Minestrone is known in Italy as “the big soup,” chock full of kidney beans, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and pasta. Fennel, garlic, and basil also add to the Mediterranean flair of this famous soup.
Minestrone Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 6-8 (makes about 12 cups) 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup chopped fresh fennel (or 3 ribs celery, chopped)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (4 or 5 medium cloves)
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional; these are spicy)
- 6 cups water
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces each; about 3 cups total), undrained
- 1½ pounds white potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4½ cups)
- 2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1½ cups)
- 1 can cooked red kidney beans (15 ounces; 1½ cups), drained and rinsed
- 6 medium white or cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 2½ cups)
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups cooked whole-grain small-shell or elbow pasta (about 1½ cups dry)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a soup pot over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the onion and fresh fennel, and cook while stirring for 3 to 5 minutes, adding a little water as needed.
- Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes, and cook while stirring for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the water, tomatoes (with liquid), potatoes, carrots, and kidney beans, and bring to a boil, uncovered. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes.
- Stir in the mushrooms and zucchini, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the basil, parsley, and cooked pasta, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Notes
For a thicker, more tomato-y broth, add ½ to 1 can (6 ounces) salt-free tomato paste.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ recipe, 1.5 cups
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 8.9g
- Sodium: 62mg
- Fat: 1.4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 41.0g
- Fiber: 8.2g
- Protein: 8.6g
- Cholesterol: 0
Loved this soup! what makes it really special is the fennel and fresh basil --- no need for salt or oil in this healthy and yummy soup!
I made this soup for dinner tonight and the whole family enjoyed it. Everyone went for seconds including my son who hates mushrooms. I used celery instead of fresh fennel and cumin instead of fennel seeds. I didn't have any fennel in the house LoL! I used the minimum amount of red pepper flakes which gave it a little background heat. Perfect for those who like things mild. This recipe will be made again! 👍
Mm, I love this soup! 🙂 Thanks for the comment Stacey!
This is another great recipe! I have never made minestrone with fennel or mushrooms but this is really delicious and I will continue making it this way.
Yay! Thanks Lori! 🙂
This is a fantastic meal! I used lentil pasta which tends to be very delicate, so I cooked it right in the soup. With the pasta, the soup gets very thick. I also added some chard I had left over from Tomato and Rice soup earlier in the week. I love the fennel and red pepper flavors. It's great with a baguette or Quinoa Cornbread. I added a full jar of tomato paste (the kind I use comes in glass jars). My husband loved it!
Thanks Jackie, 🤗