Minestrone
This Italian side builds carrot, celery stalk and potato into a weeknight-friendly meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for large pot and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (8)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot and gently cook the diced onion, carrot and celery with the chopped garlic for 8 to 10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
- Add the diced potato and courgette and stir for 2 minutes, then tip in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes to concentrate the flavour.
- Pour in the stock, season lightly, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are nearly tender.
- Stir in the drained beans and the pasta and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is cooked and the soup has thickened.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and plenty of black pepper, loosening with extra stock or water if it becomes too thick.
- Ladle into bowls and finish each with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil; this soup is a great way to use up any odds and ends of vegetables in the fridge.
You'll use: Large pot · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Parmesan
- pecorino · grana padano · aged asiago
What to serve with Minestrone
- Spaghetti Bolognese Beef
- Spicy Arrabiata Penne Vegetarian
- Vegan Lasagna Vegan
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad Seafood
Tips & common questions
How long does Minestrone take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of parmesan?
Try pecorino. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Minestrone vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Minestrone is an original Italian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Minestrone, Mazatlán, 15 de noviembre de 2022.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.