Best Minestrone Soup

This post has been sponsored by Prego®. All thoughts and opinions are my own. There’s nothing like a minestrone soup to infuse comfort in your life.

This minestrone soup recipe is not your average tomato one; it’s a creamy lemon vegetarian minestrone soup, featuring Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce, which bursts with flavor and is fresh!

MINESTRONE SOUP

Minestrone soup is a classic Italian soup that’s loaded with veggies primarily. You can, however, find plenty of minestrone soups that have ground beef or shredded rotisserie chicken.

The beauty of a minestrone is that there is NO particular recipe that defines it. Rather, it’s defined by a combination of veggies, beans (usually white or navy beans), and pasta or rice.

I love minestrone soup so much! And here’s why:

• It’s PURE comfort.
• It’s seriously filling.
• You can make it into a full meal by upping the beans or adding proteins such as rotisserie chicken.
• It’s versatile! All the veggies in your fridge would work!
• You can even make it with leftovers from your fridge.
• It needs 30-45 minutes of cooking time only (depending on the type of veggies you use).
• Minestrone soup can be either tomato based or lemon based, so you can make both versions at different times.
• The lemon minestrone version is fresh, zesty and bright.
• I’ve used Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce today for the lemon version, and the sauce helps me put this meal together in minutes!
• It keeps well in the fridge and freezer.

MINESTRONE SOUP RECIPE

Now, let’s talk about this recipe. While so many minestrone soups are tomato-based, this one is a creamy lemon-based version. It’s probably not what you’re used to, but it’s actually very common in Italy.

Let’s talk about the creamy lemon sauce that makes up my minestrone soup recipe today.

I’ve used Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce, which I’ve found at my local Kroger. The sauce is flavorful, rich, creamy and lemony.

It’s ideally made for chicken, and another way I love using it is by sautéing seasoned chicken until golden. After that, I add the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce and let the chicken simmer in the sauce until fully cooked through.

This is probably one of the easiest and tastiest chicken plates you can make in a rush!

You’ll find the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce in the dinner sauce section of the gravy aisle, and all the ingredients to make this soup recipe are at your local Kroger. It’s my go-to grocery store. I pick up everything I need, and the produce is always fresh!

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP RECIPE

First of all, you’ll need to chop and prepare the veggies. The basics are the onions, celery, carrots and garlic.

The other soup ingredients include mushrooms, kale, cooked navy beans (canned or home cooked), stock and my Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce (the secret ingredient).

Extra flavorings for my soup include dried oregano, fresh parsley, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, lemon slices and cracked black pepper.

EASY MINESTRONE SOUP

1.Start by sautéing the onions, celery, and carrots in olive oil until the onion looks golden and soft. Don’t rush this step! It’s the best way to get the most out of the veggies.

2.Now, add the mushrooms and garlic. Sauté them for an extra two minutes.

3.Add the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce.

4.Then, add the stock and white beans. Bring the soup to a boil, and let the veggies cook for 30 minutes.

5.At that point, add the chopped kale and let it cook for just about 5 minutes until it softens. Finish off with lemon zest, parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese.

6.Serve the soup and garnish it with some lemon slices, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, parsley, and cracked black pepper.

TIPS FOR EASY MINESTRONE SOUP 

• Gather your veggies from the fridge or buy them from your grocery store.
• Roasted or steamed veggie leftovers can also be used in the soup.
• Adjust the cooking time depending on how much time each veggie needs to cook.
• Saute the onions and celery with the carrots until the onions are very soft and nearly golden. This creates a soup with a nice, deep, sweet onion flavor, not a raw onion flavor.
• Make this minestrone in minutes using the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce for a bright, zesty, and flavor-packed soup.
• Add stock, instead of water, for an extra level of flavor. Vegetable stock is great to keep this a vegetarian minestrone. However, any stock works.
• Always have a type of bean in your soup; if navy beans are not your favorite, you can use kidney beans. They add a good nutritional value and a creamy texture to the soup.
• Other add-ons to make your minestrone feel like a full meal are barley, quinoa, pasta, rice or a blend of these.
• Minestrone keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for three months.
• It’s best to serve the minestrone soup with crusty garlic bread to keep it vegetarian. Or, serve it with grilled chicken as a side.

MORE SOUP RECIPES:

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

White Bean Soup Recipe

Quinoa Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

Cauliflower Hazelnut Pear Soup

Soothing Garlic Chickpea Soup

Luscious Carrot Tomato Basil Soup

Click on the button below to add all of my recipe’s ingredients to your shopping cart!ENJOY!

5 from 9 votes

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Best Minestrone Soup

There’s nothing like a minestrone soup to infuse comfort in your life.  This minestrone soup recipe is not your average tomato one; it’s a creamy lemon vegetarian minestrone soup, featuring Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce, which bursts with flavor and is fresh!

Course Appetizer, easy, lunch, Soup, vegetarian

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Best Minestrone Soup, Easy Minestrone Soup, Minestrone Soup Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 253 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 yellow onions diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 3 celery stalks
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano dry
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups mushrooms diced or sliced
• 1 jar Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce 15 oz
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup white beans canned or home cooked
• 1 cup dried pasta or rice optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3 cups kale chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• lemon slices
• black pepper
• red chili flakes optional
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

1. 1.Preheat a large dutch oven pot or regular pot with the olive oil over medium heat on the stove.
2. 2.Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season them with salt and oregano. Sauté the mixture until the onions are soft and starting to turn golden. This may take 6-9 minutes. Don’t rush this step as it prevents a taste of raw onions in the soup.
3. 3.Once the onion mixture is ready, add in the garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for an extra 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
4. 4.Add the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce, the stock, and beans.
5. 5.Bring the soup to a boil and let it boil over low heat for 20 minutes so that all the flavors infuse. If you’re adding pasta to the soup, this is when you add a cup of elbow or any small pasta to the mixture. Let it cook for 20 minutes.
6. 6.Season the soup with salt and oregano.
7. 7.Add the kale, and cook for just 2 minutes until it has wilted.
8. 8.Turn off the heat and add the lemon zest, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
9. 9.Serve the soup with extra Parmesan cheese on top, lemon slices, black pepper, chili flakes and parsley.
10. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

TIPS FOR EASY MINESTRONE SOUP 

1. Gather your veggies from the fridge or buy them from your grocery store.
2. Roasted or steamed veggie leftovers can also be used in the soup.
3. Adjust the cooking time depending on how much time each veggie needs to cook.
4. Saute the onions and celery with the carrots until the onions are very soft and nearly golden. This creates a soup with a nice, deep, sweet onion flavor, not a raw onion flavor.
5. Make this minestrone in minutes using the Prego® Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cooking Sauce for a bright, zesty, and flavor-packed soup.
6. Add stock, instead of water, for an extra level of flavor. Vegetable stock is great to keep this a vegetarian minestrone. However, any stock works.
7. Always have a type of bean in your soup; if navy beans are not your favorite, you can use kidney beans. They add a good nutritional value and a creamy texture to the soup.
8. Other add-ons to make your minestrone feel like a full meal are barley, quinoa, pasta, rice or a blend of these.
9. Minestrone keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for three months. 
10. It’s best to serve the minestrone soup with crusty garlic bread to keep it vegetarian. Or, serve it with grilled chicken as a side. 

Nutrition Facts

Best Minestrone Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 253 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 9mg3%

Sodium 846mg37%

Potassium 630mg18%

Carbohydrates 36g12%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 9140IU183%

Vitamin C 50mg61%

Calcium 258mg26%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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