Minestrone Soup Recipe (Thick & Hearty)

This hearty minestrone soup is thicker than most minestrone soups. Brimming with colourful greens, protein-rich beans, and fragrant herbs, it’s as scrumptious as it’s satisfying. Be happy so as to add rice or pasta to the soup, too, and serve it with a slice of rustic do-it-yourself bread for a filling vegetarian meal. You’ll love this soup’s uniquely wealthy texture—each spoonful is completely different!

That is vegetable soup and also you’re proper, it’s not flashy within the slightest. Nonetheless, I’m singing its praises as a result of a bowl of this cozy soup just isn’t solely wholesome, heat, and healthful, its savory flavors and thickness will maintain you full and happy.

One reader, Megan, commented: “I’ve been looking for just a few years for the right minestrone recipe. I’ve tried lots of the net recipes, 6 in complete through the years(they had been all bland with nearly no taste!!). This recipe is the one I’ve been looking for!! Filled with taste, my hard-to-please household all liked it too. ★★★★★“

I initially revealed this recipe in 2018. We’ve liked it on chilly winter days, particularly served in large do-it-yourself bread bowls. It’s a soul-warming vegetarian soup that may simply be vegan by utilizing vegetable broth and skipping the elective parmesan cheese topping.

It is a Thick Minestrone Soup

This minestrone soup is far heartier than what we’re used to, nearly like a chili, which is why I like it a lot. The pasta/rice soaks up lots of liquid, which helps thicken it up. I add an 8-ounce can of tomato paste, which is usually greater than most minestrone soup recipes. I additionally throw in contemporary zucchini, carrots, celery, and spinach plus a number of canned beans. These are all fairly typical in minestrone. There’s additionally garlic, onion, diced tomato, and a healthy dose of seasoning. There’s a lot coloration and texture in 1 spoonful, how are you going to not be happy?!

Substitution Ideas

This soup is fairly forgiving. Simply as we do when making this biscuit vegetable pot pie, mess around with the greens you employ based mostly on what you want. Listed here are the substitutions I’ve tried over the past a number of years, so I do know they work splendidly.

1. Zucchini: You’ll be able to go away this out, or use summer season squash as a substitute. I’ve additionally used chopped mushrooms as a replacement.
2. Kidney Bean & Butter Beans: I like this mix of beans, however you should use all kidney or all butter beans as a substitute. Or substitute one or each for chickpeas, black beans, or cannellini (nice Northern) beans. Or substitute one with a drained can of corn.
3. Inexperienced Beans: You need to use chopped contemporary inexperienced beans or frozen inexperienced beans as a substitute. After I do that, I often use round 1 and 1/2 cups. Add it whenever you add the opposite beans—they’ve sufficient time to prepare dinner and soften. No have to thaw if utilizing frozen.
4. Skip the Pasta/Rice: You’ll be able to skip the pasta/rice. No adjustments wanted. The soup shall be somewhat extra broth-y.
5. Spinach: Be happy to make use of chopped contemporary kale as a substitute, or go away it out. If you wish to use frozen spinach, add it 10 minutes earlier than ending as a substitute of 5.
6. Add Meat: Be happy so as to add 1 lb of floor hen, turkey, or beef. Cook dinner it with the celery/carrots in step 1. Skip 1 can of the beans, and chances are you’ll wish to add one other 1 cup (240ml) of broth. As an alternative, you’ll be able to add 1-2 cups cooked chopped/shredded meat whenever you stir within the spinach. Typically I add just a few hyperlinks of thinly sliced hen sausage.

Whichever greens you employ, I like to recommend sticking with the seasonings, tomato paste, and broth; these all make up the flavorful tomato base of the soup.

Tips on how to Freeze Minestrone Soup

This soup freezes splendidly! Freeze in a big freezer container for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge the day earlier than consuming, then reheat on the range till heat.

Can I Make This in a Sluggish Cooker?

If you need the minestrone soup to prepare dinner all day, listed here are the gradual cooker instructions. I additionally pasted these within the recipe under. Put together the soup by step 1 on the stovetop. Switch to a gradual cooker, then add every thing else aside from the rice/pasta and spinach. Permit to prepare dinner for two hours on low, then add the rice/pasta and spinach. Cook dinner on low for 1 extra hour.

Serve in bread bowls or alongside smooth dinner rolls, artisan bread, brown butter sage dinner rolls, do-it-yourself breadsticks, or olive bread. Or, attempt a brand new favourite, grilled cheese sandwiches on do-it-yourself complete wheat bread.

Print

Thick & Hearty Minestrone Soup

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  Writer: Sally
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  Prep Time: quarter-hour
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  Cook dinner Time: 60 minutes
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  Complete Time: 1 hour, quarter-hour
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  Yield: serves 10
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  Class: Soup
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  Technique: Cooking
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  Delicacies: Italian

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Description

This hearty minestrone soup is thicker than most soup recipes. It’s stuffed with scrumptious colourful greens, loads of spices, and a singular wealthy texture. You’ll make this minestrone soup recipe many times!

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Directions

1. Warmth the olive oil over medium warmth in a big stockpot or dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook dinner, stirring often, for six–7 minutes because the greens soften up and let loose some juices.
2. Add broth, water, crimson wine vinegar, bay leaf, all of the beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Carry to a boil, then add raw rice or pasta. Cowl and simmer for 35 minutes. Stir within the chopped spinach and simmer for five extra minutes. Take away bay leaf.
3. Serve soup heat in do-it-yourself bread bowls (or common bowls, in fact!) and high with contemporary parmesan cheese, if desired.
4. Maintain leftovers in a big lined container within the fridge for as much as every week. To reheat, merely pour right into a pot over medium warmth and prepare dinner till heat. Be happy so as to add extra broth to the leftovers because it cooks whether it is too thick—I at all times do. (It thickens within the fridge because the veggies and rice/pasta absorb the liquid.)

Notes

1. Make Forward Directions – Freezing: Soup freezes splendidly! Freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge the day earlier than consuming, then reheat on the range till heat.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Massive pot or dutch oven 
3. Zucchini: You’ll be able to go away this out, or use summer season squash as a substitute. I’ve additionally used chopped mushrooms as a replacement.
4. Italian Seasoning: Should you don’t have Italian seasoning, you should use any mixture of Italian spices that you simply like. Dried basil, rosemary, oregano, and so forth.
5. Broth: Anyplace between 6–7 cups (about 1.5L) of broth is nice. I exploit 7. The rice or pasta absorb lots of liquid.
6. Vinegar: The vinegar balances out all the flavour. A couple of splashes of a dry-ish crimson wine works too!
7. Kidney Bean & Butter Beans: I like this mix of beans, however you should use all kidney or all butter beans as a substitute. Or substitute one or each for chickpeas, black beans, or cannellini (nice Northern) beans. Or substitute one with a drained can of corn.
8. Inexperienced Beans: You need to use chopped contemporary inexperienced beans or frozen inexperienced beans as a substitute. After I do that, I often use round 1 and 1/2 cups. Add it whenever you add the opposite beans—they’ve sufficient time to prepare dinner and soften. No have to thaw if utilizing frozen.
9. Rice / Pasta: Use brown or white rice or any dry pasta you want finest. Follow smaller formed pasta so it matches in your spoon. You may as well skip the rice/pasta. The soup shall be thinner.
10. Spinach: Be happy to make use of chopped contemporary kale as a substitute, or go away it out. If you wish to use frozen spinach, add it 10 minutes earlier than ending as a substitute of 5.
11. If You Need to Add Meat: Be happy so as to add 1 lb of floor hen, turkey, or beef. Cook dinner it with the celery/carrots in step 1. Skip 1 can of the beans, and chances are you’ll wish to add one other 1 cup (240ml) of broth. As an alternative, you’ll be able to add 1-2 cups cooked chopped/shredded meat whenever you stir within the spinach. Typically I add just a few hyperlinks of thinly sliced hen sausage.
12. Sluggish Cooker Directions: Put together the soup by step 1 on the stovetop. Switch to a gradual cooker (affiliate hyperlink), then add every thing else aside from the rice/pasta and spinach. Permit to prepare dinner for two hours on low, then add the rice/pasta and spinach. Cook dinner on low for 1 extra hour.

Key phrases: minestrone soup