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Home » Recipes » Cozy Soups

Vegan Minestrone Soup

By Erin · February 20, 2021 · Updated September 8, 2022 · 10 Comments

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bowl of vegetable soup with a side of bread and text overlay

Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup that's ready in under 1 hour! Made with veggies, diced tomatoes and pasta, this soup is comfort in a bowl. It's a great way to get the whole family to eat vegetables, and it makes for the best leftovers.

bowl of soup with a side of bread

Chilly weekends call for a big bowl of vegan minestrone soup! Seriously, bring on all the veggies.

What's nice about minestrone soup is that you can kind of tailor it to your liking and use whatever produce you have in the fridge. There are plenty of substitutions, so you should be able to make this soup even if you're "missing" an ingredient.

If you're looking for more vegan-friendly soup recipes, be sure to check out my popular Instant Pot vegetable soup, along with this vegan tomato soup. Both are warm, cozy and easy to prep, and of course dairy-free.

Recipe features

  • A veggie-packed soup that loaded with flavor
  • A great way to get your family to eat vegetables
  • Easy to customize to your liking, and can also be made gluten free
soup ingredients on the table

Ingredient notes

This list is simply to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients; the full ingredient list is below in the recipe card.

  • Russet potato: I like using russet potatoes because they're easy to find, but you could definitely sub sweet potato or butternut squash instead.
  • Zucchini: Either 1 large or 2 small; if you hate zucchini, try using yellow squash or green beans instead.
  • Diced tomatoes: If you've been following along, you know I always prefer using fire roasted diced tomatoes (especially in soups!). For this recipe, make sure you add the tomatoes and the juices from the can.
  • Great northern beans: Can use chickpeas or cannellini beans if you don't have great northern.
  • Pasta: Opt for a smaller pasta shape, like macaroni, ditalini, orecchiette, or small pasta shells.
  • Spinach: Adding greens to soup is a great way to squeeze them in; can sub kale or chard if you prefer.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Sauté. Start by adding the olive oil to a dutch oven or large pot and heat it over medium. Once it's hot, add the celery, carrots, and onion and sauté them for 5-7 minutes, or until the carrots are soft. Next, add the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and sauté for 2 more minutes.

cooked carrots, celery and spices in a dutch oven

Step 2: Add the vegetables. Add the potatoes, zucchini, diced tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, water, black pepper, and bay leaf to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15 minutes.

tomato-based soup in a dutch oven

Step 3: Stir in the pasta. Remove the lid, then add the pasta, beans and spinach and continue simmering uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the pasta is soft.

Taste test and add more salt and pepper as needed, and maybe 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice if you're feeling fancy!

cooked soup in a dutch oven

Tips and tricks

  • If you're making this soup ahead of time, do NOT add the pasta. The pasta will absorb much of the broth, so it's better to cook it separately and add it in before you serve the soup.
  • I personally love the addition of lemon juice -- I think it adds more flavor and makes the soup taste really fresh, but adding lemon is optional.
Can this be made gluten free?

Yes! You can sub your favorite gluten free pasta in place of the regular pasta shells. I'd still opt for a smaller sized pasta, and my personal preference is brown rice pasta because it tends to hold up best in soups.

Can I make this soup ahead of time?

If you want to prep this soup in advance, simply follow the recipe instructions, but omit the pasta. Then, once you're ready to serve it, cook the pasta separately and add it in with the soup.

How should this be stored?

Store the soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. NOTE: the pasta will absorb some of the broth, so you may need to add more before eating it. To reheat, add soup to a pot and heat it over the stovetop.

What should I serve this with?

This minestrone soup pairs perfectly with this winter kale salad and these baked zucchini fritters.

bowl of soup with a side of bread

More tasty soup recipes

  • Easy Black Bean Soup
  • Spicy Sausage Potato Soup
  • Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

bowl of soup with a side of bread

Vegan Minestrone Soup

Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup that's ready in under 1 hour! Made with veggies, diced tomatoes and pasta, this soup is comfort in a bowl. It's a great way to get the whole family to eat vegetables, and it makes for the best leftovers.
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 celery
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 cup yellow onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 russet potato diced
  • 1 small zucchini chopped
  • 28 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
  • 32 oz. vegetable broth
  • 3 cups water or more
  • black pepper to taste
  • 15 oz. great northern beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ cups pasta small shell pasta
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice optional

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Then, add the celery, carrots, and onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes until the carrots are soft. Then, add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Next, add the bay leaf, potato, zucchini, canned tomatoes with their juices, broth, and water, and turn the heat up to high. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and add the beans, pasta and spinach and continue simmering uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Remove from the heat and adjust the salt/pepper as needed, and then add lemon juice (optional). Enjoy!

Video

Notes

*Calories are per serving and are an estimation 
*Storage: store soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat: add soup to a pot and heat over the stove; NOTE: you will have to add more broth while reheating as the pasta absorbs some of the broth in the refrigerator. 
*To make gluten free: use your favorite gluten free pasta instead (I love using broth rice pasta!)

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1282mg | Potassium: 791mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5418IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!
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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Catori says

    March 10, 2023 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    Sweet veggie lovin jesus this is uhhhmaaayziiing soup!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 12, 2023 at 7:28 pm

      LOL thank you!

      Reply
  2. Kara says

    January 13, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    Phenomenal recipe! I brought this to my family’s annual soup day and everyone loved this! I’m adding this to my weekly rotation for quick and healthy lunches on the weekend.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      January 14, 2023 at 1:06 pm

      I'm glad this was a hit!

      Reply
  3. i_think_i_can_vegan says

    December 14, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    5 stars
    A truly delicious and warming to my soul soup! I followed the recipe to the letter with the exception of the pasta. I had to use a GF pasta and it turned out amazing.

    Reply
  4. Kelly says

    November 22, 2022 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    I made this soup last night in my instapot and it came sooo good! I love minestrone and wanted a really good and healthy recipe. I used the minestrone veggie mix from wegmans so I wouldn’t have to chop up everything and had to use vegan chicken broth because that all that I had in the house. This is going on my winter soup weekly rotation! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  5. Vicki says

    November 20, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    This soup was incredible! I would not change a thing. It has such depth of flavor. I added fresh lemon juice just before serving and it really brightens up the soup. I will definitely make this again and will be passing this recipe on to my friends!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      November 21, 2022 at 9:31 am

      Thanks so much for your kind comment -- I'm glad the soup was a hit!

      Reply
  6. Nancy says

    October 12, 2022 at 9:06 pm

    5 stars
    This was the best minestrone I’ve ever made! Will definitely be in the regular rotation this winter. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      October 13, 2022 at 8:33 am

      Thanks for the kind comment, Nancy -- I'm glad you liked the soup!

      Reply

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