This classic Italian Vegan Minestrone Soup is loaded with fresh healthy vegetables, beans, and Italian seasoning! This healthy soup base, combined with just a little pasta makes for an amazing variety of textures. It's also loaded with vitamins, minerals, and immunity boosting compounds!
Somehow, while a very healthy soup recipe, Vegan Minestrone Soup is also a soul soothing comfort food. A little red wine adds sophistication and elevates this soup from "vegetable soup" to a classic Italian marvel. Read on to see how to make it with only 12 ingredients and in 30 minutes!
Vegan Minestrone Soup is one of the most frequently served meals in my house, and I make it year round. It tastes amazing hot or cold. In the cooler months, I prefer to make this healthy soup recipe on the stove as listed in this post. However, when it's hot outside, I make the Instant Pot Minestrone Soup version on my porch so I don't heat the house!
For family dinner, this minestrone soup is hearty enough for a meal but also works well as a side dish. With dinner guests, I like to serve this soup with a crusty gluten-free baguette and Dairy-Free Pesto or a rich pasta dish. My Gluten-Free Artisan Bread and No Knead Gluten-Free Bread recipes also pair with this healthy minestrone soup.
Some of my favorite pastas to pair with vegan minestrone soup are Vegan Alfredo Pasta, One Pot Vegan Lentil Pasta, Vegan Penne Vodka, and Pea Pesto Pasta.
Jump to:
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 to make it (with photos)
Ingredients Notes
You need 12 healthy whole food ingredients to make this Vegan Minestrone Soup recipe.
- vegetables - I used onion, celery, zucchini, and spinach in this recipe. They are all traditionally used in minestrone soup and Italian cooking in general. For substitutions and variations, see the section below this one.
- dry red wine - The best dry wine for cooking is one that you also enjoy drinking! For alcohol free, replace the wine with an equivalent amount of vegetable broth. The alcohol nearly all bubbles out while cooking, so as long as you boil the broth for a little bit, it's actually ok to serve this recipe to children even with wine as an ingredient.
- tomato paste - Tomato paste adds a richer flavor to the broth and I definitely recommend including this ingredient.
- Italian seasoning - Use whatever Italian Seasoning you have on hand, a blend of your own favorite spices, or make my favorite Italian Seasoning Substitute. Italians actually don't keep "Italian seasoning" in their spice cabinet, but I explain all about why that is and how they spice in my Italian seasoning recipe post.
- pasta - Small shell pasta is the perfect shape for cradling the beans and pieces of vegetables. You can also use elbows, fusilli, or other small pasta shape. I used gluten-free small shell pasta and it tastes very authentic.
You also need olive oil, garlic, vegetable broth, canned diced tomatoes, green beans, salt and pepper, canned white beans, and canned kidney beans to make this recipe.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for a full list of ingredients with quantities.
Substitutions + Variations
Change this vegan minestrone soup recipe to fit your needs with these tested substitutions and variations:
- Change up the vegetables - Traditionally, minestrone soup is meant to use whichever vegetables and beans you have on hand. It's totally ok to use my recipe as a guideline and add your own twist by swapping out the vegetables. Carrot, broccoli, snap peas, and fresh green beans are all awesome additions or swaps to this recipe.
- Make it gluten-free - This recipe is 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 my printable list of gluten ingredients to avoid.
- Alcohol-free - To avoid using alcohol altogether, swap the red wine for an equivalent amount of vegetable broth.
Step-by-step Instructions
Once you see how easy this homemade vegan minestrone soup is, you will never buy canned minestrone soup again! Here's how to make it:
- Saute the veggies: 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).
- Garlic + wine: 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).
- Soup base: Add broth, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Beans + pasta: Add the 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.
- Spinach: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the spinach. Serve hot with fresh chopped parsley to garnish.
That's it -- just 6 very simple steps to a healthy vegan minestrone soup!
Expert Tips
Make excellent vegan minestrone soup on the first try with these expert tips!
Use wine you'd like to drink.
In true Italian style, choose a red wine that you can drink while you cook. Italians pride themselves in recipes with few but quality ingredients, and there are almost no exceptions.
Choose quality olive oil.
Just like choosing a quality wine, a quality olive oil is always an asset to a fine recipe. A good olive oil will be packaged in a jar (usually with darkened glass) and should taste fruity, peppery, and pungent. Not musty or rancid.
Let the onions caramelize.
Add the onions and the olive oil first and allow them to begin to turn translucent before adding the other vegetables. This will add extra flavor to the finished minestrone soup recipe.
Let the garlic turn golden and become fragrant.
Similarly to the onions, sauteeing that garlic enough to notice that it is golden and fragrant before moving onto step 3 and adding the soup base will add extra flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Vegan Minestrone Soup recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftover vegan minestrone soup 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.
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. As with most soups, this soup tastes better on the second day after they flavors have had time to meld and settle.
As part of the Mediterranean diet, minestrone soup is super healthy. Fiber from the beans and vegetables keep you full and are loaded with nutrients. More than half of the soup is vegetable based which satisfies the government guidelines for building a healthy meal (the plate method). And this healthy minestrone soup is is entirely plant-based and vegan.
Related healthy soup recipes to consider...
If you love this healthy vegan minestrone soup, I recommend these other healthy soup recipes:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card or comment field below. Thank you!
Healthy Vegan Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 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
- ¼ cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley leaves to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Saute the veggies: 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).
- Garlic + wine: 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).
- Soup base: Add broth, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Beans + pasta: Add the 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.
- Spinach: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the spinach. Serve hot with fresh chopped parsley to garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
This Vegan Minestrone Soup recipe is adapted from the Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe I created as a freelancer for Mashed.com.
I hope you enjoy this house favorite recipe!
xo, Jamie
Brenda B.
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!
Candice
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!
Robin
I will never eat canned minestrone again! This is so easy, tasty, and I keep wanting more 🙂
Jamie
Awww thank you Robin! We feel exactly the same way in my house!