This gluten-free minestrone soup is comfort in a bowl. A great way to use leftover vegetables hanging around, this cozy soup is super easy to whip up in just 1 hour. It is naturally vegetarian, and easily dairy-free or vegan.
This Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup is the perfect recipe to make on a cold, cozy day. A light tomato broth is beefed up with fresh vegetables, beans, and gluten-free pasta shells. This hearty soup is gluten-free, naturally vegetarian, and easily dairy-free or vegan.
Minestrone soup is the perfect thing to make when you have bits and bobs of random vegetables around the kitchen. While the recipe is great as provided, feel free to use up what you have to avoid produce waste.
Keep reading to learn all of my tips, tricks, and customizations to make this the best cozy soup you've ever made!
Looking for more gluten-free meals? Check these out:
- Gluten-Free Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie Skillet
- No-Bean Chili
- Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Tomato Soup
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What is Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone is an Italian soup that is traditionally made from a tomato and stock base, filled with vegetables, beans, and pasta or rice. If you Google "minestrone soup", you will see that no two recipes are alike. There is generally no right or wrong way to make minestrone, since the premise of the soup is to use up the vegetables that you have on-hand. This recipe contains most of the classic ingredients, but keep reading to see suggested substitutions based on what you may have available!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy and homemade. When you make soup yourself, you know exactly what is in it and can be confident that it's good for you.
- Allergy-friendly. This minestrone soup is gluten-free and naturally vegetarian. It can also be easily made dairy-free and vegan my omitting the parmesan garnish. It is also nut-free! Make it legume-free by leaving out the beans.
- Soup in just 1 hour! That's quick by soup standards. In just 1 hour, you can be eating this deliciously cozy, filling soup.
Ingredients Needed
Here is everything you'll need to make this gluten-free minestrone soup:
Note: The following ingredients are what I use in my gluten-free minestrone. The premise of this soup is to use whatever vegetables you have leftover and on-hand, so feel free to mix and match!
- Olive oil
- White onion
- Carrots
- Celery: A classic mirepoix (onion, carrots, and celery) is the basis of many great soups, including this one!
- Garlic
- Yellow potato
- Zucchini
- Crushed tomatoes: You can buy them crushed or whole and crush them yourself.
- Vegetable broth: Ensure yours is gluten-free.
- Italian seasoning: A mix of dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme and dried marjoram, typically.
- Salt, to taste: This soup needs a fair bit of salt, since it contains tomatoes, potato, and other vegetables, which are just better with salt! But add salt to your taste.
- Black pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional): A little heat is great in this soup.
- Bay leaf (optional but recommended): Honestly, I could not fully explain to you what a bay leaf actually does. All I know is that it's a key ingredient in many soups for an added layer of flavour. When I first tasted this soup, it felt like it was missing just a little something something. That's when I added a bay leaf and some red wine for the last half of simmering. The result was amazing!
- Splash of red wine (optional): See above. Just a splash (I'm talking under ¼ cup) of red wine took this soup to another level of flavour, so if you have it on hand, I recommend adding a splash... and pouring a glass for yourself.
- Gluten-free small shell pasta (or other small shape): The mini shells that I used are rice pasta, but feel free to use any small pasta you can find: macaroni, ditalini, or stelline.
- Frozen cut green beans (optional)
- White or red kidney beans (optional): I normally try to avoid legumes most of the time, but in minestrone they're a classic! I used half a can of each bean. Definitely feel free to omit if you don't like legumes.
- Fresh Italian parsley and parmesan cheese to top: Omit the parsley for an entirely dairy-free soup!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
(Prep) Place a heavy-bottom stock pot on the stove over medium heat. Chop the vegetables while it heats up.
(1) Add the olive oil to the pot and allow to warm. Place the onion, carrot, and celery in the pot and sauté for 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
(2) Add the potato, zucchini, tomatoes, broth, spices, wine and bay leaf if using. Stir to combine everything and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer. Place a lid partially covering the pot so that steam can escape. Simmer for 30 minutes.
(3) While the soup is simmering, cook the pasta in a separate small pot of salted water. Gluten-free pasta releases a lot of starch, so cooking it in a separate pot will help remove the starchy water, and also avoid overcooking. Cook pasta according to the package instructions, but cook about 2 minutes less than the stated time. Rinse pasta thoroughly in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until the soup is almost finished.
(4) When the soup has simmered for about 30 minutes, add the beans. Rip some fresh parsley and stir into the soup. Allow to simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
If you will be sharing and consuming all of the soup in one sitting, add the pasta to the pot. If you will not finish all the soup, add some pasta in each bowl. To serve, top soup with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Enjoy warm! See storage instructions below.
How to Serve
There are many ways to enjoy this minestrone soup. Here are some suggestions:
- Enjoy alongside a fig & prosciutto flatbread!
- Dip some gluten-free focaccia bread in the soup.
- Eat with a savoury gluten-free cheese scone.
- Serve as the main event for lunch or dinner!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Storage Instructions: Allow leftover soup to cool completely before placing in an airtight container. Gluten-free minestrone soup will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Package cooked gluten-free pasta in a separate container in the fridge. When ready to serve, add a small serving of pasta to a bowl of soup and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Garnish with parsley and parmesan and enjoy again!
Freezing Instructions: To freeze leftover minestrone soup, allow the soup to cool completely before placing in a serving-size freezer-safe airtight container. Do not add the pasta to the soup before freezing. Freeze the soup without pasta. To thaw, place the container in the fridge overnight and reheat soup on the stove or in the microwave the next day. Feel free to add cooked pasta when serving the soup. Garnish and enjoy!
Customizations
While this minestrone soup recipe is crafted with optimal flavour pairings, the premise of the soup is to use what you have available! Here are some suggestions to change it up:
- Add what you have. Peppers, spinach, more beans, etc. If you have any leftover vegetables that may go bad soon, just throw them in to bulk up the soup.
- Leave out what you don't like. If legumes aren't your thing, leave out the beans! If you don't have red wine, leave it out.
- Make it creamy. Add more potatoes, add a splash of heavy cream, or blend up some cashews (¼ cup soaked cashews with ½ cup water) for a creamier soup.
- Add meat. This is a naturally vegetarian soup, but feel free to add meat if you prefer. Some cooked Italian sausage, pancetta, or ground veal would be great.
- Sub the pasta for some rice. I'd advise cooking the rice separately, just like the pasta. Once cooked and just before serving, add the rice to the soup. Use about ½ cup dry rice cooked according to package instructions.
Expert Tips
- Simmer with the lid partially on. This will allow the flavours to concentrate while steam escapes for a thicker soup.
- Taste as you go. Edit the spices to taste. You may prefer more salt, spice, wine, etc.
- Store the pasta separately and add it just before serving. Pasta, especially gluten-free, will absorb quite a bit of the soup broth if it is let to sit in the soup for a while. Be sure to cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup just before serving. If you will not be consuming all of the soup, add the pasta to each bowl before eating, and store it separately in the fridge.
- Top it up. I love to eat soup with other flavours. Jazz it up with toppings like parsley, cheese, chili oil, cashew cream, or a nice slice of gluten-free bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will depend on the brand of soup. Most canned minestrone soups will contain some type of noodle, which is typically not gluten-free. Look out for a gluten-free certification, or avoid the canned soup and make this gluten-free minestrone recipe!
This minestrone soup is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegetarian. Avoid the parmesan cheese topping to keep this recipe dairy-free and vegan.
Yes! To freeze leftover minestrone soup, allow the soup to cool completely before placing in a serving-size freezer-safe airtight container. Do not add the pasta to the soup before freezing. Freeze the soup without pasta. To thaw, place the container in the fridge overnight and reheat soup on the stove or in the microwave the next day. Feel free to add cooked pasta when serving the soup. Garnish and enjoy.
You've made a delicious gluten-free and dairy-free appetizer, meal, side dish—you name it! This minestrone soup recipe is perfect for the cooler months when you're looking for a cozy meal at home. Great to share with family and friends.
Have you made this gluten-free minestrone soup? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a comment below and tag me on instagram @livglutenfree!
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Recipe
Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced in half lengthwise and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large yellow potato, peeled and diced
- 1 zucchini, cut into rounds and quartered
- 1 796ml can crushed tomatoes
- 4.5 cups vegetable broth (1L box) ensure it is gluten-free
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ - 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 bay leaf (optional but recommended)
- Splash of red wine (optional)
- ½ cup dry gluten-free small shell pasta (or other small shape)
- ½ cup frozen cut green beans
- 1 540ml can of white or red kidney beans (optional)
- Fresh Italian parsley and parmesan cheese to top
Instructions
- Place a heavy-bottom stock pot on the stove over medium heat. Chop the vegetables while it heats up.
- Add the olive oil to the pot and allow to warm. Place the onion, carrot, and celery in the pot and sauté for 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add the potato, zucchini, tomatoes, broth, spices, wine and bay leaf if using. Stir to combine everything and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer. Place a lid partially covering the pot so that steam can escape. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, cook the pasta in a separate small pot of salted water. Gluten-free pasta releases a lot of starch, so cooking it in a separate pot will help remove the starchy water, and also avoid overcooking. Cook pasta according to the package instructions, but cook about 2 minutes less than the stated time. Rinse pasta thoroughly in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until the soup is almost finished.
- When the soup has simmered for about 30 minutes, add the beans. Rip some fresh parsley and stir into the soup. Allow to simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- If you will be sharing and consuming all of the soup in one sitting, add the pasta to the pot. If you will not finish all the soup, add some pasta in each bowl. To serve, top soup with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Enjoy warm! See storage instructions below.
Let us know what you think!