Hearty Minestrone Soup in 45 Minutes

A proper Italian-style minestrone loaded with soft vegetables, creamy cannellini beans and little pasta shapes in a rich tomato broth. It's a filling, meat-free main that only needs a pot and a wooden spoon, and it tastes even better the next day.

Minestrone is the ultimate use-what-you-have soup, but a good one has structure: a soffritto base, a tomato-rich broth, tender beans and just enough pasta to make it a meal. This version is deliberately thick and hearty rather than watery, so a bowl genuinely fills you up. It’s forgiving, freezer-friendly and comes together in one pot.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion — finely diced
• 2 carrots — diced
• 2 celery sticks — diced
• 3 garlic cloves — crushed
• 1 courgette — diced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans — drained and rinsed
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 100g small pasta — such as ditalini or small macaroni
• 80g kale or savoy cabbage — shredded
• to taste salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened but not coloured.
2. Stir in the garlic and courgette and cook for another 2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the tomato purée and cook for a minute, stirring, to take off the raw edge. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and let them bubble for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock, add the oregano and drained beans, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 12 minutes so the flavours build and the broth reduces slightly.
5. Stir in the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the base.
6. Add the shredded kale or cabbage in the last 3 minutes of cooking, until wilted and tender.
7. Taste and season well with salt and plenty of black pepper. If it's thicker than you like, loosen with a splash of hot stock or water, then serve.

Serve it with

• Warm crusty bread or garlic ciabatta
• A generous grating of Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
• A drizzle of good olive oil over each bowl
• A spoonful of fresh pesto stirred through
• A simple green salad

Why this works

Cooking the soffritto slowly and frying the tomato purée builds a deep, savoury base, while the starchy pasta and mashed-soft beans naturally thicken the broth into something hearty rather than thin.

Common swaps

• Swap cannellini beans for borlotti or butter beans.
• Use any small pasta, or break up spaghetti into short lengths.
• Replace kale with spinach, chard or green beans.
• Add a Parmesan rind to the broth while it simmers for extra depth.
• Stir in a tin of drained sweetcorn or some frozen peas to bulk it out.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Rushing the soffritto — the onion, carrot and celery need time to soften and sweeten the base.
• Adding the pasta too early, which leaves it bloated and mushy by serving.
• Making it too watery; keep it thick and add liquid only if needed.
• Under-seasoning — minestrone needs a confident hand with salt and pepper to sing.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Cool quickly and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pasta will soak up liquid, so loosen with a little stock when reheating.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 3 months, though the pasta softens further. For the best texture, freeze the soup without the pasta and add freshly cooked pasta when reheating.

Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan over a medium heat until piping hot throughout, adding a splash of stock or water to loosen as needed.

Allergen notes: contains Gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.