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    Home » Soups

    House Favorite Vegan Minestrone Soup

    June 23, 2021 by Jamie · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Side view of a bowl of vegan minestrone soup to show texture.
    Top view of a large pot of vegan minestrone soup!
    Top view of a bowl of vegan minestrone soup and a side view of a bowl ready to eat!

    Finding a healthy comfort food like this Vegan Minestrone Soup is like hitting the Jackpot. Too often, my comfort foods come in the fried potato category. But something about pasta in a rich wine broth has comfort food written all over it. This vegan classic is incredibly versatile and bursting with familiar Italian flavors. It's one you'll make over and over as a meal or as a side dish.

    Served with crusty bread or a rich pasta dish, this soup is perfect for dinner guests. And for some reason, a classic minestrone seems appropriate all year round. This recipe is one-pot and only 30 minutes of cooking time! 

    Overhead close up of Vegan MInestrone Soup in a 5 quart dutch oven.
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    Why you’ll love this recipe:

    • packed with healthy vegetables
    • shell pasta that cradles the beans for the perfect bite
    • hearty enough for a meal
    • perfect as a main or side dish
    • incredibly comforting all year round 

    You can make it exactly as is or substitute in-season vegetables. Minestrone soup was made for versatility! 

    Overhead view of two bowls of vegan minestrone soup served and ready to eat!

    What is Minestrone Soup?

    Minestrone soup is a classic Italian soup made with vegetables. It is different from a regular vegetable soup because of its thick and hearty texture. Minestrone soup has beans and pasta in addition to vegetables. In contrast to minestrone soup, a typical vegetable soup is usually lighter and more brothy.

    How can you add extra flavor?

    I've heard people say minestrone soup is bland. But in this recipe, that couldn’t be further from the truth!

    You can add flavor to minestrone soup with red wine, tomato paste, and spices. The longer you allow the soup to simmer, the more strongly the flavors will infuse the broth for the most flavorful minestrone.

    I made three batches of this recipe to find the perfect flavorful minestrone soup broth.  And I am so excited to share it with you!

    What makes this soup so healthy?

    As part of the Mediterranean diet, minestrone soup is super healthy for you. Fiber from the beans and vegetables keep you full and they are loaded with nutrients. More than half of the soup is vegetable based which satisfies the government guidelines for building a healthy meal. And it is entirely plant-based and vegan. 

    This recipe is also gluten-free if you use gluten-free pasta shells like I did. For gluten-free, I also recommend double-checking your ingredients for hidden gluten.

    If you need help searching for hidden gluten in your ingredients, use our printable list of gluten ingredients to avoid.

    Let's make Vegan Minestrone Soup

    Ingredients

    Overhead view of soup ingredients measured and laid out for cooking.
    The 12 main ingredients for the perfect minestrone soup!
    • olive oil

    Fresh Veggies

    • yellow onion
    • zucchini
    • celery
    • garlic

    Broth

    • dry red wine
    • vegetable broth
    • canned diced tomatoes
    • tomato paste

    Spices

    • salt
    • ground black pepper
    • Italian seasoning

    Beans & Pasta

    • canned white beans
    • canned kidney beans
    • frozen cut green beans
    • small shell pasta (I used gluten-free)

    Finishing Touches

    • spinach
    • Italian flat leaf parsley
    Side view of a shallow bowl of soup to show all the individual ingredients in a tomato and wine broth.
    Imagine sitting down to eat this perfectly delicious bowl of soup.

    Instructions

    Once you see how easy this is, you will never buy canned minestrone soup again! The full instructions are below with step-by-step photos, but these are general guidelines for making minestrone soup from scratch: 

    1. Saute raw vegetables until soft.
    2. Add garlic and seasonings.
    3. Then add the wine and allow the alcohol to sizzle out.
    4. Add broth ingredients and simmer (tomato paste, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes).
    5. Add beans and simmer until all beans and vegetables are soft.
    6. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Garnish with fresh parsley.

    That's it -- just 6 very simple steps to the perfect healthy vegan soup!

    More healthy soup recipes

    • Easy Instant Pot Tomato Soup
    • Super Addictive Thai Chicken Soup
    • Soothing Golden Beet + Turmeric Soup
    • Savory Pumpkin Stew
    • Northwest Beef Stew in the Instant Pot

    Pairings

    Eat this soup as a main with a Gluten-Free Baguette (coming soon) or our amazing Dairy Free Tiramisu!

    Or pair it with one of these fan-favorite vegan pasta recipes:

    • Sneaky Pea Pesto Pasta
    • Herby Vegan Alfredo Pasta
    • Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
    Print
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    Overhead view of a full pot of vegan minestrone soup topped with fresh parsley.

    Healthy Vegan Minestrone Soup


    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    • Author: Jamie
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: 6 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This authentic Vegan Minestrone Soup is bursting with flavor! Serve with crusty bread or a rich pasta for guests. Easy, one-pot, gluten-free.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil

    Fresh Veggies

    • ¾ cup medium yellow onion, diced
    • 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
    • ½ cup celery, thinly sliced 
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced

    Broth

    • ⅓ cup dry red wine
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    • 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste

    Spices

    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • ½ teaspoons ground pepper
    • 2 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

    Beans & Pasta

    • 1 14-ounce can white beans
    • 1 14-ounce can kidney beans
    • ¾ cup frozen cut green beans
    • 1 ½ cups small shell pasta, uncooked (I used gluten-free)

    Finishing Touches

    • 2 cups spinach, packed
    • chopped Italian flat leaf parsley to garnish

    Instructions

    1. Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Then add onion, zucchini, and celery. Cover with a lid and cook, stirring on occasion, until vegetables begin to soften (about 5-7 minutes).
      Overhead view of zucchini, onion, and celery cooking in a pot on a burner.
    2. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Then add the wine and allow the alcohol to sizzle out (1-2 minutes).
      Overhead view of stirring spices and garlic into the pot with vegan minestrone soup veggies.
    3. Add broth, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
      Overhead view of a hand adding canned diced tomatoes to the pot with veggies and broth.
    4. Add white beans, kidney beans, green beans, and pasta to the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all vegetables, beans, and pasta are soft.
      Overhead view of beans being added and stirred into the soup.  
    5. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Serve hot with fresh chopped parsley to garnish.
      Overhead view of stirring fresh spinach into the soup.Overhead close up of Vegan MInestrone Soup in a 5 quart dutch oven.

    Notes

    Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. When reheating frozen soup, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight prior to reheating for best texture.

    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 30
    • Category: Lunch, Dinner, Soup
    • Method: Stove
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Keywords: healthy minestrone soup,

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vibrantlygfree on Instagram and hashtag it #vibrantlygfree

    Overhead view of a full pot of vegan minestrone soup topped with fresh parsley.

    This recipe is the perfect dreamy Vegan Minestrone Soup recipe adapted from the Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe I created as a freelancer for Mashed.com.

    I know you'll enjoy this house favorite recipe!

    xo, Jamie

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Robin

      July 18, 2021 at 12:55 pm

      I will never eat canned minestrone again! This is so easy, tasty, and I keep wanting more 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Jamie

        July 20, 2021 at 2:07 pm

        Awww thank you Robin! We feel exactly the same way in my house!

        Reply
    2. Candice

      September 07, 2021 at 6:23 pm

      I never saw a minestrone soup recipe with wine in it - such a good addition! It really adds some depth to the broth. Thank you for sharing your recipe. This is going to become one of my fall / winter staples!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Brenda B.

      October 14, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      This has become my favorite way to pack extra veggies into the week! I had the swedish meatballs on this site and thought this was a great way to balance out with some extra veg. I also like that this soup is thick and filling, almost like a minestrone stew. I hate thin vegetable soups with no veggies!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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