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Somewhere in Italy, one of those scowling grandmas who is usually spending the entire day staring people down out her window is simmering a pot of minestrone that's been going since last Thursday. We don't have that kind of time or that kind of commitment. What we DO have is 30 minutes, 1 pot, a bunch of vegetables, and a few other spices to make the most fire bowl of vegan minestrone soup you've ever had in your life.
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A traditional minestrone soup recipe is made with just about whatever produce is in season. It's the soup equivalent of "use what you got" and still somehow turning out like a 5-star meal.
If you've made my escarole and bean soup, vegan Italian wedding soup, or pasta fagioli, you already know this is the kind of recipe that overdelivers on every level.
Now here's what separates this vegan minestrone from the basic versions floating around the internet: smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar, and a little hit of brown sugar in the broth. The result is a deep, layered, kinda smoky, kinda sweet tomato base that tastes like it simmered for 3 hours when it actually didn't. It's in a completely different flavor universe than the canned classic minestrone soup I grew up having.
At first I was going to bypass this recipe. I thought, "Soup? Easy" But then I made it. On my own I would have never added balsamic vinegar, but it really adds to the flavor. Adam's recipes are accessible and delicious!
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this vegan minestrone soup recipe
🥣 1 Pot, That's It: The whole Italian soup happens in one pot using simple ingredients. I don't make the rules, I just benefit from them.
⏱️ Ready in 30 Minutes Flat: From cold pan to steaming bowl in about 30 minutes, faster than waiting for a pizza delivery guy who's definitely lost.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan Italian recipes, this one was perfected with feedback from over 1,000 recipe testers from around the world.
🤫 Learn the secrets for perfect vegan Italian meals
This guide to my most popular plant-based Italian recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍲 Vegan Minestrone Ingredients
Smoked Paprika
This is what gives the vegetable broth that subtle smokiness and warmth that makes people ask what your secret is. Regular paprika will do in a pinch, as will Kashmiri red chili powder (don't worry, that's not spicy).
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Totally optional, but a little heat here does a nice job of rounding out the flavor and keeping all that vegetable sweetness in check. Hate even the very idea of spice? It's completely fine to just leave them out.
Diced Tomatoes
For convenience, I use canned diced tomatoes to make this hearty soup recipe. Fire roasted tomatoes are a really nice touch here, (same ones I use in my vegan chili that, yes, I serve in a dusty old hat) but regular canned diced tomatoes do the job just fine.
Want to use fresh ones instead? Blanch and skin them first, dice them, and then firmly pack them into the measuring pitcher so that there's almost no air pockets to be seen.
Vegetable Stock
Use unsalted vegetable stock if you can find it so you have full control over the salt level as you go. I generally make mine every couple of months from carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and a few bay leaves and peppercorns (maybe some mushroom stems too if I have them on hand).
If you are buying it, truly unsalted is kinda hard to find. So, if low sodium or "regular"(read: a hideous amount of salt) is all you can get, just pull back on how much salt you add to taste.
The Pasta
Small shells, elbow macaroni, and ditalini, are the classics, but you can use pretty much any small pasta you've got in your pantry.
If you want to make this gluten free, Tinkyada rice pasta is the one my heart belongs to. It holds its shape and doesn't do that sad soggy, breaky-aparty thing that any gluten-free pasta does.
Balsamic Vinegar
Great minestrone is made with good quality tomatoes that have cooked down for a long time. But since we are using canned tomatoes as a cheat code here, the sweet/acid balance of balsamic vinegar is a little magic to make the tomatoes taste legit (even if they kinda aren't). Don't skip it. Red wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon can sub in, especially if you add a tiny pinch extra brown sugar to the soup with them..
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Vegan parmesan cheese is here as an optional garnish, so don't have a panic attack if you live in some food desert where fancy vegan cheeses don't dare to grace the grocery store shelves. Try my homemade vegan parmesan which is cheap and fast to make, or grab Violife's parmesan at the store because it's actually really good. A little sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes work too if that's what you've got on hand.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make vegan minestrone
Good news: this delicious minestrone is nowhere near as complicated as it looks sitting in that bowl all gorgeous and steaming. Follow the steps below for tips that'll make it perfect, or jump to the printable recipe card if you're a "just tell me what to do" kind of cook.
Step One
Sautébraham Lincoln:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. After about 90 seconds, once hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7-8 minutes until softened and aromatic.
Step Two
Garls In Charge:
Add the garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir continuously for 1 minute until the spices are evenly incorporated.
Step Three
Tomatoo Legit to Quit:
Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices along with the vegetable stock and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and let it simmer steadily for 10 minutes.
Step Four
Pasta Manyana:
Add the beans, green beans, zucchini, parsley, and pasta. Stir well and continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the vegetables are fully cooked.
Step Five
Sweet Home Alabalsamic:
Stir in the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, then season with pepper and salt, adjusting to taste.
Step Six
Minestrone Montana:
Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Garnish with vegan parmesan and additional parsley if desired.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
💡Serving Ideas
Minestrone is already a full meal in a bowl, so keep the sides simple and let it do its thing. Homemade vegan garlic bread is the obvious move, something crisp and buttery to mop up the broth with.
If you want to turn this into a full Italian feast that people will talk about, throw in some vegan lasagna, stuffed shells with my almond ricotta, or vegan carbonara with vegan chicken parm and just accept that no one is leaving your table anytime soon, and you'd better flip over that warbly old cassette tape of Italian wedding music to side b.
👉 Top tips
- Bloom the Spices, Don't Burn 'Em: That 1 minute with the garlic and spices matters more than it looks. Stir constantly, use a thick-bottomed pot, and keep the heat controlled. Because burnt garlic or scorched paprika will ruin a perfectly good soup.
- Cook the Pasta Al Dente: Pasta can go from perfect to bloated real fast. Especially if you are planning to pack away some of the healthy soup to reheat later, undercook the pasta a bit so it doesn't just keep sucking up broth.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Sadly, most people make easy minestrone with chicken stock, and all the chickens I know think that's super-mean. Otherwise, minestrone typically includes a mix of seasonal produce, beans, and small pasta in a tomato-based broth, with ingredients varying by region and time of year.
For suresies, you can skip the pasta entirely or replace it with rice or more of your favorite type of beans if you hate pasta so much.
🧊 Refrigeration
Allow the soup to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. If possible, store the pasta separately to keep it from absorbing too much liquid.
❄️ Freezing
For best texture, freeze the soup without the pasta in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. If the pasta is already mixed in, it will still freeze fine but may be softer after reheating.
🌡️ Thawing
Transfer frozen soup to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. For a quicker option, you can gently warm it straight from frozen over low heat, adding a splash of broth as needed.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating
Pour the soup into a pot and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through. Add a bit of water or vegetable stock if it has thickened too much.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating
Place a portion in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, until hot. Add a small amount of liquid if needed to loosen the consistency.
✌️You'll also love these vegan Italian soups:
Learn to make plant-based red sauce masterpieces in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Minestrone Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 cup celery diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes canned
- 6 cups unsalted vegetable stock
- 15 oz. Kidney beans or white beans (canned), drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups green beans chopped
- 1 cup zucchini diced
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- ¾ cup small pasta shells elbow macaroni, or ditalini
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt or to taste
Optional to garnish:
- Vegan parmesan cheese grated
- Parsley leaves chopped
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté, stirring regularly, for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables soften, and onions are fragrant.
- Add the garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute until the seasonings are well distributed amongst the veggies.
- Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid, and vegetable stock. Stir to combine, then increase to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low heat and maintain a steady simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the drained canned beans, chopped green beans, zucchini, parsley, and pasta. Stir well and continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the vegetables are fully cooked.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, pepper, and salt, adjusting to taste.
- Remove from heat. When portioning the soup into bowls, garnish with vegan parmesan and additional parsley if you like.
Notes
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Ann says
Great recipe. Very easy and fast, and great depth of flavor. Very nourishing, and everyone loved it.
Dushenka says
This is a weekday goto for our family: warm breakfast, quick lunch, or filling dinner. I never put vinegar, sugar, or pepper and I let people salt their individual portions because the person who was just working out typically wants more salt than someone who was working at a desk all day. Sometimes I will add strips of fresh basil or a drizzle of finishing oil before serving.
Mary Ruppenthal says
At first I was going to bypass this recipe. I thought, "Soup? Easy" But then I made it. On my own I would have never added balsamic vinegar, but it really adds to the flavor. Adam's recipes are accessible and delicious!