After a long search for the perfect Minestrone Soup, I came across a winner. This version turned out flavorful and filling, with subtle smoky undertones. It tastes rather sophisticated, which is why you may be surprised at the addition of a can of bean with bacon soup in the ingredients. Just go with it! The addition of the condensed soup adds a subtle smokiness to the soup that compliments everything so well. This soup is great the first night, and even better as leftovers. It makes a fantastic freezer meal as well! If you’re looking for a more traditional all-vegetable soup, try this Vegetable Minestrone!
Ingredient Needed
- Italian Sausage – You’ll need one pound of Italian sausage. You can find this in either links or bulk in your store’s meat department. If using links, you will need to remove the meat from the casings. Most Italian sausage is labeled either “sweet” or “hot” which basically just means spicy and not-spicy. I always grab the non-spicy “sweet” one, but feel free to use either!
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Water
- Celery
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Beef broth
- Bean With Bacon Soup –We’re talking good old condensed bean with bacon soup here. This may seem like a strange ingredient but, trust me, it adds a subtle richness and smoky flavor to the finished soup.
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Great northern beans
- Oregano
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes – Speaking of heat, feel free to adjust the red pepper flakes as you see fit. 1/8 teaspoon will add some nice flavor without being overwhelmingly spicy. If you like a little kick, feel free to bump it up to 1/4 teaspoon or more.
How to Make Minestrone Soup
- Start off by browning some Italian sausage with diced onions and minced garlic. Drain if necessary.
- Then everything else gets added to the pot. First you’ll add some water, followed by celery, carrots, and zucchini. Then the canned ingredients: beef broth, bean with bacon soup, diced tomatoes, and great northern beans. Finish it off with a little sugar, oregano, kosher salt, and black and red pepper.
- Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for an hour. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and your favorite bread for dipping.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Freeze individual portions for a quick meal when needed!
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup actually shines brighter after reheating, in my opinion. Feel free to make it a day ahead of time and reheat as needed.
Minestrone freezes beautifully. Freeze the prepared soup in individual portions or follow these freezer instructions for the whole batch: Cook sausage, onions, and garlic and drain if necessary. Place in a large Ziploc bag or large freezer-safe container. Add remaining ingredients. When ready to cook, Place contents of the bag in a large slow cooker and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 6-8.
Yep, simply brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in a frying pan and then transfer to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and cook all day on low.
Minestrone Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 onion, medium diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups water
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots, large diced
- 1-2 zucchini, small quartered and chopped
- 1 14.5-ounce can beef broth
- 1 10-ounce can bean with bacon soup
- 1 28-ounce can tomatoes, diced
- 1 15-ounce can Great Northern Beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Remove sausage from casings and crumble the meat. In a large soup pot, brown Italian sausage with onions and garlic. Carefully drain, if necessary.
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in a frying pan, drain, and then transfer to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and cook all day on low.
- Freezer Instructions: Cook sausage, onions, and garlic and drain if necessary. Place in a large Ziploc bag or large freezer-safe container. Add remaining ingredients. When ready to cook, Place contents of the bag in a large slow cooker and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 6-8.
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- This soup freezes well. Freeze individual portions for a quick meal on busy days!
Questions & Reviews
Kate, Is there anything I can substitute for the italian sausage without altering the taste of recipe too much … or is the sausage key? I’m just not able to get over my dis-taste for sausage in general. Everything else looks great! Thank You!
We-ell…I think sausage makes it awesome, but I totally get your distaste. I would either just use ground beef or ground turkey or just leave it out altogether.
P.S. Thanks again for coming last week! It was so fun to see you! 🙂
So now that it’s soup weather again … I made this with ground turkey and I thought it was great. Thanks for the suggestion! Oh, and I like tripled the zucchini since it’s in the garden and that worked great too. And the leftovers are even better than the first day!!
This is my favorite soup recipe of all time. We eat it once a month around here. I have to say that I was said that it was not included in the cookbook….but happy it is still here!
I used to work in a find dining restaurant that had a great Minestrone. I have searched for years to find anything comparable. Tonight I made your recipe and we loved it. I could not find it in the recipe index though. Do you have all of your recipes there? Thanks so much!
This looks fantastic! I love making soups and stews in the crockpot this time of year!! Can't wait to make it one@
This soup is DE-LISH-US. Seriously. I'm so glad to have a great soup recipe on hand!
This soup was awesome! One taste and it is now my husband's second favorite soup after his much-loved childhood chicken noodle. I can't wait to eat the leftovers and to make it a regular on our cold-weather soup menu.
ok. so I am still just so in love with this site. i just made this soup for dinner and you are making me look like a superstar.
you may have made my marriage even better, now my husband think I can cook.
gush. gush. gush. i grabbed your button for my side bar.
Kate, my family LOVED this soup! I even used the S&W brand of tomatoes 🙂 Thank you so much! As I said in my email, I've never been a huge fan of minestrone – but this soup has converted me. Really, seriously, in love with this soup.
Oh, I love that you gave instructions on freezing this, I always wonder about that. I have a small family so I'm more likely to try something new if I know I can freeze the extra portions for another week rather than wasting it.
I made this last night! I used spicy italian sausage and it gave a nice bite to it! Awesome recipe, my family loved it, it tasted like something you'd order in a restaraunt. I'll definetely be keeping this recipe in my collection.
My favorite minestrone has to be from Olive Garden!