Vegetarian Minestrone Soup with Oodles of Noodles

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Cozy up and enjoy this recipe for my hearty vegetarian minestrone soup. Delicious vegetables, Yukon potatoes and gluten-free noodles make this soup a filling meal on a cold winter day. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Minestrone soup is a traditional, classic thick Italian soup. It’s typically made with tomatoes, carrots, onion, and celery.

Over the years, it has come to be known as a kitchen-sink soup of sorts. Chefs have added a variety of vegetables to this soup, using vegetables that are in-season or that they have excess of on hand. I personally make it to use up vegetables that will go bad if not enjoyed soon.

There is truly something for everyone in this soup. Veggie lovers will be enticed by the loads of delicious vegetables. Noodle lovers will adore the delicious brown rice noodles. And everyone will love sipping on a warm, flavorful, tomato-y vegetable broth.

One of the best parts about this soup is that it’s very affordable to make. A classic minestrone includes inexpensive pantry staples such as canned beans, tomatoes, and brown rice noodles.

While all the ingredients in minestrone soup can easily be made gluten free, unfortunately most minestrone soup listed on restaurants menus, such as the Olive Garden, contain gluten.

However, when you make this simple, tasty soup at home, you ensure all your ingredients are gluten free and safe for you to eat. Plus, minestrone soup costs less and is much tastier when it’s homemade.

How to Make Minestrone Soup

I’ll show you how to make this cozy vegetarian minestrone soup recipe, from scratch, in just a few easy steps:

Step #1: Gather Your Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this winter soup:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 small Yukon potatoes, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup green beans, stems removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 15 ounce can red beans, drained
• 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, do NOT drain
• 5 cups broth vegetable broth
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• Sea salt, to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup gluten-free elbow brown rice noodles

The beauty of a minestrone soup is that you can use any vegetable you have on hand including zucchini, kale, peppers, etc. There are no hard and fast rules.

You can also omit the Yukon potatoes. I personally love how potatoes taste cooked in a savory broth, and it adds some thickness to the soup, but it is certainly an optional ingredient.

Step #2: Prepare Vegetables

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, add olive oil, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened.

Add in the green beans, red beans, tomatoes, oregano, basil, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Then pour broth over the mixture and stir everything together until well combined. Do not add the spinach or noodles (yet).

Cook soup for 25-30 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally or until the vegetables and potatoes are softened.

Step #3: Cook Noodles

In a separate pot, cook noodles al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Alternatively, you could add the noodles directly to the broth (at the end of the cooking cycle) and cook for 9 minutes until the pasta is cooked al dente. Turn off the heat once the noodles are done cooking.

Be careful not to overcook the noodles. The longer they sit in the hot broth, the softer they become.

A Word About the Noodles: I have tried so many brands of gluten-free noodles. The noodle that I think works best for soup and holds its shape and texture well are brown rice noodles by Tinkyada. You can find Tinkyada noodles on Amazon or in many grocery stores nationwide (Sprouts, Safeway/Albertsons, Kroger, etc.)

Step #4: Add Spinach and Serve

Finally, add spinach to the broth and cook for 3 to 4 minutes just before ladling the soup into bowls to serve.

Add about 1/4 cup cooked noodles to each soup bowl and enjoy this cozy, healthy and delicious soup!

Serve this soup with your favorite gluten-free crackers, a crusty gluten-free bread, or simply enjoy as is. Between the potatoes and noodles, this is a filling meal.

How to Store the Soup

Minestrone soup stores well and is great for meal-prep (just add the noodles to cold soup to avoid them from sitting in the hot broth too long and overcooking).

Put unused portions of the soup in a large glass bowl, cover, and store in your fridge. Alternatively, place leftover soup in several pre-portioned bowls so it’s ready to heat and eat.

If freezing the soup, ladle a portion of cold soup into a zip top freezer bag, seal the bag tightly, and then place the bag into your freezer. Freezing it in baggies saves freezer space, which is limited space in my house. Simply defrost a bag of the soup in your fridge overnight or on your counter in cool water for an hour.

Other Cozy Recipes (Not Vegetarian)

Try these other cozy recipes from Good For You Gluten Free:

Hearty Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup: A family favorite recipe in a hearty soup made in your slow cooker.

Egg Drop Soup: This delicious egg drop soup tastes like Chinese take-out soup. It’s extra orange thanks to the heritage breed eggs and tumeric.