Minestrone soup in a brown bowl next to a dark brown towel on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Minestrone Soup: The Perfect Warm Vegetarian Soup

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Minestrone Soup, no matter how you say it, is a warm and delicious soup full of vegetables and beans that’s perfect for the winter months.

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Minestrone soup is one of those recipes that doesn’t really have a recipe. Well, there isn’t a set recipe and there isn’t just one way to make the soup. Use seasonal vegetables for the freshest soup. And, in-season produce is usually the cheapest.

The soup is meatless. It could easily be adjusted to be a vegan soup as well. The only ingredient that isn’t vegan is the Parmesan cheese. You could either cut that from the recipe or use vegan cheese instead. 

I’m also curious about how you pronounce the soup. Is it min-uh-stroh-nee or min-uh-strohn? I always say the former, Justin always says the latter. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way, but it’s one of those words that’s fun to hear how others pronounce it. Like pecan and caramel!

Minestrone soup makes a lot of soup, so it’s great for when you have guests over. Or it can be saved to eat as leftovers the next day for lunch. It reheated well for us, and we froze a bit, too. If you freeze some soup, I suggest reheating in either the slow cooker again or on the stovetop. 

I made fresh bread to go with ours, but I love fresh bread with any kind of soup or stew. You could also try it with crackers if you like those in a soup.

Minestrone Soup Step by Step

Ingredients

  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 2 carrots (sliced)
  • 1 zucchini (diced)
  • 1 cup cabbage (shredded)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 30 oz kidney beans (drained)
  • 30 oz vegetable broth
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 cups noodles
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Preparation

Prepare all of your vegetables by chopping, slicing, and dicing as needed. Then place everything in the slow cooker except for the noodles and cheese. 

Slow cooker full of chopped and minced vegetables: cabbage, carrots, garlic, onion, zucchini

Stir everything up so that it is all evenly distributed. You want the seasonings to be on all of the ingredients.

Sauce ingredients mixed in with chopped vegetables in a slow cooker

Set the slow cooker to high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. 

About 30 minutes before serving, cook the noodles according to the package directions. 

Cooked noodles in a metal colander

Stir the noodles into the slow cooker. I used egg noodles because that’s what I had on hand. But you can use any type of smaller noodle, such as macaroni or mini shells. 

Cooked noodles mixed into slow cooker of chopped vegetables and tomato sauce

Serve the soup warm and top with cheese if desired. 

Minestrone soup in a brown bowl next to a dark brown towel on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: September 13, 2018

Last Updated On: September 13, 2023

Minestrone soup in a brown bowl next to a dark brown towel on a wooden surface

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup, no matter how you say it, is a warm and delicious soup full of vegetables and beans that’s perfect for the winter months.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
Italian
Keyword:
beans
|
slow cooker
|
soup
|
vegetable
|
vegetarian
Servings: 8 cups
4.80 from 5 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 2 carrots (sliced)
  • 1 zucchini (diced)
  • 1 cup cabbage (shredded)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 30 oz kidney beans (drained)
  • 30 oz vegetable broth
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 cups noodles
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

  • Slice, dice, and chop vegetables as needed
  • Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except noodles and cheese
  • Stir to distribute the seasonings and broth
  • Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours
  • 30 minutes before serving, cook the noodles according to directions
  • Stir noodles into the soup
  • Serve the soup warm with the parmesan cheese on top
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Nutrition Facts
Minestrone Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 260 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 2mg1%
Sodium 769mg32%
Potassium 900mg26%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 11g44%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 3069IU61%
Vitamin C 20mg24%
Calcium 121mg12%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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37 thoughts on “Minestrone Soup: The Perfect Warm Vegetarian Soup”

  1. maliblue

    4 stars
    i first tried this one when i was living in Belgium, i didn’t like soup so much but i got used to it when living there! And this one was fine, i also like pumpkin and vegetable soup 😀

    maliblue

    Reply
  5. shan

    Yum yum and yum. This looks so hearty and yummy. Can you believe I’ve never attempted to make this and I’m a food blogger! I’m never even tasted it either! I know, crazy!

    Reply
  8. Helene

    5 stars
    I haven’t make a proper minestrone for years. As the weather is getting colder, this warm soup would be the best company. I love adding some noodles in my soups.

    Reply
  10. Morgan Shaw

    This meal definetly looks like it is cheap and cheerful but tasty and could warm you and guests up in cold weather. Very handy thanks

    Reply
    1. Flossie McCowald

      This is what I get for taking the morning off work! I was seriously debating minestrone as one of the options for a Meatless Monday meal for tonight, and wish I’d been reminded of this before I put something else in the crock-pot for tonight LOL!

      Reply
      1. Stephanie Lynch

        Well, you can go ahead and plan it for next Monday then! Or, who says you can’t do meatless two days in a row? Ok, my husband may argue that, but if your family doesn’t then go for it!

        Reply
  12. Crystal Mendez

    Saved to my Pinterest board- this will be perfect for us as I’ve been looking for a vegan meal I can throw in the crockpot. Just no cheese for us. And I think this would pair great with my No Knead Bread!

    Reply
  13. Lindsay

    I LOVE making one pot dishes that you can just make a quick veggie for the side with. What are your favorite vegetables to go with this?

    Reply
    1. Stephanie Lynch

      I don’t think I’ve ever seen the premade packets here. But I’m sure there are some as I know of a few other soups that you just add boiling water. We actually have a few in the pantry that we bought when we had a hurricane coming since we could still use the gas stovetop to heat the water and make soup for a meal if there wasn’t any power.

      Reply

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