Hearty Minestrone With Sausage And Pesto One Pot Soup

Minestrone with Sausage and Pesto (Stovetop or Slow Cooker)

I have a confession to make. For years, I thought minestrone was the soup you ordered when you wanted to feel virtuous and slightly bored at the same time.

Watery broth. A few sad vegetable coins bobbing around. Maybe three noodles, if the kitchen was feeling generous. I would sit in a restaurant with my spoon hovering and wonder why anyone bothered.

this …

Then my Aunt Shirley set a pot of her sausage minestrone in front of me, and every opinion I had about this soup went straight out the window.

Hers is thick and tomato rich, packed with beans and vegetables, and finished with a spoonful of basil pesto and a snow of grated Parmesan. It is not a starter. It is dinner.

So here it is, the soup that made me a believer. It takes classic minestrone and upgrades it with Italian sausage, pesto, and Parmesan, and it works beautifully either on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.

Now, a little honesty about why this post took me so long to sit down and write. I have been juggling work, a toddler who treats bedtime like a contract negotiation, and a laptop that only seems to open after nine at night.

There were weeks when I typed recipe notes on my phone in a coffee shop parking lot while a sitter watched my little one, and I felt that familiar tug of mom guilt the entire time.

Nearly five years of late nights finally caught up with me, so I have been deliberately posting less and rebalancing my days. This soup is part of that rebalancing, because one big pot feeds us for two nights.

I also learned something about myself along the way. I once made a vegetarian chili for a family dinner, and it was fine. Just fine.

Everyone ate it politely, and nobody asked for the recipe. That was the moment I accepted that I am a meaty soup person. It also explains why I never once ordered minestrone in a restaurant.

To me it always looked like soggy vegetables floating in broth with not nearly enough noodles.

This recipe fixes all of that.

• Italian sausage gives the broth a savory backbone that vegetable only versions simply cannot match.
• Two kinds of beans plus ditalini pasta make it hearty enough to count as a full meal.
• Basil pesto stirred into each bowl adds a bright, herby finish.
• Parmesan on top melts into the broth and makes every spoonful taste richer.
• The slow cooker option means you can walk away and come back to dinner.

I first shared this one back in March 2018, and it has quietly become one of the pots I make most often when the weather turns and everyone in the house wants something warm and filling.

You will love this minestrone soup

You know that feeling when a soup is so good you do not even reach for the salt and pepper? That is this one.

It eats like a complete meal rather than a thin lunch soup. You get protein from the sausage and the beans, pasta to make it satisfying, and a pile of vegetables that somehow disappears without a single complaint.

Then the toppings arrive, a teaspoon of basil pesto and a few grates of fresh Parmesan per bowl, and the whole thing tastes like something you would happily pay for at a cafe.

The recipe came from my Aunt Shirley, one of those cooks who never measures anything and still nails it every single time. She has also handed down her dinner rolls, her mashed potatoes, and her caramel popcorn, and every one of them has earned a permanent spot in my recipe box.

A reader wrote in after making this with a loaf of fresh bread and said she skipped the salt and pepper entirely because the soup did not need them. I believe her.

What is minestrone soup?

Minestrone is an Italian vegetable soup built on a tomato rich broth, and it traditionally includes pasta or rice along with beans. Those two additions are what separate it from an ordinary vegetable soup. They make it heartier, more filling, and much more likely to keep you full until breakfast.

Classic minestrone is vegetarian. This version is not. It adds Italian sausage for flavor, though you can absolutely leave the sausage out if you want a meatless pot. Just know that you will lose the sausage flavor that makes this particular soup so good.

Italian sausage minestrone soup ingredients

Here is everything you need. The full amounts are below, and the printable recipe card has the complete details.

• 16 ounces mild Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 15 ounce can Italian style diced tomatoes
• 5 cups chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon)
• 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped
• 1 cup yellow squash, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry ditalini pasta
• 2 cups baby spinach
• Basil pesto, for garnish
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

That list looks long, but most of it is pantry work. If you keep beans, canned tomatoes, and ditalini on hand, you are already halfway there.

How to make minestrone soup with Italian sausage

Start by dicing your onion, celery, and carrots. That is the only real work, and it goes quickly if you chop while the sausage browns.

On the stovetop, plan on about 25 minutes of prep and roughly an hour of cooking. It is a one pot situation from start to finish, which means one pot to wash at the end.

1. In a large soup pot, brown the Italian sausage over medium to medium high heat. Drain the fat.
2. Meanwhile, chop the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.
3. Add the tomato paste, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and dried oregano.
4. Saute for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the can of Italian tomatoes and the chicken broth. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, until all the carrots are tender.
7. Add both cans of beans, the zucchini, the yellow squash, and the dry pasta. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
8. Simmer another 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
9. At this point you can add another cup or two of chicken broth if the soup does not look soupy enough for you.
10. Turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach. I like to roughly chop mine so it is easier to eat, but you do not have to.
11. Wait about 5 minutes for the spinach to wilt, and then it is ready to serve. Season with salt and pepper if you like. I honestly did not add any.
12. Garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of pesto and a few grates of Parmesan cheese.

Slow cooker version: follow the instructions through step 4, then pour everything into the slow cooker and add the tomatoes and the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Stir in the beans, zucchini, yellow squash, and pasta, cover, turn the heat to high, and cook about 10 to 15 minutes until the pasta is al dente.

Turn the slow cooker off, stir in the spinach, cover for another 2 minutes, then season and garnish the same way.

One small swap worth knowing. If you cannot find Italian style diced tomatoes, regular or petite diced tomatoes work fine, and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning makes up for the flavor.

I also keep meaning to drop a Parmesan rind into the pot while it simmers, the way I do with my kale, chicken, and white bean soup, though I have not tried it in this one yet.

Minestrone substitutions and additions

This is a clean out the fridge kind of soup, and that is one of the best things about it.

• Beans: use about 2 cans total, any variety you like. I use one can of kidney beans and one can of cannellini, but chickpeas or pinto beans would be perfectly happy here.
• Parmesan rind: drop one in while the soup simmers for a nutty, savory depth. This is a favorite trick of mine.
• Vegetables: swap the zucchini and yellow squash for leftover roasted acorn or butternut squash, small pieces of broccoli, or bite size asparagus. Honestly, any vegetable you enjoy on its own will work.
• Sausage: mild Italian is my pick because the whole family eats it. If you like heat, hot Italian sausage brings it.

That flexibility is exactly why this pot shows up so often in my kitchen. Half the time it is less about following a plan and more about using up whatever is already sitting in the crisper drawer.

How to serve sausage minestrone soup

This soup can stand on its own as a complete dinner. It has protein, it has vegetables, and it has pasta, so nobody leaves the table hungry.

That said, a piece of bread for dunking never hurt anyone. A few of my favorites:

• Garlic bread
• One hour French bread
• Parker House rolls
• Garlic and rosemary skillet bread, baked in cast iron
• Samoan coconut rolls, also known as Pani Popo

The pot serves 8 to 10, which makes it a great choice for a crowd or for leftovers you will actually be excited about.

For a quick nutrition snapshot, one serving comes in around 381 calories, with 37 grams of carbohydrates, 19 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 9 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 46 milligrams of cholesterol.

How to store minestrone soup

Leftovers keep beautifully. Pour the cooled soup into a covered container and refrigerate it for up to a week, which means lunch is handled for days.

For freezing, let the soup cool first, then pour it into labeled zip top bags and lay them flat in the freezer. Flat bags defrost so much faster than a solid brick of soup. If you prefer single servings, portion the soup into individual containers instead and grab one whenever you need a fast meal.

One tip from experience. The pasta keeps drinking broth as it sits, so leftovers thicken up in the fridge. A splash of chicken broth or water when you reheat brings it right back.

Other soup recipes I love (and you will too!)

If this pot earns a spot in your rotation, here are a few more soups from my kitchen that I reach for again and again:

• A slow cooker chicken, white bean, and kale soup finished with Parmesan shavings
• A cozy ham and bean soup
• A slow cooker beef barley soup from a family recipe that remains one of the most popular bowls on this site
• A ham and mac and cheese soup that comes together in about 30 minutes and is a total hit with kids

Every one of them is the kind of dinner that makes a cold evening feel a whole lot better.

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Sausage Minestrone Soup

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Minestrone with Sausage and Pesto (Stovetop or Slow Cooker) I have a confession to make. For years, I thought minestrone was the soup you ordered when you wanted to feel virtuous and slightly bored at the same time.

• Total Time: 445 min
• Yield: 8 –10 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients
16 ounces mild Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 & 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 & 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 15 ounce can Italian style diced tomatoes
5 cups chicken broth
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup yellow squash, chopped
1/2 cup dry ditalini pasta
2 cups baby spinach
basil pesto, to garnish
grated parmesan cheese, to garnish

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Instructions

Instructions
1-In a large soup pot, brown the: In a large soup pot, brown the Italian sausage over medium to medium-high heat. Drain the fat.
2-Meanwhile, chop the onion, celery, carrots, and: Meanwhile, chop the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.
3-Add the tomato paste, onions, celery, carrots,: Add the tomato paste, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and dried oregano.
4-Saute for about 5 minutes: Saute for about 5 minutes.
5-Add the can of Italian tomatoes and: Add the can of Italian tomatoes and chicken broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
6-Reduce the heat to a simmer and: Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes, until all the carrots are tender.
7-Add both cans of beans, the zucchini,: Add both cans of beans, the zucchini, yellow squash, and dry pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
8-Simmer another 10 minutes, until the pasta: Simmer another 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
9-At this point, you can add another: At this point, you can add another cup or two of chicken broth, if you feel like it’s not “soupy” enough.
10-Turn off the heat and stir in: Turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach. I like to roughly chop mine so it’s easier to eat, but you don’t have to!
11-Wait about 5 minutes for the spinach: Wait about 5 minutes for the spinach to wilt, and then it’s ready to serve. Season with salt and pepper. (I actually didn’t add any! Sign of a killer soup, right?)
12-Garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of: Garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of pesto and a few grates of Parmesan cheese.

Slow cooker Instructions
13-Follow the instructions through step 4: Follow the instructions through step 4. Pour everything into the slow cooker, then add the tomatoes and chicken broth.
14-Cover and cook on low for 6-8: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
15-Stir in the beans, zucchini, yellow squash,: Stir in the beans, zucchini, yellow squash, and pasta. Cover and turn the heat to high. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
16-Turn off the slow cooker: Turn off the slow cooker. Stir in the spinach and cover another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
17-Garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of: Garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of pesto and a few grates of Parmesan cheese.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 25 min
• Cook Time: 60 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Calories: 381kcal
• Sugar: 8g
• Fat: 19g
• Saturated Fat: 7g
• Carbohydrates: 37g
• Fiber: 9g
• Protein: 19g
• Cholesterol: 46mg