How to Make MINESTRONE SOUP Like an Italian

Minestrone soup is one of the traditional dishes of Italy, with a history rooted in Cucina Povera—the humble, ingenious way of cooking that makes the most of simple, affordable ingredients. It’s the ultimate comfort food, packed with veggies, beans, and pasta, and it’s so versatile that no two minestrone recipes need to be the same.
Traditionally, it was made to use up leftover vegetables, and even now, it’s a great way to clear out the fridge. Depending on where you are in Italy, the ingredients can change. In Northern Italy, the recipe often includes vegetables like potatoes, borlotti beans, and celery, often paired with cabbage or kale. While in Southern Italy, you’ll see zucchini, spinach, and even green beans added.

#minestrone #soup #vincenzosplate

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INGREDIENTS:
2 carrots diced
1 celery stalk diced
1 red onion diced
½ pumpkin sliced
2 potatoes diced
1 broccoli sliced
2 cans 800g/28oz diced tomatoes
400 g /14oz mixed beans
1 small can of lentils
Fresh bunch of parsley chopped
2 sprigs rosemary
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Ditalini pasta
Parmigiano rind diced

METHOD:
1. Place a large pot over medium heat and pour in a generous amount of EVOO.
2. Add the chopped celery, onion, and carrots to the pot. Remove the leaves from a sprig of rosemary using your hands and add them to the pot. Stir to combine.
3. Add a splash of water to prevent the soffrito from burning. Cover with a lid and allow it to cook for 10 minutes.
4. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and stir. Add the pumpkin and potatoes, then mix to combine. Drizzle in a little more EVOO and continue stirring. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients.
5. Cover the pot with a lid and let it cook for 10–15 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and stir. Add the diced tomatoes and mix well. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients again. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the Parmigiano rind, another sprig of rosemary, and the broccoli. Stir to combine.
7. Add more water if needed to ensure all ingredients are submerged. Season generously with salt and pepper, then stir. Cover with the lid and cook for 10 minutes.
8. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and stir. Add the mixed beans, lentils, and a small handful of chopped parsley. Add a splash of water if needed and stir again.
9. Cover the pot and cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes, stirring 2–3 times during this period. Remove the rosemary sprig before continuing.
10. Add more water so the ingredients are swimming in the broth. Taste the soup to check if the vegetables are cooked through and the seasoning is balanced. Adjust with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO if needed.
11. Add the pasta and cook it for 2–3 minutes less than the package instructions. Stir to prevent it from sticking.
12. Let the soup cook uncovered for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Check if the pasta is al dente. Once ready, remove the pot from the heat and serve immediately.

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⏱️⏱️TIMECODES⏱️⏱️
0:00 Introduction to Italian Minestrone Soup
0:14 Ingredients of Italian Minestrone Soup
1:53 Preparing the Soffrito
3:43 Adding Pumpkin, Potatoes, and Water
5:24 Mixing in Diced Tomatoes and Broccoli with Parmigiano Rind
8:36 Adding Mixed Beans, Lentils, and Parsley
12:11 Cooking the Pasta in the Broth
16:09 How to Serve Italian Minestrone Soup
16:26 Time to Eat Minestrone Soup, E ora si Mangia

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🎬 #VincenzosPlate is a YouTube channel with a focus on cooking, determined to teach the world, one video recipe at a time that you don’t need to be a professional chef to impress friends, family and yourself with mouth-watering #ItalianFoodRecipes right out of your very own kitchen whilst having a laugh (and a glass of vino!).

[remilefrancois]

I just try your recipe and its was divine. Its the first time we eat a home made minestrone, but not the last. Grazie mille! A big welcome from Canada.

[GuppyCzar]

Your timing is perfect Chef! Its below freezing here in Texas and this will warm us up from the inside out! Bravo chef!

[VegasCanuck-hu]

Vincenzo, you truly love to cook, and it's contagious!

[christopheradam]

Vince’s minestrone is a classic textbook real deal Italian recipe and you can’t go wrong if you follow his steps!!! but add the vegetables you have in your garden or fridge, no need to put exactly what he put in to your minestrone. The sofrito is non negotiable. Vince helped me take my minestrone two levels up with the pumpkin which I always add to mine now (thank you Vincenzo🙏!!!). a nonna taught me to use potato, which also gives that starchy creamy mouthfeel, but pumpkin is better. Sorry nonna

[Zandanga]

Totally agree on the rosemary ... I add rosemary and a little real butter to my carrots ... wonderful smell ...

[dandavis]

The King of Italian cuisine on youtube does it again. Amazing job Vincent 😋😋

[CaptainReverendo]

Made tonight it was amazing. I left out the pumpkin and used zucchini instead of broccoli. It was amazing. The lentils ready added a body and it was great!

[christopheradam]

I made minestrone for dinner and this popped up while I was in food coma euphoria. It’s amazing how I can never replicate the same minestrone but it’s always awesome. I add Parmesan rosemary croutons to mine and Sicilian chilli flakes. It’s the only soup my kids ask for seconds, no matter what is on offer for secondi course, they just can’t have enough of the minestrone.

[Serenity_Dee]

Minestrone is a personal favorite of mine. And we have a whole container of parmigiana reggiano rinds we got from a nearby supermarket that we use for soups and sauces!

Oh, tip for the potatoes: do NOT blanche them or rinse them! You want them to release the starch into the broth to thicken it.

Re: stock: the parmigiana rind is the main reason you really don't need it, but if you want it vegan, there are vegetable stocks, bouillons, and concentrates with various levels of salt. Bouillon, whether in powdered or cube form, tends to be fairly salty, while boxed liquid broth is less predictable. The brand Better Than Bouillon makes concentrates with a wide range of bases, from both animal and plant sources.

If you want to make a vegetable broth yourself, save all the off-cuts and skins and peels from things like garlic, onions, celery, carrots, and so on, such as the very ends of scallions or green onions, just make sure to wash them thoroughly in case there's any dirt or what-have-you. Put them in a big pot with plenty of water, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer for a few hours. Strain out the solids, then put it back in the pot and reduce it and season it to taste. Whenever I make stock, whether it's meat or vegetarian, I reduce it to about a third of the original volume after straining, and freeze it in an ice cube tray and save the cubes to put in soups and stews.

[איתןשי]

I love minestrone :) Since celery is very expensive here I use green chili peppers instead in the sofrito (with some much hotter ones added later...) and we always use leftover veggies we have from other stuff... It is divine :)

[anish]

Appreciate it, Vincenzo! An awesome flavor packed vegetarian recipe which I can make.

[Kamamura]

I like how each ingredient has its own musical theme on entry.

[JerichoMilesAlvarez]

The cuisine is mouth watering, it keeps me wandering of those unique flavors keep those ingredients together. In this case, my grandma died because I loved her despite I was a crazy kid, I still loved her, and I am changing my life would need. Thank you for the big shoutouts in this Italian cooking community.

[MrEric]

Thank you Vincenzo. I have been searching for a good minestrone recipe. Bravo.

[mattk]

Thanks for this. I made it today with a couple of variations. I only had dry green lentils, and I put them in earlier, and in lieu of broccoli i used spinach and zucchini. I also started the soffritto off with diced bacon. And my pot was getting too full so I left out the pasta. Anyway, it turned out great, and the point is you make allowances to accommodate the ingredients you have on hand. But you do provide inspiration too!

[CAVU]

I love making minestrone! I make it at the end of summer/beginning of fall and put eggplant and zucchini and the last of the tomatoes from my garden in it. Then freeze for later. It tastes so good on a cold dark winter evening!

[denkenhilft]

Vegetarian food at it‘s best. Thank you Vincenzo.

[louisburley]

Ah yes! Back to good recipes! I can’t wait to make this

[dzlifetruth]

Literally everything the body needs in one pot and delicious. Bravo sir. ❤
7 mins in I was getting nervous thinking, “he’s gonna season that right?” 😜

[wasabista]

I just made your ragu bolognese (except I added garlic, thyme, sweet basil leaves and rosemary -- sorry chef!), but I'll make this in a few days. Looks incredible and I can make enough for a few days at once.