Picture this: You’ve just come in from a chilly day on the ski slopes or finished clearing snow from the driveway to be greeted by a steaming bowl of robust vegetable soup. Or maybe you’ve just spent a cozy afternoon by the fire, engrossed in a captivating book, and are in the mood for something to warm your heart. A bowl of this hearty Minestrone with Italian Sausage will hit the spot in either case!

Let’s back up. What exactly is minestrone? Well, minestra means “soup” in Italian or “to serve” depending on where you look. In more modern translations it means a substantial or hearty soup that originated supposedly during the Roman Empire. 

The main ingredients for a minestrone are vegetables – lots of them! It’s a bit of a free-for-all; while there are some classic ingredients, it’s also a fantastic dish for using up those veggies lingering in your fridge.

Carrots, onions, garlic, greens, and tomatoes play a leading role. Beans – both green beans and pulses like cannellini or kidney beans are also traditional and a main component of this soup. Add pasta and broth to the mix, and you’ve got the basics. Meat is optional.

Beyond the essentials of pasta, beans, loads of veggies, and a tomato/broth base it can be anything you want. I played and came up with a version we love. The best part? With some pre-planning, it comes together in a little over a half hour.

What You Will Need to Make It

Italian Sausage:

I used sweet sausage but if you like a little kick, spicy would work well too. Because I only use  8 oz for the entire recipe, the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol it adds is small, but you get a ton of flavor! You could certainly substitute chicken sausage if you’d like.

Cannellini Beans:

2 cans of reduced sodium cannellini beans that are drained and rinsed well. These add some starch to the dish, protein, and fiber helping to make it a good belly filler. 

Green Beans:

Just about every minestrone I’ve had includes cut green beans. They add a splash of color and a little crunch to the soup.

Carrots:

These veggies add another burst of color and antioxidants, but they are also a traditional part of a mirepoix that helps add flavor to the soup base. 

Onions and Garlic:

Aromatic veggies are also a part of the traditional mirepoix base that soups and sauces are often made with. I used a sweet onion but a yellow onion would add a little more punch

Pasta:

Use whatever dry pasta you have on hand, but a smaller pasta shape typically works best in soups. It is just easier to manage. I had orrechetti, but elbow macaroni, ditalini, or other small pasta would work. There are many fun pasta shapes in many grocery stores that you can experiment with. Check out Share the Pasta for fun ideas!

Tomato Sauce:

This is what helps make the soup thick and rich. Just 2 cups of a hearty tomato sauce mixed with the broth adds a bit of sweet, rich flavor to the soup.

Broth:

Beef, chicken, or vegetable broth will all work. Beef broth is traditional but I used vegetable broth because I had it on hand. I prefer using a reduced sodium broth. It gives me room to season the soup as I like.

Greens:

Greens are certainly optional but a handful or two of chopped spinach and baby arugula added some great nutrition, a pop of color and flavor to this soup.

Oregano and Basil:

Fresh or dried herbs are fine. If you use fresh herbs – add them at the end for max flavor! If dried, you can and should add them while the onions and garlic are cooking.

How to Make it

The beauty of making homemade soup is that they are hard to mess up! Honestly, they are one of the easiest things you can make from scratch. The most difficult part is chopping the veggies and let’s face it, a lot of these are available precut in most grocery stores, making life a bit easier if you are in a hurry.

So, let’s jump in.

Step 1:

Heat a little olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and saute them until they are just slightly soft. Stir in the garlic and dry herbs if using dried. Cook for a minute and then add the Italian sausage. Break it apart as it cooks and cook it until it is brown on all sides. Mix in the carrots, cannellini beans, and green beans.

Step 2:

Stir in the tomato sauce and the broth. Heat over medium heat until just under the boiling point. 

Step 3:

Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is just under the al dente stage. Add the greens to wilt them. 

Variations

The sky is the limit with a soup like this! You can use any vegetables you have on hand or any kind of bean in the pantry. You can skip the sausage if you want a vegetarian version. Add some extra beans to boost the protein content. Bottom line, you do you!

Storage Tips

This soup can easily be frozen for another meal down the road. Just store it in an airtight container and label it with the date you made it. It should keep for a good 2 – 3 months!

You can also store the extra in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The leftovers make a delicious lunch!

Other Recipes You Will Love

Homemade soups are delicious and an easy weeknight dinner. Check out some of my other favorites:

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Greens

Lemon Chicken and White Bean Soup

Hearty Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Weeknight Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you try this soup and love it, please leave a rating below. That will help others find this recipe to make for their loved ones!