Chock full of vegetables simmered in a tomato-based broth, this vegetarian minestrone soup is my take on a classic Italian recipe. Pure comfort food, it's fresh, hearty, and deliciously satisfying!
A gorgeously flavorful and simple soup, vegetarian minestrone relies on garlic, onions, carrots, kale, tomatoes, and chickpeas to create a nourishing, brothy soup to cheer the soul. Easily adapted to what's in the fridge or pantry, this is a solid, wholesome soup that's perfect any time of year. Serve it with gluten free honey cornbread muffins or buttered slices of gluten free Irish soda bread.
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Why I Love Easy Minestrone
- Italian flavors. I went to Italy briefly in my early 20s but it left an indelible impression - the fresh, local ingredients prepared simply but well have informed my cooking since. This soup is a fantastic example of basics that come together to make something special.
- Great to make ahead. Like many soups, the flavors of minestrone deepen as it rests in the fridge. See my make-ahead tips lower down.
- Packed with veggies. A blend of onion, garlic, carrots, and kale add flavor and texture.
- Easily gluten-free. Use gluten-free pasta to make this a gluten free vegetarian minestrone soup!
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Olive oil - I always use extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic - Feel free to up the amount of garlic.
- Carrots
- Onion - I used a yellow onion and a red onion is fine, too.
- Salt and pepper
- Tomatoes - Fresh tomatoes of any variety are perfect here.
- Broth - Use vegetable broth to keep this soup vegetarian.
- Chickpeas - Or substitute white beans.
- Kale - I used a whole bunch of kale, you can lower this amount if you wish.
- Pasta - Macaroni pasta is the traditional addition to minestrone. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
How to Make Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this homey soup:
- Make the base: Heat a pot over low heat, then sautee the garlic in the olive oil. Add the carrots and onion, then season with salt and pepper.
- Add tomatoes. Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook until a thick tomato-vegetable layer forms.
- Add broth and kale. Add the broth and simmer, then add the kale.
- Add chickpeas. Stir in the chickpeas, then simmer 20 mins more.
- Cook pasta. Separately, cook the macaroni.
- Serve! Divide the pasta among bowls and top with hot soup.
Soup Tips
- Make ahead: To make the soup ahead, it's essential to store the pasta and soup separately in airtight containers for up to 5 days (I like to do this anyway, even if I'm serving it the same day. If you don't mind the pasta absorbing the liquid, you can cook the pasta right in the broth). Then, reheat the pasta and soup, add a bit of pasta to a bowl, then top with the soup.
- Add a parmesan rind: For extra savory flavor, add the rind of a piece of parmesan cheese to the soup pot. Freeze leftover cheese rinds to use when needed.
- Massage the kale: Kale is a tough green, and to help it wilt gently into the soup broth, chop it up and use your hands to rub and "massage" it for a couple of minutes before adding to the minestrone for a softer texture.
- Cook the vegetables until thick before adding the broth: You're going for a sort of vegetable paste after adding in the tomatoes. This helps to form the flavorful base of the broth, so watch and stir the vegetables for a few minutes to achieve a thick layer in the bottom of the pot. But take care that it doesn't overcook and burn otherwise you'll need to start again.
Some Variation Ideas
- Try other beans - White beans like navy or cannellini beans are also great in minestrone soup.
- Add more vegetables - Bump up the vegetables and make a more vegetable soup version of minestrone by adding green beans, corn, or chopped zucchini.
- Different greens - Swap the kale for chard or spinach.
- Water instead of stock - Sometimes I'll make minestrone with water instead of stock in an equal amount and it is still plenty flavorful!
- Skip the pasta - For a lighter version of minestrone, leave out the pasta.
Serving Suggestions
Gluten-free bready sides are ideal here, like gluten free cornbread or gluten free pumpkin cornbread (if you don't need to keep gluten free, a loaf of Jim Lahey's No Knead Bread is a forever go-to). Or make a corn tortilla-based batch of sheet pan quesadillas!
How to Store and Reheat Extras
- Fridge - Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to store the pasta and soup separately.
- To Reheat - In a pot on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave in 1-minute increments are easy ways to reheat minestrone. You may want to add a little broth or water if the soup is thicker than you'd like.
More Easy Soup Recipes
If you try this vegetarian soup recipe, please let me know! And if you have any questions, always feel free to reach out in the comments or by email. I hope you love it! ❤️
Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
Chock full of vegetables simmered in a tomato-based broth, my vegetarian minestrone soup recipe is my take on the classic Italian soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil , plus more for drizzling
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 carrots , peeled and diced
- 1 medium onion , diced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 2 cups packed shredded kale or chard
- 1 cup cooked macaroni pasta , gluten-free if needed
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over low heat. Add the olive oil and the garlic and sauté until the garlic is toasted and the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the diced tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, uncovered, until a thick tomato-vegetable layer forms. Add enough water or broth to cover the vegetables by 2 inches and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add the kale and continue to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper.
- Separately, cook the macaroni according to the package instructions. Drain well and divide among bowls. When ready to serve, ladle the soup over the pasta and serve. Store the soup and pasta leftovers in different containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make ahead: To make the soup ahead, it's essential to store the pasta and soup separately in airtight containers for up to 5 days (I like to do this anyway, even if I'm serving it the same day. If you don't mind the pasta absorbing the liquid, you can cook the pasta right in the broth). Then, reheat the pasta and soup separately and add a bit of pasta to a bowl, then top with the soup.
- Add a parmesan rind: For extra savory flavor, add the rind of a piece of parmesan cheese to the soup pot. Freeze leftover cheese rinds to use when needed.
- Massage the kale: Kale is a tough green, and to help it wilt gently into the soup broth, chop it up and use your hands to rub and "massage" it for a couple of minutes before adding to the minestrone for a softer texture.
- Cook the vegetables until thick before adding the broth: You're going for a sort of vegetable paste after adding in the tomatoes. This helps to form the flavorful base of the broth, so watch and stir the vegetables for a few minutes to achieve a thick layer in the bottom of the pot. But take care that it doesn't overcook and burn otherwise you'll need to start again.
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.002gSodium: 648mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 4638IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 0.5mg
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is an estimate (I'm not a nutritionist and can't guarantee accuracy!). Even when not specified, be sure to check that all the ingredients you use are gluten free if you need them to be by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!
Anne Zimmerman says
How did I miss this?! I LOVE it.
Rachel Dangermond says
I needed to use the rest of my kale in the garden before planting this winter's crop. So soup it was - and yummy indeed. I used thyme instead of sage as most of my herbs were destroyed in Isaac.