This vegetarian minestrone soup is packed full of fresh vegetables and makes for the most delicious weeknight meal. We swap the usual pasta for quinoa in this easy recipe!

Top down view of vegetarian minestrone soup in bowl

Classic minestrone is made with pasta. But since we often bend the rules around here, rather than pasta I added in quinoa. (If you do want pasta in your soup, might I suggest this Easy Chicken Noodle Soup?) While not quite as pronounced texturally as the pasta would be, the quinoa adds a subtly nutty flavor that plays well with the other elements of this vegetarian minestrone soup and makes it a little bit heartier too!

Why This Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Belongs on Your Menu

This vegetarian minestrone soup is flavorful feel good food. Here’s why you’ll love it!

The perfect, simple meal. This minestrone recipe comes together really quickly, so for those nights when you don't really have a plan for dinner but still want something comforting and nourishing? This soup is it.
Super versatile. Although I used spring vegetables in this version, this is a recipe you can easily change up. I encourage you to tweak the recipe and use a) what’s in season and b) what you enjoy. Not a kale fan? try spinach! Don’t want funky smelling pee? Swap the asparagus for green beans! Don’t like peas? Sweet corn would be delicious!
Great for leftovers. Make a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week! The flavors deepen as it sits, making it even better the next day. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and simply reheat when you’re ready to eat.

Overhead view of ingredients for vegetarian minestrone soup

What You’ll Need

Here’s a list of the simple, fresh ingredients you’ll need to make this vegetarian minestrone soup. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

Olive oil
Aromatics – Garlic, onion, and carrots build flavor in the base.
Diced tomatoes – Canned tomatoes make it easy!
Water or vegetable broth
White quinoa – Rinse this well if yours doesn’t specifically say on the package that it was pre-rinsed.
Italian seasoning – For classic herb flavor; a mix of dried basil, oregano, and thyme works too.
Bay leaves
Salt + pepper
Veggies – I use zucchini, asparagus, kale or spinach, and frozen peas.
Nutritional yeast or Parmesan – For garnish; nutritional yeast keeps it dairy-free while Parmesan adds a richer finish.

How to Make Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

This is an incredibly easy soup to make! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Carrots sauteeing in pot with onions and garlic

Cook the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic, onions, and carrots until they’re softened.
Simmer. Stir in the tomatoes, water, quinoa, spices, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Vegetables added to pot of minestrone soup

Overhead view of vegetarian minestrone soup in pot

Add the rest of the veggies. Uncover, stir in remaining vegetables, and cook for 10 minutes more, or until the asparagus is tender but slightly crunchy.
Finish. Adjust the seasoning and serve with nutritional yeast or Parmesan.

Tips for Success

Here are some additional tips to ensure your soup turns out flavorful and perfectly cooked every time.

Go easy on the salt if you use broth. Vegetable broth is salted, so I recommend adding a smaller amount of salt if you opt for broth instead of water and then adjusting to taste. You can always add more salt later, but you can't take it out once it's added.
Don't overcook the vegetables. If you’re like most people, you probably want tender or tender-crisp vegetables—not mushy! Use a fork to test the veggies for doneness.
Thicken it up if you’d like. Traditional minestrone soup gets some thickening from the starches released by the beans and pasta. If you’d like, you can puree a cup of the soup and then stir it back into the pot to thicken it a bit.

Ladleful of vegetarian minestrone soup held over pot

Variations

I love this recipe as written, but it’s also one you can tweak and customize! Here’s some inspiration.

Add a Parmesan rind. If you are not a strict vegetarian or vegan, adding a Parmesan rind to the soup as it cooks is a classic way to infuse it with more flavor.
Stir in some beans. To make it a bit heartier, feel free to throw in a can of beans. White, kidney, garbanzo or navy beans would all work well!
Finish with a swirl of pesto. A spoonful of pesto (I love this Everyday Vegan Pesto!) will elevate the herbaceousness of this vegetarian minestrone soup.

Overhead view of vegetarian minestrone soup in bowl

Serving Suggestions

To serve, I highly suggest a piece of toasted bread and a touch of nutritional yeast or Parmesan. You get a slightly cheesy flavor (which is so familiar with a dish like this) and have the perfect vessel to soak up the remaining tomatoey broth. Garlic Rosemary Quinoa Crackers would be amazing too!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerator: Store any leftover vegetarian minestrone soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Transfer the soup to a freezer-safe container or bag. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat: To thaw and reheat, simply let the soup defrost in the fridge overnight and then heat on the stovetop until warmed through.

Vegetarian minestrone soup in bowl, with second bowl in background

More Scrumptious Soup Recipes to try

Prep: 10

Cook: 30

Total: 40

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 small white onion diced
1 cup sliced carrots about 2 medium
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I used Tuttorosso)
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1/4 cup white quinoa uncooked
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
Salt + pepper to taste*
1 cup chopped zucchini 1 small or 1/2 of 1 medium
1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus
1 packed cup chopped kale or spinach
1/2 cup frozen peas
Nutritional yeast or parmesan to garnish

Instructions

Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions and carrots and cook until starting to brown, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, water, quinoa, spices, bay leaves, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove lid and stir in remaining vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes more until asparagus has started to soften, but still has a light crunch.
Taste, adjust seasonings as needed and serve immediately. Garnish with nutritional yeast (or cheese) if you want some cheesy flavor.

Notes

*I used water in this recipe so added about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teapspoon of pepper — this would be too much if you were using vegetable broth, so start with just 1/2 a teaspoon and adjust from there.

Nutrition

cuisine: American, Italian

course: Soup

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup