We love this hearty white bean minestrone soup recipe that uses delicious cannellini white beans as a base. It’s a thick and hearty soup and one that is sure to become a bean soup favorite!
Minestrone Soup Vegetarian Recipe with White Beans
Minestrone is a delicious Italian soup that is typically made with the same basic ingredients of white beans, carrots, onions, beef or chicken stock, and plenty of tomatoes.
Some type of small pasta is added or an addition of uncooked rice if pasta is not available. In this easy Minestrone recipe, we have substituted the pasta with pearl barely that makes an even heartier minestrone soup.
This is an easy soup that you can feed to your family and feel good about what’s going into their bodies. A yummy warm comforting soup with lots of nutrition!
A feel good homemade soup – what we love even more about this soup is it’s VEGETARIAN and considered good food for the planet. Soup that is healthy for us and healthy for the planet, a food you can feel good serving to your family.
Hearty Healthy and Delicious - Serve up a big bowl of Minestrone Soup Vegetarian Style!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 large celery stalks, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6-7 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes (with liquid)
- 2 14 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
- 3 ” chunk Parmesan cheese rind
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1-2 oz. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
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Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine.
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Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies become soft and aromatic, approximately 4-5 minutes.
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Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, white beans, pearl barley, bay leaves, and Parmesan rind. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and additional salt and black pepper, if desired, and stir to combine.
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Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and gently simmer until the barley is cooked through, approximately 20-25 minutes.
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Stir in the chopped spinach and parsley. Simmer just until the spinach wilts, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves and remaining cheese rind.
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Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
As with any soup that contains noodles, rice or barley – you will need extra broth on hand as the barely in this soup recipe will soak up a lot of the broth. To thin the soup, just add additional broth as needed.
Soup always keeps well and is even more delicious the next day after the flavors have had a chance to pull together.
How Long Does Leftover Soup Last in the Refrigerator?
Typically leftover soup will last about 3-4 days in your refrigerator, but we have on occasion stretched it out to 5 days if the soup is stored in an airtight container.
To Freeze Soup –
Let soup cool to room temperature and then ladle into gallon or quart size freezer bags. Squeeze out any excess air so you can lay the bags flat in your freezer.
Don’t forget to label and date your soup and thaw overnight in the fridge to use the next day.
What to Serve with White Bean Minestrone Soup
Homemade Honey Glazed Corn Bread with Cheddar
Vegan Couscous Salad Recipe with Apples
Your Favorite Bread and Butter or Dinner Rolls
You will also love our Grandmas Potato Soup and Easy Chicken with Rice soup! Read more about Why Minestrone Soup Is so Good For You and Healthy
Try Our Yummy Vegetarian Soups:
Healthy Old Fashioned Beef Barley Soup
White Bean and Rice Soup
Creamy Broccoli Soup with Parmesan Cheese
