Enjoy this Vegetable Minestrone Soup full of zesty lemon and savory basil flavors. It's a fun twist on the traditional minestrone soup we all know and love!
This soup is made with 13 ingredients and takes little time to come together. It's filled with a bunch of spring veggies like asparagus, green onions, carrots, basil and spinach.
Get creative and add your favorite spring vegetables! If you don't like asparagus try swapping it for green beans or squash.
This recipe works great for meal prep for work lunches or dinners, too!
Ingredients
- Broth - I use veggie
- Pasta - you can use any small pasta, but I love ditalini
- Beans - I use cannellini, but you could swap for another option
- Diced Tomato - I typically do lower sodium options
- Green Onion - best in the spring!
- Spinach - or you could do another favorite green
- Basil - this flavor just makes me think of summer that's on its way
- Lemon juice - adds just a hint of brightness
- Olive oil - needs some good heart healthy fats!
- Garlic - needed in just about any recipe in my opinion!
- Salt - enhances all the flavor!
Instructions
You'll start by sautéing the green onions in oil with the salt and garlic. Then add the broth and diced tomatoes to the mix. Followed by the carrots and asparagus.
You'll cover and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the crunchy veggies to soften.
Next, you'll add the beans and pasta, cooking uncovered for 7- 10 minutes or however long the pasta box recommends.
I love adding the juice of one lemon at this point - it just adds a nice punch of citrus but not in an overpowering way.
The last step is stirring in the spinach and basil and boom it's done!
The soup will look its best at this point once you're done. The green of the asparagus, spinach and basil looks gorgeous at this point.
So, if you're serving it and care about appearance, I wouldn't prep it ahead of time.
The green hue of the asparagus, spinach and basil will fade with time, but of course, it still tastes delish!
Ways to Add More Protein
Beans are the main protein source in this soup. If you want to make it extra hearty, try adding in chicken sausage or tofu.
You could also experiment with ground beef or ground pork. Try sauteing the ground meat in oil, garlic, and your favorite seasonings.
I've added ground beef before and found it went well!
Serving Ideas
Soup and bread just go together, right! Serve this soup up with a toasted slice of baguette with butter. You can't go wrong there.
How do you toast a baguette? Super simple! Slice into hearty slices, spread butter on one side and bake at a low temperature around 325-350 Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
That's all! You could even add herbs or garlic on top or just keep it simple with buttery goodness!
If you prefer a crisper and deeper brown on your baguette, you could increase the temperature to 400-425 Fahrenheit. I prefer a softer crostini for dipping in soup, which is why the temperature is a little lower.
Topping with extra basil isn't a bad idea either! You could even try doing a swirl of pesto.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Slice into hearty slices and spread butter on top. You can add seasonings or herbs if desired, but I love keeping it simple with butter. Then bake anywhere from 325-425. I tend to go on the lower end of the spectrum for oven temperature, because I prefer my crostini softer for dunking into soup. However, do as you wish!
Yes! Soup tends to freeze well. However, always leave room for it to expand as it freezes in whatever container you use.
Absolutely! Try chickpea or kidney beans. For pasta, try shells or small elbow macaroni. There is no right or wrong!
More Soup Recipes
Butternut Squash Soup: This recipe is a favorite and so creamy and flavorful with ginger and coconut milk.
Sweet Potato Chili: A cozy and hearty soup recipe that's good for you too!
If you're a big fan of soup and want more recipes, please let me know what soup recipes you'd be interested in below in the comments!
Vegetable Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch chopped green onions
- 6 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
- 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1.5 cups chopped asparagus
- 1 lemon juiced (around 3 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 1 cup small pasta (I love using ditalini, but you could also use elbow or small shells)
- 1 150z can of cannellini beans
- 2 cups or big handfuls chopped spinach
- 1 cup chopped basil
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat.
- Saute green onions with salt and garlic in oil for 1-2mins.
- Add veggie broth and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.
- Add carrots and asparagus and bring heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Next, add pasta, beans and lemon juice. Cook uncovered for however long the instructions recommend on the pasta box, usually 7 to 10 minutes.
- Take soup off the heat and stir in chopped spinach and basil. Taste for any extra salt.
- Serve with extra basil - enjoy!
Notes
- One tricky thing is salt. I will add more salt if I can't get no salt added diced tomatoes. I usually use regular cannellini beans because it can be hard to find them without salt added. Start with the 1 teaspoon salt, and at the end of the cooking, taste test for additional salt. Salt is so key to flavor, and in a soup, I think it can really make a difference. So, taste test and see!
- Servings will vary whether doing a small portion like a cup vs a larger portion like a bowl. On average, you can get 6-8 servings from the recipe.
Nutrition
(Nutrition values are calculated by third-party software and an estimate that can vary based on product brands and cooking methods.)
Marti
Just made this and couldn't wait to comment - we loved it! I would not have expected to enjoy soup so much this time of year but it is just bursting with flavors and feels like a perfect soup for spring.
I'll have to think on suggestions for other soup recipes, but this one will keep me happy for a long while!
Monica Nedeff
Woo! Glad it was a hit, Marti! Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂