Vegetable Minestrone Soup (Gluten-Free)

This hearty vegan minestrone soup offers up a plant-based take on the classic Italian dish. Packed full of healthy veg, beans, and pasta shapes, you'll have yourself a filling meal that's also gluten-free.

The soup is a celebration of veg and colour, so feel free to throw in any seasonal ingredients that you have to hand. Think squash, cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower, as well as any fresh herbs you fancy adding.

If you're interested in trying out more hearty plant-based soups, check out these recipes for vegan Scotch broth, smoky butter bean soup, and pumpkin and sweet potato soup.

What is minestrone?

Minestrone is a hearty soup of Italian origin that can be traced back to the early Roman period several thousand years ago.

Usually consisting of vegetables, beans, and pasta (or rice), you're likely to find a wide range of different variants and twists.

Is it usually vegan?

Some minestrone recipes include a meat-based stock or additions such as cheese, but apart from that it's often entirely plant-based. Needless to say, it's easy to create a vegan version by using a vegetable stock and seasonings such as herbs and nutritional yeast.

If you're not sure what nutritional yeast is, learn about it (and more) in this list of unusual vegan ingredients.

Is this recipe healthy?

This soup makes for a healthy meal that's low in calories, low in fat, and high in fibre and vitamins. One serving of this recipe provides:

• Calories: 241 kcal
• Protein: 11 grams (22% of RDA)
• Fibre: 9 grams (38% of RDA)
• Iron: 5 mg (28% of RDA)

(Amounts based on a third-party nutrition calculator)

For more healthy vegan and gluten-free pasta dishes, see these recipes for 15-minute tomato tahini pasta, vegan cashew alfredo, and tempeh bolognese.

Which pasta is best?

I've gone with dried macaroni (small tubes), but you could use any pasta shape you like. You can even take spaghetti and break it into smaller pieces when adding to the pan.

Since this recipe is gluten-free, I've used GF pasta. Another option would be to add a similar amount of rice and adjust the cooking time accordingly until the grains are tender.

Which beans should I use?

Although borlotti beans are supposedly the authentic choice, I've gone with cannellini beans (a.k.a. white kidney beans). You could use a similar creamy white variety such as haricot beans (a.k.a. navy beans) or stick to the traditional borlotti.

If you don't have these, try something like chickpeas or butter beans (or simply leave them out).

For more recipes that use cannellini beans, check out this vegan white pudding and white bean soup with lemon and parsley.

What you'll need

To make this hearty vegetable minestrone soup, you'll need:

• Mixed veg and tinned tomatoes
• White beans such as cannellini beans
• Dried pasta shapes to make it a more filling meal
• Seasoning in the form of dried mixed herbs, bay, and nutritional yeast

How to make vegan minestrone soup

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and celery.

Season with salt and pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes until starting to soften, stirring regularly.

Stir in the garlic, yellow pepper, and courgette and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add the dried herbs, bay leaf, tinned tomatoes, vegan stock, and nutritional yeast. Break any whole tomatoes apart with a spoon.

Add a splash of water to the empty tomato cans and swirl around before adding to the pan. Mix well and bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, add the pasta shapes and cook on a gentle heat for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through, checking and stirring every now and then.

When the pasta shapes are nearly done, stir in the drained cannellini beans and spinach.

Cook for the final few minutes until the greens have wilted, then adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.

Serving suggestions

Enjoy this soup as it is, or with fresh bread (gluten-free if necessary). You could also serve with fresh basil or parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice, or a sprinkle of homemade cashew parmesan.

Recipe FAQ

Variations and tips for minestrone soup

• Herbs: If you don't have a herb mix, simply combine a few dried herbs such as sage, oregano, basil, thyme, or marjoram. You could also include any fresh herbs you have to hand.
• Greens: These could be anything from spinach to kale or beet greens (including frozen versions).
• Tomatoes: If using canned whole tomatoes, break these up thoroughly in the pan.

Hey you – let me know what you think

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇

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More vegan recipe ideas

If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:

• Red Pepper and Lentil Soup
• Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Tofu Cream Cheese
• Celeriac and Apple Soup
• Mushroom and Tarragon Soup
• Simple Cashew Cream
• Vegan Pasta Puttanesca

You can also check out my full list of vegan soup recipes.