Vegan Minestrone Soup

Name: Vegan Minestrone Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 celery; 2 carrots; 1 cup yellow onion (diced); 4 garlic cloves (minced); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp oregano; 1/2 tsp 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 1/2 cups pasta (small shell pasta); 2 cups spinach; 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Dairy Free Vegan Vegetarian

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

More tasty soup recipes

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