A good minestrone recipe is one that allows for flexibility and seasonality. Here’s how to build your own version of the comforting, family-favorite soup with the veggies you have at hand.

Minestrone Recipe: How to Make and Serve Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is a classic Italian dish of pasta, beans, and vegetables simmered in a tomato-based broth. Like other soups and stews in this genre, such as white bean soup, Italian wedding soup, and pasta e fagioli, minestrone is endlessly customizable. Traditionally a vegetable soup, some minestrone recipes may include meat, such as Italian sausage.
Minestrone soup is best when it includes vegetables that will hold their shape during cooking. (There are exceptions: Squash turns melty-tender when braised in soup.) The vegetables you choose will dictate your cooking time, so try to cut them into equal sizes, and add longer-cooking veggies first. Try minestrone soup with:

- Alliums, like shallots, onions, leeks, and garlic 
- Carrots
- Celery 
- Dark leafy greens like kale, baby spinach, chard, or dandelion greens
- Fennel
- Green beans
- Legumes like lentils or chickpeas
- Sweet potatoes
- Summer or winter squash, like zucchini, butternut squash, or pumpkin
The best minestrone soup is light enough to serve as a hearty lunch, and rich enough to be the main course at dinner. It all depends on how you serve it. 

- __Garlic bread__: Bread is a natural pairing for minestrone. Any crusty bread will work, but [garlic bread](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-perfect-garlic-bread) is especially delicious.
- __Green salad__: Round out your meal with a green salad, dressed with an acidic [vinaigrette](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-a-classic-vinaigrette-with-chef-thomas-keller). Or keep things simple with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and some flaky sea salt. 
- __Roasted chicken__: Minestrone is a great vehicle for leftover [roasted chicken](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/thomas-kellers-perfect-oven-roasted-chicken), so it stands to reason that the two work well together on the same evening. The bright acid from the tomato broth complements the salty, savory flavors of roasted meat.
Store leftover minestrone in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat on the stovetop for best results and adjust seasoning as needed. Alternatively, store minestrone in a sealed container in the freezer for up to three months.
A good minestrone recipe is one that allows for flexibility and seasonality. Here’s how to build your own version of the comforting, family-favorite soup with the veggies you have at hand.

Minestrone soup is a classic Italian dish of pasta, beans, and vegetables simmered in a tomato-based broth. Like other soups and stews in this genre, such as white bean soup, Italian wedding soup, and pasta e fagioli, minestrone is endlessly customizable. Traditionally a vegetable soup, some minestrone recipes may include meat, such as Italian sausage.

What Is Minestrone Soup?

Minestrone soup is best when it includes vegetables that will hold their shape during cooking. (There are exceptions: Squash turns melty-tender when braised in soup.) The vegetables you choose will dictate your cooking time, so try to cut them into equal sizes, and add longer-cooking veggies first. Try minestrone soup with:<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Alliums, like shallots, onions, leeks, and garlic </li><li class="">Carrots </li><li class="">Celery </li><li class="">Dark leafy greens like kale, baby spinach, chard, or dandelion greens </li><li class="">Fennel </li><li class="">Green beans </li><li class="">Legumes like lentils or chickpeas </li><li class="">Sweet potatoes </li><li class="">Summer or winter squash, like zucchini, butternut squash, or pumpkin </li></ul>

What Vegetables Are Best With Minestrone Soup?

The best minestrone soup is light enough to serve as a hearty lunch, and rich enough to be the main course at dinner. It all depends on how you serve it. <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Garlic bread: Bread is a natural pairing for minestrone. Any crusty bread will work, but <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-perfect-garlic-bread' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-perfect-garlic-bread","linkCopy":"garlic bread","category":null}'>garlic bread</a> is especially delicious. </li><li class="">Green salad: Round out your meal with a green salad, dressed with an acidic <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-a-classic-vinaigrette-with-chef-thomas-keller' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-a-classic-vinaigrette-with-chef-thomas-keller","linkCopy":"vinaigrette","category":null}'>vinaigrette</a>. Or keep things simple with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and some flaky sea salt. </li><li class="">Roasted chicken: Minestrone is a great vehicle for leftover <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/thomas-kellers-perfect-oven-roasted-chicken' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/thomas-kellers-perfect-oven-roasted-chicken","linkCopy":"roasted chicken","category":null}'>roasted chicken</a>, so it stands to reason that the two work well together on the same evening. The bright acid from the tomato broth complements the salty, savory flavors of roasted meat. </li></ul>

What to Serve With Minestrone Soup

Store leftover minestrone in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat on the stovetop for best results and adjust seasoning as needed. Alternatively, store minestrone in a sealed container in the freezer for up to three months.

How to Store Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup Recipe

A good minestrone recipe is one that allows for flexibility and seasonality. Here’s how to build your own version of the comforting, family-favorite soup with the veggies you have at hand.

A good minestrone recipe is one that allows for flexibility and seasonality. Here’s how to build your own version of the comforting, family-favorite soup with the veggies you have at hand.
