Hearty Italian Minestrone

Minestrone in a bowl on a wooden cutting board

There’s something deeply comforting about a bowl of hearty yet light soup full of color and packed with nourishing vegetables. This wholesome version of minestrone celebrates the beauty of simple ingredients, the kind you might find in a rustic Italian kitchen or your local farmer’s market.

Each spoonful feels grounding and satisfying, with tender beans, fragrant herbs, and a rainbow of vegetables that come together in a flavorful broth.

Cooked minestrone in a bowl

A Nourishing, Colorful Soup

At the heart of this minestrone are beans, humble yet powerful little sources of nourishment. They’re naturally rich in fiber, which supports healthy digestion and helps keep you feeling full and steady throughout the day. 

Beans also serve as a natural prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in your gut and supporting a balanced microbiome. Whether you choose cannellini, borlotti, or chickpeas, they add both substance and silkiness to the soup.

Soup vegetables and pasta all together

Then there’s fennel, the aromatic herb that lends a gentle, anise-like sweetness to the broth. Traditionally used to soothe digestion, fennel brings a bright, herbal balance to the heartiness of beans and root vegetables.

Combined with a colorful mix of tomatoes, rainbow chard, butternut squash, potatoes, onions, and garlic, this soup becomes a celebration of whole vegetables in their purest form. Each one adds its own layer of flavor and texture, creating a bowl that’s as good for the spirit as it is for the body.

How to Make a Cozy Italian Minestrone

Prep the Veggies: Start this recipe by chopping your vegetables, starting with onion, garlic and fennel. Thinly chop your vegetables and add them to a large soup pot on low heat until the onions are translucent. Then chop the tomatoes, butternut squash and potatoes. In addition to the vegetables, rinse and drain three cans of beans. I used red beans, chickpeas, and cannellini beans. 

Vegetables chopped and combined in a soup pot

Simmer: Add all the vegetables and beans to a pot and pour in your vegetable stock. Turn the heat to medium and all the stock to simmer with all the vegetables, allowing potatoes and butternut squash to soften. 

Add Pasta & Greens: After the soup has been simmering and the vegetables are almost all soft, add in your pasta. Make sure not to add too much, as it expands and soaks up the broth while cooking. About 5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add in the rainbow chard to allow it to wilt in the broth.

Cooked minestrone in a pot

Serve & Enjoy: Once the pasta has cooked, turn off the heat. Use a ladle to add the soup to a bowl and enjoy a cozy bowl of healing soup. This recipe makes about 12 portions, so it is also perfect for leftovers or meal prep.

Recipe: Hearty Italian Minestrone

Ingredients: 

  • ½ Yellow onion diced
  • 3 Cloves of garlic minced
  • ½ Bulb of fennel thinly sliced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes diced
  • ½ Medium butternut squash cubed
  • 2 Yellow potatoes cubed
  • 1 16 oz can chickpeas
  • 1 16 oz can red beans
  • 1 16 oz can cannellini beans
  • ½ Cup dry pasta
  • 1-2 Cups chopped rainbow chard
  • 4-6 Cups vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions: 

Chop all vegetables. Add onions, garlic, and fennel to a soup pot on medium-low heat and allow them to sauté until onions are translucent. Add in tomatoes, butternut squash, potatoes and beans as well as vegetable stock. Turn heat up to medium to bring soup to a simmer. Add in pasta when the vegetables are almost soft. At the last 5 minutes add in rainbow chard to allow it to wilt. Once the pasta is fully cooked, turn off the heat, add to a bowl and serve!

*This article is intended for informational purposes. The statements above have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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