Minestrone (Italian Vegetable Soup)

Name: Minestrone (Italian Vegetable Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive oil; 1 Onion; 1 Carrot; 1 stalk Celery; 2 cloves Garlic; 0.5 Zucchini; 1 Potato; 400 g Tomatoes (or canned); 1 can Canned beans (kidney/cannellini); 1 L Vegetable stock (or water + cube); 80 g Small pasta; 1 to taste Salt & pepper; 1 to serve Parmigiano; 1 to serve Basil or pesto

An Italian vegetable soup built on onion, carrot, and celery with seasonal veg, beans, and small pasta. There's no fixed recipe — it's perfect for using up vegetables in one hearty pot.

Ingredients

4servings

Olive oil2 tbsp
Onion · chopped1
Carrot · diced1
Celery · diced, optional1 stalk
Garlic · minced2 cloves
Zucchini · diced0.5
Potato · diced, optional1
Tomatoes (or canned) · chopped / whole400 g
Canned beans (kidney/cannellini) · about 240g, rinsed1 can
Vegetable stock (or water + cube)1 L
Small pasta · ditalini or short shapes80 g
Salt & pepper1 to taste
Parmigiano · optional1 to serve
Basil or pesto · optional1 to serve

Steps

Warm the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot, and celery about 5 minutes until soft (the soffritto).
⏲ 5 min
Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the potato and zucchini and cook 2 minutes more.
⏲ 3 min
Add the tomatoes, crushing them, and cook 2–3 minutes, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil.
⏲ 4 min
Lower the heat and simmer gently about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
⏲ 15 min
Add the beans and pasta and simmer 8–10 minutes until the pasta is cooked (it drinks up liquid, so add stock if it gets too thick).
⏲ 9 min
Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and finish with olive oil, Parmigiano, and basil or a spoon of pesto.
⏲ 1 min

Tips & Variations

Variations

Clean-out-the-fridge: Use whatever veg you have — spinach, peas, green beans.
No beans / rice instead of pasta: Swap the starch to taste.
Pesto minestrone: Stir in a spoon of basil pesto at the end (Genoese style).
Bacon or pancetta: Render some at the start for extra savor.

Tips

Cook the soffritto slowly — onion, carrot, and celery are the flavor base.
Add the pasta just before serving so it doesn't go mushy (cook it separately if storing leftovers).
It's even better the next day, once the flavors meld.
Simmer a Parmesan rind in the pot for a big umami boost.
Adjust thickness with stock — minestrone is meant to be hearty.

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