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Minestrone is just gorgeous! This rustic Italian soup boasts a rainbow of colors and a farmer’s market of fresh vegetables making it not only beautiful but healthy and delicious! Minestrone is super versatile and can easily be made vegan by swapping out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and using vegan Parmesan. What truly sets this minestrone apart is the added flavor boost from the pesto-tossed pasta. This extra step is worth it and lends a fresh, herbaceous, loveliness to the soup.

A brief history of minestrone:

This hearty meal-in-a-bowl soup has been nourishing people for hundreds of years. The origin of minestrone dates back to pre-Roman times. In an ancient Roman cookbook, De Re Coquinaria, they describe a soup made with farro, chickpeas, fava beans, onions, garlic, and greens. It sounds like heaven in a bowl to me!

In reading my aunt’s memoirs, I found out that my Italian great-grandfather was famous for his sauce and minestrone. I’m not sure but this may have been where my grandmother learned to make minestrone. My grandmother made her minestrone and lentil soup very similar. They were both delicious and easy to make! Grandma Lombardi always started with olive oil, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and basil. For minestrone, she would add cannellini beans and her velvety homemade chicken broth. For lentil soup, she would add lentils and water. Making colorful vegetable soups is super fun! The vegetable possibilities are endless!

Every time I cook, I’m grateful for the time spent with my grandma and all of the kitchen wisdom she passed down.

“I live on good soup, not on fine words.” Molière –

Let’s do this!

  • Select your pasta shape. I like to use gluten-free small shells because they’re the perfect bite-size shape. Follow the package cooking instructions. Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil.
  • Make the pesto. Toss the basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, Parmesan, into a food processor and let a rip! Then stream in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss most of the pesto with the pasta and set it aside. Spoon a little of the remaining pesto into your soup for an amazing punch of flavor or brush it on Italian bread and pop it in the oven for killer garlic pesto toast!
  • In a large soup pot, sauté the vegetables then add the tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and cannellini beans. When the veggies are cooked, drop in the spinach and cook until wilts.
  • Throw a few scoops of pasta in each bowl and ladle the hot soup over. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan and toasted pesto Italian bread or your favorite gluten-free bread.
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Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: cllombardi
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Soups
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This classic minestrone soup is perfect for any time of year! It’s packed with fresh herbal deliciousness and loaded with healthy green veggies!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces gluten-free pasta shells

Pesto

  • 1.5 cups fresh basil, lightly packed in measuring cup
  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more if needed to thin pesto
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • cracked black pepper, to taste

Soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, sliced on the bias
  • 3 celery stalks, halved lengthwise, then sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups green beans, stem-end trimmed, and cut into 2” pieces
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 14-5 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small piece of Parmesan rind (optional)
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta shells per package instructions. Drain pasta, drizzle with a little olive oil, and set aside.
  2. In a food processor, add basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, and Parmesan. Pulse a few times then with the processor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream until mixture is completely blended. Open and scrape down the sides then blend for another 30 seconds. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Toss 3/4 of the pesto into the pasta shells and set aside. Reserve the remaining quarter for drizzling in the soup.
  3. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes then add the garlic, zucchini, green beans, and Italian seasoning and cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Gently stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cannellini beans, and Parmesan rind (if using). Bring to a boil then down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove Parmesan rind.
  5. Add the fresh spinach and cook until wilted (about 2 minutes).
  6. To serve the minestrone, add about a 1/4 cup of pesto pasta to the bottom of the soup bowl then ladle the hot soup over the pasta. Garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese. 

Notes

  • Any remaining pesto can be drizzled into the soup or brushed on Italian bread and toasted in the oven for delicious garlic pesto toast!
  • In spring, a wonderful option is to swap out the green beans and zucchini for asparagus and peas. Have fun and use any combination of vegetables that you’d like.

Keywords: minestrone soup, soup, vegetable soup, gluten-free soup