This minestrone soup recipe has a slight twist using leftover vegetables with spaghetti sauce and curry. It’s quick and easy to make, naturally healthy either with meat or vegetarian!
My husband is a typical man – he finds something he likes and never tries anything different.
This goes for his favorite coffee mug, what he orders when we go out to eat, and even his favorite soup at home!
His favorite soup is minestrone soup. I like that soup too, but unlike him, I crave variety.
When a student in my course Grocery Budget Bootcamp (enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE 5-day Crush Inflation Challenge and start saving money on groceries tomorrow!) mentioned that she put her extra spaghetti sauce in her minestrone soup, I thought that sounded like an interesting twist.
Then when a friend mentioned adding curry to her minestrone, I thought that would definitely add a punch of flavor.
So I took both of these ideas and created a minestrone soup recipe that we both like – something “classic” enough for him, but “jazzed up” enough for me!
The Best Minestrone Soup Recipe
All the reasons you love an old fashioned minestrone soup are the same reasons to love this one:
- Made with pantry ingredients.
- Comes together quickly.
- Freezes and reheats well.
- Versatile to go with any season of leftover vegetables.
- Super cheap and super good!
Simple Ingredients for Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is traditionally made with leftover vegetables, so it will likely vary with each batch you make, but here are the ingredients I reach for any time we’re craving a good minestrone soup:
- Onion + Celery + Garlic + Carrot
- Corn
- Peas
- Green Beans
- White Beans (any type will work)
- Chicken Stock
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Noodles (optional)
- Spinach or Kale
- Curry + Sage + Thyme + Salt
As I mentioned, the vegetables you use in minestrone soup will likely vary depending on the season or what happens to be in your fridge. Zucchini, yellow squash, and fresh green beans would be great in the warm months. Potatoes, squash, and kale would be great in the cooler months.
There are no rules when it comes to this soup, however, if you want THE BEST minestrone soup, you can’t skip the spaghetti sauce or curry!
I like to use my homemade spaghetti sauce, which has tons of vegetables AND ground beef and ground pork. It’s a massive jolt of flavor, which makes this minestrone soup absolutely delicious!
How to Make Healthy Minestrone Soup from Scratch
This soup recipe comes together really quickly:
- Saute the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Meanwhile, prepare your noodles per package directions (if desired).
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the spinach or kale, and let the soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Stir in the greens and serve warm, preferably with a piece of crusty No-Knead Artisan Bread!
How to Make Minestrone Soup in the Instant Pot:
Follow step 1 above and sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. Meanwhile, prepare your noodles separately according to package directions.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the spinach or kale. Seal the Instant Pot, press “manual” and cook the soup on high for 3 minutes. When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally. Add the greens and replace the lid, letting the residual heat wilt the greens for about 5 minutes.
How to Make Minestrone Soup in the Slow Cooker:
Follow step 1 above and sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic on the stove. Alternatively, you can simply add the ingredients to the slow cooker without sautéing them. Meanwhile, prepare your noodles separately according to package directions.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the spinach or kale. Cook on “low” for 3-4 hours or on “high” for 1-2 hours. Add the greens and replace the lid, letting the residual heat wilt the greens for about 5-10 minutes.
What is the difference between vegetable and minestrone soup?
Minestrone soup includes beans, pasta, and tomatoes, but vegetable soup usually doesn’t include these. The broth for vegetable soup is usually clear.
Can you cook pasta in minestrone soup?
You can cook the pasta in the soup, but if you have any leftover, the noodles will be mixed in and can get mushy in the refrigerator. I recommend cooking the noodles separately so that they stay firm, and you can simply warm them both up together for leftovers.
What to Serve with Minestrone Soup
I like serving this soup with crusty bread, like my No-Knead Artisan Bread or my man bread. You can also pair this soup with a delicious salad, like my Kale Ceasar Salad or my Panzanella Salad.
Other Easy Soup Recipes
Freezer Cooking: Dump Dinner Recipes
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Get that classic minestrone soup flavor with a secret ingredient: leftover spaghetti sauce! Enjoy a bowl packed with veggies in a delicious tomato broth, perfect with crusty bread.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup & Salad
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil (or other healthy cooking fat)
- 1 cup diced onion (about 1 large onion)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 4 celery ribs)
- 1 cup diced carrot (about 2 large carrots)
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 6 garlic cloves)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen corn (or fresh)
- 1 cup frozen peas (or fresh)
- 1 cup frozen green beans (or fresh)
- 28 oz spaghetti sauce
- 6–8 cups chicken stock (try my slow cooker recipe or Instant Pot recipe)
- (2) 15oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed 3 times
- ½ tsp curry powder (optional)
- ½ tsp sage
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 cups spinach or kale
For Serving:
- 6–8 oz small noodles, prepared according to package directions (optional)
- 4–6 Tbsp shredded Parmesan
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, warm coconut oil (or other healthy cooking fat) over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook JUST until fragrant.
- Add the bay leaves, frozen corn, frozen peas, frozen green beans, spaghetti sauce, chicken stock, beans, curry powder (optional), sage, thyme, and salt.
- Simmer the soup over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package directions (if desired).
- Five minutes before serving, add the spinach or the kale and stir, letting the heat from the soup wilt the greens.
- Serve warm.
Notes
HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT
- Sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in the Instant Pot using the sauté function.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the pasta and spinach or kale, to the Instant Pot and seal the lid.
- Press “manual” and cook the soup on high for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your noodles separately according to package directions, if using.
- When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5-10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and add the greens. Replace the lid, letting the residual heat wilt the greens for about 5 minutes.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER MINESTRONE SOUP
- Sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic on the stove. Alternatively, you can simply add the ingredients to the slow cooker without sautéing them.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the pasta and spinach or kale.
- Cook on “low” for 3-4 hours or on “high” for 1-2 hours. (You may need a slightly longer cooking time if you skip sautéing the veggies first)
- Meanwhile, prepare your noodles separately according to package directions, if using.
- Add the greens and replace the lid, letting the residual heat wilt the greens for about 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 930
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