-pot recipes.

Pic shown: Ditalini pasta, uncooked

INGREDIENTS FOR MINESTRONE SOUP

OIL – olive oil or any mild flavor oil of your choice.

ONION – red or yellow onion, either one would do.

GARLIC – adds a ton of flavor to the soup. Fresh garlic or garlic powder, both work fine.

GINGER (optional) – hot and zesty, peppery ginger, adds spiciness and warmth to the soup

CELERY – adds a nice texture to the soup.

CARROTS – carrots add an extra flavor to this soup

ZUCCHINI – or courgette, add a nice delicate flavor to the soup

PASTA – Ditalini or any small pasta of your choice, mini shells, macaroni, or orzo pasta works well. 

DICED TOMATOES – fresh or canned tomatoes

BROTH – low sodium broth adds a layer of flavor. Low sodium broth helps control sodium intake. You can also use a bouillon, mix it with water as per package instructions and use it.

HERBS – Fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, add more depth and flavor to this soup. 

SPICES – red chili flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste, adds little heat to the soup.

SPINACH – leafy green vegetable makes it so much more nutritious. You can add kale, spinach, or any other leafy vegetable of your choice. Cook the greens accordingly, as some take a little longer to cook than others.

CHEESE (optional) – Hard Italian cheeses like Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano works well, add distinct taste and flavor. 

CILANTRO / PARSLEY – traditionally parsley is used in Italian cooking, I occasionally add cilantro, for a different flavor, adds a nice refreshing flavor and color to the soup

LEMON (optional) – fresh lemon juice gives the soup a nice refreshing and tangy flavor. Add as per taste.

Pic Shown: Classic Minestrone Soup

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP

Hearty, healthy Minestrone can be made in under 30 minutes in your Instant Pot. You can make the same recipe on the stovetop as well. 

INSTANT POT MINESTRONE SOUP

Turn on the sauté mode (high), when it displays “HOT”, add oil.

Add onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add spices – oregano, thyme, red chili flakes, garlic powder, sauté for 30 seconds. Next, add zucchini, mix well.

Add kidney beans, Ditalini pasta, diced tomatoes, some salt, and black pepper to taste.

Add broth, deglaze the pot. Close the Instant Pot lid, pressure value on sealing.

Turn the Manual / Pressure Cook (high) for 5 minutes. 

After the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally, around 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, manually release the remaining pressure.

Open the Instant Pot. Turn ON sauté mode (high). Add spinach and cheese(optional), cook for 1-2 minutes. 

Adjust seasoning- salt and pepper as per taste. Turn OFF the Instant Pot.

Garnish with some fresh parsley or cilantro, some fresh basil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional).

Italian Minestrone Soup is ready to be devoured. Enjoy!!

STOVETOP MINESTRONE SOUP

In a Dutch oven or a soup pot, follow the same recipe as discussed. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. The rest of the recipe is the same as Instant Pot.

Heat a Dutch oven or a soup pot, add oil. When the oil is hot, add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add spices – oregano, thyme, red chili flakes, garlic powder, sauté of 30 seconds. Next, add zucchini, mix well.

Add beans, diced tomatoes, Ditalini pasta, some salt, and black pepper to taste.

Add broth, deglaze the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the veggies and pasta are cooked.

Add spinach and cheese (optional), cook for 1-2 minutes.

Adjust seasoning – salt and pepper as per taste. Turn OFF heat.

Garnish with some fresh parsley or cilantro and freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional).

Minestrone Soup is ready to be devoured. Enjoy!!

HOW TO COOK PASTA IN AN INSTANT POT

For cooking pasta in an Instant pot, I reduce the cooking time “BY HALF MINUS ONE” which is recommended on the box of the pasta.

For eg, if the cooking time on the box of pasta is 10 minutes, I reduce the time by half minus one, which is {((10 / 2)-1)=4} 4 minutes of cooking time in Instant Pot. With 5 minutes of natural pressure release and after 5 minutes, release the remaining pressure manually. Pasta turns out perfect, never undercooked or overcooked, just perfect!!

VARIATIONS TO MINESTRONE SOUP

CAN I USE DIFFERENT VEGETABLES

You can use vegetables of your choice. Green beans, corn, peas, snow peas, broccoli, sweet potatoes, or potatoes, make a great addition to this soup. I like to rotate the veggies in the soup, thus enjoying the flavors and nutritional values of different veggies.

CAN I USE DIFFERENT BEANS

You can use beans of your choice. Kidney beans, pinto beans, white or cannellini beans, or even a combination of beans work just fine.

WHAT PASTA TO USE

Ditalini pasta or use any short pasta such as macaroni, mini shell, orzo, works great. If making the soup in Instant Pot, make sure the pasta cooks in the same amount of time as the rest of the ingredients.

You can cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup, which would do.

CAN I USE DIFFERENT HERBS

Herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil are mainly used in Italian cuisine. Feel free to add spices of your choice. Occasionally, I do add some bay leaves, for some herbal and flowery flavor.

CAN I ADD DIFFERENT SPICES

You can add different spices, depending upon the spices used the taste and flavor of the soup will vary.

Cayenne pepper, red chili powder, or red chili flakes are used for the heat in the soup. I also use some fresh green chili (Thai pepper) for the heat.

Sometimes, I also use some Indian spices such as turmeric powder, coriander powder, just for a change. The warmth of the spices adds such a depth of flavors into this soup. Do give it a try and let me know how you like this Indian-style soup.

BEST CHEESE TO USE 

Hard Italian cheeses like Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano, work well on pasta and soup. These hard Italian cheeses have their distinct flavor and when added to soups and pasta, take the dish to another level due to its distinct taste and flavor.

Pic Shown: Classic Minestrone Soup served with some herb buttered toast.

CONSISTENCY OF MINESTRONE SOUP

You can adjust the consistency of this soup by adding more or less broth as per your liking. For thicker consistency add less broth. For more soupy consistency, simply add some more broth.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH MINESTRONE SOUP

You can serve some crusty bread, drizzle with some olive oil. I like to toast my bread in a skillet, drizzle some olive oil and have it as a dipping for the soup. It tastes amazing.

I also like this soup with some homemade garlic bread, tastes yum!!

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP VEGAN

Skip the cheese or add any vegan cheese of your choice.

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP GLUTEN-FREE

Use any short, gluten-free pasta.

ENJOY SOME SOUP RECIPES!

Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

Creamy Tomato Bisque

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

SOME BREAD RECIPES FROM THE BLOG:

Homemade Soup Bread Bowl

Easy Garlic Knots

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

New York Style Bagels

Chocolate Babka