A delicious minestrone soup recipe after traditional Italian fashion:Â Packed full of healthy vegetables, beans, pasta and featuring a deliciously rich broth infused with smoky pancetta or bacon!
What is Minestrone Soup?
Of Italian origin, Minestrone is a thick soup featuring a variety of vegetables (traditionally including beans, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions and whatever else is on hand in the garden) and also includes small pasta and/or, less commonly, rice. Its origins pre-date Roman times and, due to scarcity of meat, was often a vegetarian dish, sometimes with scraps of smoked meats used for flavor. With the establishment of the Roman Empire and the influx of trade and more wealth, meat and meat broths were more commonly included but the Romans continued to hold to what they considered a healthy diet consisting of lots of vegetables, legumes and grains.
This minestrone soup recipe reflects that tradition of a healthy and wholesome soup packed full of vegetables and utilizing just enough meat (some smoky pancetta or bacon) for flavor.
When it comes to minestrone soup the word “traditional” is tricky. It isn’t traditional in that it abides by a specific set of ingredients, rather it’s traditional in its purpose: Namely, to utilize and make do with whatever seasonal vegetables happen to be on hand. And so when it comes to an “authentic” Italian minestrone soup, the fact is that traditional recipes are as wide and varied as the vegetables in a traditional Italian garden. Literally. Minestrone is meant to be a seasonal soup and so a “traditional” minestrone soup would look very different in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter.
Is Minestrone Soup Vegetarian?
As noted above, in Italy minestrone is made both with and without meat. It’s a soup that traditional belongs wo whose purpose is to use whatever is on hand. Traditionally even when meat was scarce or unaffordable, pancetta would commonly be added to create a rich, meaty-flavored broth because a little piece of pancetta goes along way in infusing a broth with the most wonderful flavor.
A variation of minestrone is Minestrone alla Genovese from the Liguria region of northern Italy which includes pesto that’s either stirred in at the end or added to individual bowls of soup. If you’re going to omit the pancetta to make this a vegetarian minestrone, including some pesto will add wonderful depth of flavor to your soup.
To make a vegetarian minestrone simply omit the pancetta and use vegetable broth. To make a vegan minestrone do the same and use vegan Parmesan cheese.
Is Minestrone Soup Gluten-Free?
Minestrone soup traditionally includes pasta and can sometimes, though less commonly, include rice. To make a gluten free minestrone soup you can either use gluten free pasta or use rice.
Minestrone Soup Recipe
For the best minestrone soup, use the best vegetables and broth you can find.
If you’re not making your own broth we use and recommend Aneto as the closest to store-bought broth there is to homemade. Based in Barcelona, Spain, Aneto’s broths reflect the very highest commitment to quality. Made with 100% real, natural ingredients with no additives, flavor enhancers, powders or preservatives, they make their broths like you do in your own kitchen using fresh vegetables, real bone-in chicken, olive oil and sea salt, and simmer it low and slow in huge commercial-sized cooking pots. Read more about our tour of Aneto’s factory in Spain. We cannot recommend them highly enough.
You can find Aneto’s chicken broth in various stores across the U.S. (click link for store locator) or you can also buy it on Amazon (FYI: The Amazon prices fluctuate dramatically from time to time and there are times when the in-store prices are vastly better.) We use Aneto’s 100% natural chicken broth for this minestrone. If you’re making the vegetarian version, Aneto also makes a fabulous vegetable broth.
Let’s get started!
Fry the pancetta or bacon in a stock pot. Add the onions, carrot and celery and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the tomato paste and herbs and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the red wine and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes.
Add the chicken broth.
Add the beans and the veggies (except for the kale).
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Add the pasta and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes. (I’m using tripolini pasta that I brought back with me from our most recent trip to Italy.)
Add the kale and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Enjoy!
For more delicious soups and stews try our:
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Beef Barley Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Wonton Soup
- New England Clam Chowder
- Curried Lentil Soup
- White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Pozole Rojo
- Cream of Celery Soup
- German Potato Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Harira

ULTIMATE Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 6 ounces diced pancetta or bacon
- 1 medium yellow onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 large carrots , diced
- 3 ribs celery , diced
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 8 cups quality chicken broth (we use and recommend Aneto 100% natural chicken broth)
- 4 Roma tomatoes , diced
- 1 medium potato , diced
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can kidney beans or borlotti/cranberry beans , drained and rinsed
- 1/2 pound green beans , trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup shelled green peas (canned, fresh or frozen)
- 3/4 cup ditalini or other tiny pasta (I used tripolini in the photos)
- 3 cups chopped kale , or greens of choice, e.g. Swiss chard, collards, spinach
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Fry the pancetta or bacon in a stock pot. Add the onions, carrot and celery and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste and herbs and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Add the red wine and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes.Add the chicken broth.Add the beans and the vegetables (except for the kale).Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Add the pasta and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Julia says
This is as good as any restaurant minestrone. I added more red wine when cooking down the vegetables. Made sure to cook it all the way down. I think it added a bit more richness to the final product. Delicious!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Julia, thank you very much for the feedback!
Karen says
Really good hearty, healthy soup! I used about 1/2 of the tomato paste because I didn’t want it too tomato-ey. Left out sugar, green beans and pease. Used spinach, but I think kale would be better. Also went lighter on the Italian spices, only a pinch of oregano and thyme, full basil, 1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary. I didn’t want the soup to taste like spaghetti sauce. But all my changes were just my taste. Also agree that Aneto is best tasting chicken broth in the stores.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Karen, I’m happy you enjoyed the soup and were able to adapt it to your taste!
Alison says
This really is the ultimate minestrone soup! I love that it’s light, and yet you just know it’s really nutritious. I prefer to use pearl barley instead of pasta, but everything else stays the same. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Alison, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it!
Natalia says
Wow…This soup is so yummy. I prepared it yesterday and I absolutely love it. I had to use regular broth. To make the broth stronger I added 1/2 tablespoon better than bouillon and omitted the salt. I am going to repeat it, wow, wow, wow. Thank you for this great recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Natalia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! :)
Regina says
Made this ministrone two days ago and it is so good! I love ministrone and any kind of bean soups. One of my favourites is a 13 bean soup I make with pork hock. This soup was super easy and super delicious. I used home made broth and omitted the green beans as my husband does not like them. All else was exact. Will make again. It’s great having a pot of soup in the fridge in winter. These hearty soups get tastier one, two days in and will easily stay good in fridge for up to a week. It’s in my recipe bookmark. Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Regina, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Ian says
Made it today for the second time. It is unbelievably delicious. Had it for Saturday supper with toasted garlic/parmesan bread. Only thing I changed was I added some spinach along with the kale. The soup, the bread and a glass of vino was delizioso!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Ian, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, thank you so much!
Erin K says
We made this soup today, and it was delicious! We will definitely make it again! Thanks so much for another great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Erin, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it – thank you!