Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup with Brown Rice Pasta

Cozy up and enjoy my gluten-free minestrone soup recipe, complete with delicious gluten-free brown rice noodles. The yukon potatoes and brown rice 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 savor the delicious brown rice noodles. And everyone will love sipping on a warm, flavorful, tomato-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 Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup

I’ll show you how to make this cozy gluten-free 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 flavorful 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 (I recommend Tinkyada)

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).

Bring the broth to a boil, then simmer the soup for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally or until the vegetables and potatoes are softened.

Add the brown rice noodles and cook for 8-9 minutes until the pasta is cooked al dente. Your broth should be at a rolling boil. Add spinach and then turn off the heat. Allow the soup to sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.

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.

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. Put leftover 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 they’re ready to heat and eat on demand.

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

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.

Best Damn Gluten-Free Chili Recipe: This tasty chili will warm you from the inside out.

Also check out my article, Store-Bought Soups that are Gluten Free. Several brands now make a canned gluten-free minestrone soup!