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This Chicken Minestrone Soup with Pasta will fill every portion of your soul on a cold day. It is delicious, healthy, full of flavor and a must try recipe!
During the Fall and Winter season I will be cooking soup almost every day. Some people may call it a problem, but it's just way too easy to throw a bunch of delicious ingredients into a pot, let it sit, and then enjoy the flavor built over time.
I can picture it now..me with a cup of this soup, topped in parmigiano-reggiano cheese, lounging in my jammies, sitting in front of a real wood burning fireplace. So Dreamy!
If you love soup, I have so many recipes for you. Here are just a few of my favorites to get you started:
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It's easy to whip up, with most of the work being chopping up veggies
- It is so healthy with a large dose of daily vegetables and it's loaded with protein
- This soup is incredibly delicious and pairs perfectly with a fancy grilled cheese sandwich
- If it's cold out, you totally need this (especially if you are like me and walk around all winter freezing cold with your shoulders shrugged).
The Ingredients:
Carrot, Onion, Celery, Zucchini, Green Beans, Kale, and Garlic- Flavorful veggies to make this Classic Minestrone Soup next level. Talk about some vitamins with this line up!
Garbanzo and Kidney Beans-Adds protein and texture to the soup.
Fire Roasted Tomatoes- For a bit of smokiness and spice to the recipe.
Ditalini Pasta- Small tube like pasta for a traditional minestrone feel.
Tomato Sauce and Chicken Stock- The base of the soup and creates a rich, saucy broth.
Spices and Oil- Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Bay Leaf and Olive Oil to add an Italian flavor to the soup.
Chicken-Added for extra protein. I used a store bought Rotisserie chicken for a quick fix, but you can use shredded chicken breast or thighs here as well.
Parmesan Cheese- The perfect topping for this soup and many others as well. Parmigiano Reggiano is known for its nutty taste. It's basically a dream when it comes to flavor. Go with the real cheese here and skip the powdered stuff.
Substitutions & Variations:
This recipe is so flexible, as most soup is. You can leave out any of the veggies you don't care for.
Trying to go low carb? Leave out the pasta.
Meatless Monday? Leave out the chicken!
Modify as you wish!
Pairings with the Soup:
This soup goes great with just a slice of garlic toast or a grilled cheese. However, if you are feeling extra, it would be excellent with a glass of Chardonnay. For an appetizer or salad, try my Burrata Caprese Salad.
If you want a main course, check out my Italian Manicotti Recipe or Italian Sausage Gnocchi.
For dessert, check out my Apple Crisp recipe and don't forget vanilla ice cream. You need it for the full effect!
How to Make Chicken Minestrone Soup:
Begin by placing a dutch oven or large pot on medium heat on the stovetop. Once heated, add olive oil.
To the pot, add zucchini, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add in oregano, salt, and pepper.
Add in the bay leaf and garlic and stir, allowing the garlic to cook for about 30 seconds.
Toss in kidney & garbanzo beans, green beans, and fire roasted tomatoes.
Mix in both stocks and tomato sauce.
Bring to a low boil. Stir well.
Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for an hour.
After an hour, add the kale and shredded chicken.
Stir and increase the heat to medium low and add the pasta.. (A quick note on the pasta: If you are going to add it into the pot, it needs a little extra loving care. It's going to stick to the bottom, so you will have to stir it every few minutes. I love the flavor the soup brings to the noodles, but if you don't want to deal with this, just cook pasta on the side and add it in at serving. The pasta also soaks up some of the broth, so if you like a lot of broth, make it on the side.)
Next, cook over medium low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently until pasta is al dente, meaning still a bit firm. Turn off heat on stove top.
It's time to enjoy this delicious soup. Garnish with love aka parmigiano-reggiano.
Expert Tip:
Do not leave the soup simmering on the stove if you've added the pasta. This soup is intended to eat right away. Make sure the heat is off or the ditalini will continue to cook and swell.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, and if you are planning on keeping the soup simmering for a while I recommend it. I cook mine in the soup because I like the flavor, but if you need to eat it later or if you like a lot of broth in the soup, do consider just cooking the pasta in another pot. The noodles soak up a lot of the broth.
My husband is a huge meat and potatoes kind of guy, and I can persuade him to eat his veggies when I add chicken into the soup. It's also just really yummy, but feel free to leave it out. The soup is already loaded with protein from the beans, so it is up to you!
Minestrone is typically made from veggies like carrot, celery, onion and garlic and loaded with beans, and a small type of pasta, like ditalini or elbows. It is then cooked in chicken stock to create a flavorful experience. I add a few ingredients into my recipe to make it extra delish!
Storing Leftovers:
This soup makes delicious leftovers. The flavors will get even better overnight. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. Eat within three days. Heat up on the stovetop or in the microwave and enjoy!
More Cold Weather Meals You Will Love:
Recipe
Chicken Minestrone Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Chicken Minestrone Soup with Pasta Recipe will fill every portion of your soul on a cold day. It is delicious, healthy and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 zucchini, medium diced
- ½ of a small sweet yellow onion, medium diced
- 2 celery stalks, medium diced
- 1 carrot, medium diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup of roughly chopped kale with no stems, depending on how much you like kale. You can easily go spinach instead, if preferred.
- (1) 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
- (1) 14 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
- (1) 16 ounce can of garbanzo beans, drained
- (1) 16 ounce can of kidney beans, drained
- (1) 14 ounce can of cut green beans, drained
- (2) 32 ounce containers of Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock. *If you like a lot of broth, you may want 3 containers.
- 1 rotisserie chicken or 2 cooked chicken breast, shredded into pieces
- ½ cup of Ditalini or Orzo pasta, uncooked
- ½ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by placing a dutch oven or large pot on medium heat on the stovetop. Once heated, add olive oil.
- To the pot, add zucchini, onion, celery, carrot. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add in oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Add in the bay leaf and garlic. Stir and allow garlic to cook for 30 seconds.
- Toss in kidney & garbanzo beans, green beans, and fire roasted tomatoes.
- Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a low boil. Stir well. Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for an hour.
- After an hour, add the kale and shredded chicken.
- Stir and increase the heat to medium low and add the pasta.
- Next, cook over medium low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently until pasta is al dente, meaning still a bit firm. Turn off heat on stove top.
- Time to enjoy this delicious soup. Garnish with love aka parmigiano-reggiano.
Notes
Do not leave the soup simmering on the stove, if you've added the pasta. This soup is intended to eat right away. Make sure the heat is off or the ditalini will continue to cook and swell.
If you are going to add the pasta into the pot, it needs a little extra loving care. It's going to stick to the bottom, so you will have to stir it every minute or so. I love the flavor the soup brings to the noodles, but if you don't want to deal with this, just cook pasta on the side and add it in at serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: soup recipes, minestrone soup with pasta, healthy soup ideas
Holly
Delicious!
★★★★★