Autumn Minestrone Soup
My Autumn Minestrone Soup is my seasonal twist on that famous Italian classic soup! This soup is hearty enough to be a complete meal anytime the weather is cool and you can mix things up all year by adding in your favorite seasonal vegetables. Just add some crusty bread and you are good to go.

As convenient as it may be, there’s really no reason to buy canned soup when you can make a batch of this Fall Minestrone Soup easily and quickly and keep it in the fridge or freezer. Fresh fall/autumn vegetables are not only tasty but there also good for you.
Because I created this recipe years ago, I haven’t eaten canned soup for as long as I can remember. From what I can remember, though, it’s not very good and chocked full of sodium.
This is how far I’ve gone to create my own soup recipes. When I was living alone in my 20’s, one morning I woke up with the flu and a fever. I dragged myself to the supermarket to get chicken, celery, carrots, parsnips and potatoes so I could have my own Homemade Chicken Soup.

This may sound extreme, but I’m just driving home the fact of how easy it is to make from scratch, good-for-you soups. Plus, you know that you’re getting all the best nutrients from homemade soup without any of the added ‘things’ that canned soups contain.
I could live on soup just about everyday. I would say 2 meals a-day (yes only 2, I would not go as far as eating soup for breakfast). It’s a perfectly balanced meal in a bowl and large batch of fresh homemade soup will survive just nicely in the fridge for about a week, or even months in the freezer. Another good reason not to eat canned soup!
A hearty vegetable soup with added pasta, beans or rice. Sometimes, but not always tomato-based.
A traditional non-tomato based is Milanese Minestrone Soup that is also vegetable and beans based but uses rice instead of pasta (pictured below).

Best Vegetables for Minestrone Soup
Because of the versatility of this soup, I like to mix up the ingredients according to the season. I added delicata squash, butternut squash or pumpkin for the fall season. In spring, you could add peas and asparagus. To make a winter minestrone, add Brussels sprouts, parsnips or leeks.
Adding Parmesan cheese rind to soup (chefs tip)
Adding a leftover Parmesan cheese rind adds so much flavor to tomato sauces and soups. If you have one don’t throw away all that goodness! I recommend adding it to the soup as the soup simmers to let all the flavor ooze out. Just remember to remove the rind before serving or someone will get a surprise!
It wont melt too much, but it does add a delicious flavor that you just can’t replicate. It can typically add saltiness, so take this into consideration when salting the soup.

Vegan Minestrone
You can very easily make this a vegan minestrone soup by omitting the pancetta, swapping the beef stock for vegetable stock/broth and replace the Parmesan rind with nutritional yeast for a nutty flavor boost.
Regional Minestrone
Different regions of Italy use different ingredients for their minestrone. Just as I talked about earlier in Milanese Minestrone from Lombardy, they add rice and no tomato. Tuscan minestrone uses chard, cabbage and pumpkin, and Liguria they add basil, green beans and beans.

If you’ve tried this Autumn Minestrone Soup or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!
Autumn Minestrone Soup

Seasonal autumn/fall vegetables, beans and herbs are simmered in beef broth. Just add your favorite pasta.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ounces (85 grams) pancetta, diced
- 1 medium onion, 8 ounces, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 cup kale, chopped
- 5 small or 2 large gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 15 ounces canned chopped or crushed tomatoes
- 3 ½ cups (826 ml) beef stock , or vegetable stock if you prefer * see note
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Parmesan cheese rind ** see note, optional
- 15 ounces (425 grams) cannellini beans
- ½ cup (100 grams) your favorite small pasta cooked
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and onions, cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary. Stir and cook for 1 minute, don't allow the garlic to brown.
- Add the zucchini, kale, potatoes and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until the kale is wilted.
- Add the beef stock, pepper and Parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Taste for seasoning, if your stock is not salty stir in ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste. The rind will also add salt. Remove the Parmesan rind, stir in the beans and pasta.
- Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Notes
*Most store bought beef stock is quite salty so taste.
**To add extra flavor, you can add a rind of parmesan cheese to the soup while it simmers.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 379Saturated Fat 1gSodium 762mgCarbohydrates 64gProtein 19g
39 Comments on “Autumn Minestrone Soup”
I’ve never cooked with parmesan rind before so am I supposed to add it whole? How much? Do you remove it at the end? I can’t wait to make this tonight for my family!
The Parmesan rind is optional. I always have them leftover and it adds great flavor to soups and sauces, if you don’t have it you can leave it out. If you do, add it while the soup simmers (whatever size you have) and remove at the end. I hope you all enjoy the soup.
I made this soup for dinner last night. I couldn’t find pancetta but bacon worked very well. I just saw the pumpkin vegetable soup that I’m going to try next, thank you for great recipes.
I’m so glad you like it. I think I’ll make some today.
Tried this and its one of the best I’ve made thank you it’s so tastier than the other one I have
Hi Mary, I’m so glad you like the soup. Thank you so much for the great feedback.
Your soup looks amazing! I am going to put this on my menu for next week. Quick question, in the directions, you say to add in grate in garlic. Looks like a typo, but I’m wondering if you grated the garlic (at which point I’d just press it) or did you in fact leave the cloves whole? I’m assuming you left them whole, but just wanted to clarify. Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Christine, thank you so much for the kind words. I don’t see a typo, recipe says add the grated garlic in step 3 with the rosemary. I would not advise leaving them whole. I hope you enjoy the soup.
Hi soup looks so yum! Shall be making this tomorrow…but do i need to soak the dried beans over night? or just add straight away to the pot?
Hi Tom, yes, soak the beans for at least 6 hours. I hope you enjoy the soup.
Thank you! cooking as i type…starving, looking forward to it!
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This is such a delicious soup!
It’s become a family favorite!
After a few runs I ended up adding more veggies than it called for and substituted cabbage for the kale.
Thank you!
Sounds delicious Natasha, I like to mix-it-up too. Thank you for the feedback.
Exactly my type of soup with plenty of vegetables!
What a gorgeous soup for fall, amazing!
This is a very hearty and delicious looking soup. Perfect for those rainy days.
I really, really wish I had a bowl of this in front of me right now! Looks wonderful.
What a wonderful soup! Perfect for the season ๐
I love this twist! looks awesome!!!
Beautiful soup…this may be the magic winter healing soup I was looking for.
It is so rainy and grey here rght now that II could do with a huge bowl of this for lunch.
I am one hundred percent in your corner on this! I love homemade soup and do eat it for a week straight lunch and dinner, when I can’t convince anyone else in the family to finish it. Your minstrone looks fabulous. Always happy to add another soup to my collection. Pinning, yummy and stumbling this baby!
Minestrone soup in autumn is the best comfort food. It’s a family favorite.
Perfect to warm me up on cold fall and winter nights! So delicious!
Love how hearty this is!
I would love a bowl of this tonight. It’s cold and rainy and I don’t feel like going to the store.
This looks like the perfect soup for this time of year, and I happen to have all the ingredients for it in my fridge just now!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing!! I had left overs today too. I did add just a little more garlic then asked and added salt and pepper. But I always seem to add a little more to all my soups. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Thank you so much for your great feedback Amanda. I love that you made it your own ๐
Just finished a big bowl…..fantastic, delicious, colour, taste and will definitely recommend
That’s great Wayne, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorites ๐
Not only does your soup look delish…but your photography is also absolutely stunning!
This looks so good! I love soups, and a good veggie soup is the best! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve pinned it for later.
I’m all about “Balanced Meals in a Bowl” This combo is so healthful. I love it. It looks like a delicata in the photo, but I don’t see it in the recipe.
This soup looks amazing!! I love the combination of vegetables. YUM!
Thank you, it’s one of my favorites.
Not only does your soup look delish, but your photography is incredible!
Thank you Linda