This recipe showing how to make minestrone soup is a family favorite. We all love the tortellini twist and the little kick it gives the palette. Serve with some good fresh bread, YUMMY!

One of my family’s favorite meals in the winter is a bowl of minestrone soup. I’ve been making it for about 5 years now and have tweaked it into a spicy, heartwarming dish that I make probably too often.
One of the best parts of this minestrone soup recipe is that it’s even better as leftovers. You can even add more tortellini a day or two later so nobody has to fight over who gets the last one!
Another nice part of this minestrone soup recipe is that you can make it at dinner time OR in the afternoon, allowing it to slow cook for several hours. Both options create a delicious meal for everyone!
I hope you enjoy!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this minestrone soup recipe:
- Olive Oil
- 1 White Onion
- 1 Zucchini
- Bag of Frozen Cut Green Beans
- 1 Stalk of Celery
- Minced Garlic
- 32 oz Vegetable Broth
- 2 15 oz cans of Red Kidney Beans
- 2 15 oz cans of Great Northern Beans
- 1 14.5 oz can of Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 1 carrot (or 6 baby carrots)
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Parsley Flakes
- Dried Oregano
- Sea Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Dried Basil
- Dried Thyme
- Hot Water
- 5 oz Baby Spinach
- Cheese Tortellini
- Block of Parmesan Cheese (Optional but recommended)
- Fresh Bread (Optional but recommended)
Now, let’s get to making some minestrone soup!
Chop chop chop!
If you want a quick lesson in chopping skills, this video is awesome!

I like to chop up everything before I start cooking the minestrone soup but you can do it in parts if that’s preferable. Here’s what you’ll need to chop up:
first step is to sautÉ
This is the first part of chopping that goes into your stock pot.
- 1 cup small-diced Onion
- ¹/₂ cup large-diced Zucchini
- ¹/₄ cup medium-diced Celery
Heat up approximately 4 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat in a stock pot.

Then add the chopped ingredients to the following:
- ¹/₂ cup Green Beans
- 4 teaspoons +/- Minced Garlic
Sauté until the onions are translucent, which for me is about 5 minutes.


second step
In this group, you need to chop a ¹/₂ cup of medium-diced carrots into small pieces. With this, you’re going to add the following to the sauté mixture:
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth
- 14.5 oz can of Petite Diced Tomatoes (DON’T drain)
- 2 15 oz cans of Red Kidney Beans (drain and rinse)
- 2 15oz cans of Great Northern Beans (drain and rinse)
- 4 cups of Hot Water
- 2 tbsp Parsley Flakes
- 1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (less if you don’t want the kick)
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2-1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

Bring all of this to a boil. Here’s your optional point …
You can leave it in the stockpot and bring this to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so. OR …
Move over to slow cooker for 3-4 hours on low setting.

third step
When it’s almost time to eat, add four big handfuls of spinach and about 3/4 cup of tortellini to your pot. Allow them to cook until the tortellini is soft to your liking. For me, that’s about 20 minutes but I like soft pasta. You might want it a little less so the pasta is more firm.
We like to shred up some fresh Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it on top of the minestrone soup. Serving it with a sliced up loaf of delicious and soft bread. While most of the time I go to our local Patisserie for their “Stretch Bread”, a loaf of Italian or a Baguette works really well too!
fourth step
This minestrone soup is wonderful as leftovers. However, I notice that my family members always try to pick out almost all of the tortellini on the first night.
I’ve learned a trick to solve this problem!
When everyone has served themselves and the heat is turned off the stove or slow cooker, throw in some more tortellini without anyone looking! By the time you heat it up the next night, the tortellini is perfectly ready without even having to take extra time to cook it.
I think it just absorbs enough heat as the minestrone soup is cooling off to cook properly. I prefer this to the first-night tortellini as it can get a little too soft on reheating.


let’s see what else is cooking!
If you enjoy this minestrone soup recipe, maybe you’ll like some of my others! You can go directly to one of those listed below, or go straight to my RECIPES tab on the main menu.
Here are some direct links:
- How to Make the Ultimate Grown-Up Grilled Cheese
- Easy 15-Minute Gluten-Free Tomato Pesto Pasta Your Family Will Crave
- Taco Tuesday recipe
Still, want to see more? I have your back. Check out ASC’s Pinterest Boards, where there are always new pins happening! In fact, better yet, follow ASC on Pinterest so you know when I add more to my boards (I find great pins!).
Be sure to also check out ASC on Facebook, Instagram, and LIKEtoKNOW.it for all of the content you can get!
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Have a fantastic week! Namaste,

Recipe card
Spicy Minestrone Soup with Tortellini

One of my family's favorite meals in the winter is a bowl of minestrone soup. I've been making it for about 5 years now and have tweaked it into a spicy, heartwarming dish that I make probably too often.
One of the best parts of this minestrone soup recipe is that it's even better as leftovers. You can even add more tortellini a day or two later so nobody has to fight over who gets the last one!
Another nice part of this recipe is that you can make it at dinner time OR in the afternoon, allowing it to slow cook for several hours. Both options create a delicious meal for everyone!
I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped White Onion
- 1/2 cup peeled and chopped Zucchini
- 1/4 cup chopped Celery
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Green Beans
- 4 tsp Minced Garlic
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 cup of chopped Carrot
- 14.5 oz can of Petite Diced Tomatoes (not drained)
- 2 - 15 oz cans of Red Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 - 15 oz cans of Great Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 4 cups of Hot Water
- 2 tbsp Parsley Flakes
- 1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Black Powder
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
Instructions
- On medium heat, add Olive Oil to the stockpot. Add onions, zucchini, celery, green beans, and minced garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent, which is about 5 minutes.
- Add carrot, vegetable broth, petite diced tomatoes, red kidney beans, Great Northern beans, hot water, crushed red pepper, parsley flakes, dried oregano, sea salt, ground black pepper, dried basil and dried thyme. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes OR move to a slow cooker. Heat in the slow cooker on low setting for 3-4 hours.
- Add spinach and tortellini. Cook until tortellini reaches desired tenderness, which is about 20 minutes.
- Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese on top and warm bread on the side.
Notes
Try to get all the tortellini out the first night. When finished heating and serving, add more tortellini for the second night. It will cook as the soup cools and will be ready for the leftovers!
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Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 356Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 938mgCarbohydrates 54gFiber 16gSugar 4gProtein 20g
I love soup!! This looks yummy; definitely going to try this one!!
You’ll love it, Jennifer! Let me know how it goes and what you think. 🥰
I am getting all the warm and cozy vibes just reading this recipe. I’m no Betty Crocker, but this makes me want to try it out! Give me alllll the soups right now!
I know. I’m so into soup although it hasn’t helped me restrict gluten as I LOVE fresh bread with soup. This is my favorite by far!
I will have to try your recipe. It sounds so yummy!
Tammy, it really is! It’s taken me several years to tweak and we love it. Let me know how it goes for you.