This Minestrone Soup with Pasta Shapes is packed with colourful veggies, hearty beans, and a rich tomato broth that’s full of flavour. But what really makes it a great family dinner is adding fun pasta shapes! They make each spoonful of this soup even more satisfying and will please the fussiest of small family members. This is a deliciously easy Minestrone Soup recipe for a cozy meal.
Making Minestrone Soup for babies and toddlers
This vegetable-packed Minestrone Soup recipe makes a wholesome meal for children. To adapt the soup for toddlers or babies, leave out the salt and choose salt-reduced or no-salt stock/broth. Choose whichever pasta shapes are an appropriate size for your children to eat, to make it fun! It’s a chunky soup, so you might like to puree it for babies to make it easier to eat, whether self-feeding or spoon feeding.
Always ensure safety with hot liquids by serving the soup warm or at room temperature to children. For more helpful tips, check out how to serve soup to toddlers and babies.
Ingredients in Minestrone Soup
This easy Minestrone Soup recipe needs just a few fresh ingredients and pantry staples, including the fun pasta shapes!
Onion, carrot and celery – For the Italian soffrito flavour base.
Garlic – Substitute the garlic cloves for 2 tsp minced garlic if needed.
Olive oil – For sautéing the vegetables.
Seasonal vegetables – Using seasonal veggies keeps Minestrone Soup connected to its Italian roots, where the soup’s ingredients would vary depending on what was available during the time of year. It means the soup is endlessly varied!
Stock/broth – Vegetable stock/broth is the traditional choice for classic Minestrone Soup. Chicken stock/broth will add a richer, heartier flavour. Use no-salt vegetable stock or salt-reduced stock if serving to babies or toddlers [1].
Diced tomatoes – I use a brand of diced tomatoes that has no added salt or sugar. Be sure to check the ingredients listed on the can, and adjust the added salt below if needed.
Tomato paste – You can opt for salt-reduced tomato paste, especially if making for a baby under 12 months.
Beans – Cannellini beans are the most popular beans used for classic Minestrone Soup. Borlotti or red kidney beans work too! Choose a no-salt variety, or rinse thoroughly and drain to remove as much sodium as possible.
Pasta shapes – Choose whatever pasta shapes you like! Smaller shapes work best for not bloating if storing leftovers. We love farm animal shapes, or dinosaurs! 😁
Herbs – Dried oregano, thyme and bay leaves add a flavour boost to the soup.
Salt and pepper – Leave out the salt if serving to family under 12 months of age.
How to make Minestrone Soup
First, chop the vegetables by hand. On the stovetop over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil to create the flavour base. Add the garlic, seasonal vegetables and herbs, and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bay leaves, stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lastly, add the pasta and cannellini beans and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until pasta is al dente.
Thermomixer? This Thermomix Minestrone Soup is an easy one! Firstly, chop and sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in your machine to make an Italian soffrito flavour base. Add the seasonal vegetables and herbs, and sauté for a minute. Next, add the bay leaves, stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, and cook for 15 minutes. Lastly, add the pasta and cannellini beans and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until pasta is al dente.
You’ll find the recipe card below, with ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both regular and thermo cooker methods.
Storing Minestrone Soup
This Minestrone Soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freezer for up to 3 months.
Like lots of soups, Minestrone is perfect for meal prepping for a quick weeknight dinner or a week’s worth of lunches. If making ahead, reduce the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes after adding the pasta. It should finish cooking to al dente in the residual heat, without being overcooked and then getting mushy when stored in the broth for a few days.
Looking for more kid-friendly soup recipes to satisfy the whole family? Try this Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup. It’s a hearty and wholesome chicken soup, full of flavour.
If you make this Minestrone Soup with Pasta Shapes, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing how my recipes work for you and your family! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more soup recipes for babies and toddlers, as well as the whole family.
Happy cooking,
Chloe x
Minestrone Soup with Pasta Shapes
Category: Family MainsIngredients
- 1 brown/yellow onion peeled (Thermomixers: quartered)
- 1 carrot peeled (Thermomixers: roughly chopped)
- 1 celery stick (Thermomixers: roughly chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 cup seasonal vegetables diced small
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 875 g vegetable or chicken stock/broth no salt or salt reduced (Note 1)
- 1 400g/14oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 400g/14 oz can cannellini beans no salt variety, rinsed and drained
- 50 g pasta small shapes
Instructions
- Finely chop 1 brown/yellow onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick. Mince or finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
- Heat 1 tbs olive oil over a medium high heat in a large Dutch Oven or large saucepan with a lid.
- Sauté the onion, celery and carrot in the oil, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, 1 cup seasonal vegetables, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried thyme. Stir and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add 2 dried bay leaves, 875 g vegetable or chicken stock/broth, 1 400g/14oz can diced tomatoes, 2 tbs tomato paste, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 400g/14 oz can cannellini beans and 50 g pasta. Cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes, until pasta is just al dente (check cooking time on packet). Adjust seasoning if needed and serve.
Thermomix Instructions
- Put 1 brown/yellow onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick and 2 garlic cloves into the mixing bowl. Chop 3 seconds, speed 5, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tbs olive oil to the mixing bowl. Cook for 5 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, MC off. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add 1 cup seasonal vegetables, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried thyme to the mixing bowl. Cook 1 minute, 100°C, speed 1, reverse, MC off.
- Add 2 dried bay leaves, 875 g vegetable or chicken stock/broth, 1 400g/14oz can diced tomatoes, 2 tbs tomato paste, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and 1/4 tsp salt to the mixing bowl. Cook for 15 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
- Add 1 400g/14 oz can cannellini beans and 50 g pasta. Cook for 6-8 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, reverse, MC off, until pasta is just al dente (check cooking time on packet). Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter. Adjust seasoning if needed and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Infant Feeding Guidelines: Summary, 2013, National Health and Medical Research Council.
