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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.

A closeup showing the carrots, squash and beans in the soup

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.

A bowl of chicken soup with crusty bread

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!

What makes Minestrone soup, Minestrone?

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).

A closeup of minestrone soup with beach, vegetables and grated Parmesan

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.

Autumn minestrone in a grey bowl topped with grated Parmesan cheese

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.

A side view of the bowl of soup showing the steam rising from it

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!

Yield: 4

Autumn Minestrone Soup

The soup viewed from overhead with a spoon and a delicata squash

Seasonal autumn/fall vegetables, beans and herbs are simmered in beef broth. Just add your favorite pasta.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

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

  1. 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.
  2. Add the zucchini, kale, potatoes and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until the kale is wilted.
  3. Add the beef stock, pepper and Parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 379Saturated Fat 1gSodium 762mgCarbohydrates 64gProtein 19g
© Janette
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Soup