This is by far the best Minestrone soup – a classic, solid Italian soup with tomatoes, white beans, vegetables and pasta.
Freezing Advice
You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Let it cool and transfer to freezer-safe containers.
Minestrone soup variations:
- Swap spinach for Swiss chard or baby cabbage.
- To keep this low carb, omit the pasta, you honestly won't want to miss it with everything else in this soup.
- Add some mini turkey meatballs, or even some sautéed crumbled turkey sausage.
How to Make Minestrone Soup |
And since so many ask, even though I have and love my instant pot, I still love my slow cooker! I Have 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affiliate link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook and it automatically gets hot when done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically closes when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burned everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so big, I actually own several!
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Minestrone soup
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
This is by far the best Minestrone soup – a classic, solid Italian soup with tomatoes, white beans, vegetables and pasta.
- 1 15 oz canned beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
- Container of 32 oz reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarians
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup cube celery
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 28 oz can petite cubes with tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese crust, optional
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and fresh black pepper
- 1 medium 8 oz zucchini, cubes
- 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen defrosted spinach
- 2 cups of cooked small pasta such as ditalini, al dente (or GF pasta)
- extra parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
Slow Cooker version:
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Purée beans with 1 cup of broth in a blender. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, approx. 15 minutes.
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Transfer to the crock pot along with the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, Parmesan cheese crust, salt and pepper. Add rosemary, bay leaves, basil and parsley, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
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40 minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan crust and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Dust 1-1 / 4 cups of soup into 8 bowls with 1/4 cup of pasta in each and top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Stove Top Driving Directions:
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Purée beans with 1 cup of broth in a blender. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, approx. 15 minutes.
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Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, Parmesan cheese crust, salt and pepper. Add rosemary, bay leaves, basil and parsley, cover and cook for a low 40 minutes. Add zucchini and spinach, cover and simmer until zucchini is tender, approx. 8 to 10 minutes.
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Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan crust and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Dust 1-1 / 4 cups of soup into 8 bowls with 1/4 cup of pasta in each and top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Instant Pot directions:
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Purée beans with 1 cup of broth in a blender. Press the saute in Instant Pot and hot oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, approx. 10 minutes.
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Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, Parmesan cheese crust, salt and pepper. Add rosemary, bay leaves, basil and parsley, cover and cook high pressure 20 minutes.
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Quick release, add the pasta, zucchini and spinach and cook high pressure for 4 minutes. Quick release so the pasta does not boil.
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Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan crust and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Dust 1-1 / 2 cups of soup into 8 bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Serving: 11/2 cups, Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 3g, Sodium: 483 mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 4g
Blue Smart Points: 2
Green smart points: 4
Purple Smart Points: 2
Points +: 4
Keywords: best minestrone soup, instant minestrone soup, minestrone soup, minestrone soup crock pot, minestrone soup recipe, vegetarian minestrone soup
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