This minestrone soup is full of white beans, perfectly cooked pasta, and delicious, flavorful veggies! This recipe comes together in just one pot in under 30 minutes. It’s naturally vegan and is the perfect warm, comforting dinner recipe to curl up with.
Veggie-loaded soup is one my favorite easy dinner go-tos. I feel like I am always making a batch to stock the freezer or to curl up with at the end of a busy day (in all seasons!).
Minestrone soup is a classic vegetable soup recipe that so many people love! Even the veggie-iffy people of the world have love for a bowl of minestrone. Naturally packed with vegetables, it has an amazing warming flavor and is super hearty thanks to the addition of beans and pasta. This recipe is naturally vegan, but can easily be made gluten free too! And don’t be afraid to adapt it to fit your taste preference and/or to use what you have on hand.
Bonus: you can make it as part of meal prep too! The leftovers are amazing.
Time saving hack: Use your food processor with the “S” blade attachment to quickly chop the veggies for this vegan minestrone soup recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen vegetables in this soup?
Yes, you can use frozen green beans or substitute the green beans for frozen peas. If you use frozen, stir them in at the end of the cooking time (after pasta is cooked), so they defrost and can warm through before serving.
Is kale okay to use instead of spinach?
Sure. Stir in 2 to 3 cups of chopped kale into the soup when you add the broth and simmer with the other veggies. You can use the kale instead of the spinach or include the spinach too if you want extra greens.
Can I make this vegan minestrone soup gluten free too?
Yes! Just use your favorite small gluten free pasta or simply skip the pasta entirely. The soup will still taste amazing.
What type of pasta is best to use in minestrone soup?
I find that very small, shaped pasta works best. I used orzo but small shells, elbows, or ditalini would also work.
Can I leave the beans out?
Sure can. This will still be a delicious and healthy vegetable soup!
Can Minestrone Soup be frozen?
Soup (with beans) is one of my favorite leftovers! And yes, this vegan minestrone soup can be frozen after making…with one small change.
I find that cooked pasta does not freeze well, so I suggest making this soup without the pasta if you are planning to freeze. Thaw it out and add pasta you have cooked separately when you would like to enjoy it.
To make this in the Instant Pot, use the SAUTE function through step 3. Press ‘cancel’ then stir in the pasta. Set the pot to manual high pressure for half of the pasta cooking time. For example, if the box says cook for 10 minutes, then set the time to 5 minutes. Quick release the pressure then continue with Step 5 in the recipe instructions.
Suggested Adaptations
- Use frozen green beans. Or sub with peas. Since frozen veggies are blanched, add them after the pasta has cooked so that they can defrost and warm up in the soup without becoming over cooked.
- Use frozen spinach. Just add it into the soup when you would fresh to let it thaw and warm up in the soup for about 5 minutes.
- For a gluten-free soup, use a gluten-free pasta or you can omit the pasta entirely.
- Don’t want pieces of tomato in your soup? Use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of diced.
- Don’t like beans? You can just omit them from the recipe.
- Replace the white beans with cooked kidney beans.
- Don’t need this to be dairy-free? This soup is really delicious topped with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
- Like your minestrone soup a little spicy? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the pot when you add the Italian seasoning.
- Up the veggies or use different veggies! Diced potatoes, cubed butternut squash or zucchini pieces will do beautifully in this vegan minestrone soup.
To make as part of meal prep: If you are making this soup ahead or making it to freeze, cook pasta in a separate pot and add to the soup right before serving. If you don’t, the pasta will continue to absorb the soup liquid as it sits and make pasta mushy.
Other hearty and nourishing veggie-loaded soup recipes
- Vegan Leek Potato Soup
- Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Hearty Chicken-Vegetable Quinoa Soup
- Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Rice Soup
- Veggie-Loaded Lasagna Soup (vegetarian)
- Creamy Cauliflower Vegetarian Potato Soup
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30-minute Minestrone Soup (vegan)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 large carrots diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 ounces green beans trimmed and cut into small pieces (about 1 cup). See notes for how to use frozen.
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 14 ounce can small white beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup whole wheat orzo or your favorite very small shaped pasta such as small shells, or ditalini
- 1-2 cups baby spinach roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for about 4 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes to cook garlic and then stir in the Italian seasoning, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 more minute to combine all the flavors.
- Stir in the green beans and canned tomatoes then use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Then stir in the vegetable broth and beans.
- Bring the pot up to a simmer. Once the liquid is bubbling, stir in the pasta and cook until tender (see pasta package for timing). Usually about 8-9 minutes.* If you are making this soup ahead or making it to freeze, cook pasta in a separate pot and add to the soup right before serving. (The pasta will continue to absorb the soup liquid as it sits and make pasta mushy.)
- Once pasta is cooked, stir in the spinach. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve hot. If your soup starts to thicken before serving, stir in more broth or water and season again as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
I’ve been looking forward to making this soup and I was not disappointed!! Honestly it’s my new favorite. Easy to put together (I did it in the instant pot) and hearty.
Wow! You’re new favorite, huh! Quite the compliment 💚 since 1) there are lots of minestrone recipes out there! 2) I know you make oodles of my recipes (and kindly leave a review on so many!), so I know this must be good if you love it so!
We can’t get enough of this one. I made it last week and my family is already asking for it again. While the pasta did soak up some of the moisture, I found the whole wheat orzo to retain a great texture and this made for a delicious leftover lunch the next day.
This is phenomenal! A bit with the entire family (including kids 2 & 4). We’ve had a lot of purple cabbage from our CSA so I chopped some small and added with the celery and it made this soup look like a rainbow, so colorful! Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
Oh how fun!! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Linda!