Minestrone Soup with Italian Sausage (video)
A hearty, warming and flavor-packed soup recipe! My classic Italian minestrone soup with Italian sausage is bound to become a family favorite! This one-pot, tomato-based soup is made with mini pasta and tons of veggies such as carrots, onions, zucchini and beans. You’ll find most minestrone soup recipes to be vegetarian, but I personally love to add mild Italian sausage to make the soup more hearty and even more flavorful! Serve it with grated parmesan cheese on top and toasted baguette on the side!
Watch Minestrone Soup Video Tutorial
Watch my minestrone soup video tutorial for in-depth and step-by-step instructions! I share all the details for making this delicious Italian soup! Want to stay up to date on new recipes? Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my website emailing list and to my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Ingredients for Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe
Don’t let the longer ingredient list stop you from making this super easy soup! I love to add lots of spices and herbs to make it more flavorful! Plus, my minestrone soup recipe is made with basic pantry ingredients you already have! Here are the main ingredients you’ll need; find the full list in the recipe card below.
- Italian Sausage: I used mild sausage but you can also use hot sausage for a spicy kick! Don’t like Italian sausage? Replace it with ground pork, chicken or turkey!
- Canned Tomatoes & Tomato Paste: you can use crushed, diced or petite diced, canned tomatoes. I prefer the petite diced for a more uniform soup. And the tomato paste is a must to add even more flavor!
- Broth: either vegetable or chicken broth will work great for this recipe.
- Mini Pasta: just about any type of small or mini pasta will work great for this recipe! I like to use ditalini or super mini pasta shells.
- Red Wine: I love to add wine to this soup for even more flavor! However, you can replace the wine with more broth if you prefer to cook without alcohol. It will reduce during the cooking process!
- Beans: I used cannellini beans in my video tutorial but just about any type will work great! Use cooked, canned beans for the best results.
- Fresh Thyme & Rosemary: fresh herbs add the most flavor and aroma!
Adding Italian Sausage to a Classic Soup
Most Italian Minestrone Soup recipes are vegetarian, with a combination of tomatoes, vegetables and beans. To make this soup heartier, I love to add mild Italian sausage. It makes the soup even more flavorful and delicious! I recommend getting a package of ground meat versus encased sausages. This way, you’ll be able to fry the meat and break it up into small bits.
How to Make the Best Minestrone Soup – Making the Base
I love how easy this classic, one-pot soup is to make! It comes together in no time and the aroma is simply mouthwatering! Here’s how to make it:
- Start by preheating a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Once heated, add in the Italian sausage, breaking it into smaller pieces. Fry the sausage for about 8 minutes, until it’s well browned all over. As the sausage cooks, use a spatula to break it up into small bits. Remove the browned sausage from the pan and set it aside.
- Into the pot, add a few tablespoons of butter, the onion, carrots and celery. Reduce the heat to medium and saute the mixture for 7 to 9 minutes, until the onion is translucent and tender. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Next, pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan and cook until most of the liquids are evaporated. Return the sausage into the pot and add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Add all the seasonings and herbs: salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, and paprika. Stir everything together with a spatula until well combined.
Cooking the Soup
Once I have the base for the soup ready, it’s time to let it cook and simmer away! I love to let the soup cook for a while since it develops more flavor as it cooks!
- Add the vegetable or chicken broth. For a thinner soup, add an additional 2 to 3 cups. My recipe yields a thicker and chunkier soup. Stir everything together and bring the soup to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer, the better for more flavor. Stir the soup every 10 to 15 minutes.
- After simmering, add the pasta and cubed zucchini. Cover and continue cooking, now over medium heat, for another 20 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the drained and rinsed beans. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley at the end.
Serving Suggestions
You’ll want to dive right into this soup once it’s done cooking! The aroma is mouthwatering! Here’s how I love to serve it.
- Serve the soup with finely grated parmesan cheese on top and sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. A side of toasted baguette or garlic bread completes the dish!
Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
Want to make a traditional, vegetarian minestrone soup instead? Simply omit the ground Italian sausage from the recipe. Make sure to use vegetable broth and that’s it. There’s no need to change anything else about the recipe.
More Recipes!
Enjoyed this hearty and delicious soup? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup – the most delicious gnocchi soup ever, with smoked paprika, spinach, chicken and gnocchi! It’s the ultimate creamy soup!
- The Best-Ever Beef Stew – the top recipe on my website! This incredible stew is made with chunks of beef, baby potatoes, mushrooms and more.
- Maple & Bacon Turkey Chili – the ultimate comfort food! Ground turkey chili with beans, bacon, corn, maple syrup, and maple bacon bits for topping!
- Creamy Sweet Potato Sausage Soup – a creamy and hearty sweet potato soup with sausage, zucchini, mushrooms and more! A great option for fall and winter nights!
- Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Bisque – the best pepper bisque recipe! Creamy and smoky bisque made with roasted bell peppers and topped with bacon bits and parmesan cheese!
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Italian Minestrone Soup with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
- cooking oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots, about 3 medium
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 cup red wine, such as cabernet, zinfandel
- 28 oz canned petite diced tomatoes
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp EACH: fresh thyme, fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp EACH: dried oregano, dried basil, paprika
- 8 to 10 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup small pasta
- 2 medium zucchini, cubed
- 16 oz canned beans, such as cannellini
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
For Serving:
- grated parmesan cheese
- toasted baguette or garlic bread
Instructions
- Start by preheating a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Once heated, add in the Italian sausage, breaking it into smaller pieces. Fry the sausage for about 8 minutes, until it’s well browned all over. As the sausage cooks, use a spatula to break it up into small bits. Remove the browned sausage from the pan and set it aside.
- Into the pot, add a few tablespoons of butter, the onion, carrots and celery. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the mixture for 7 to 9 minutes, until the onion is translucent and tender. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Next, pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan and cook until most of the liquids are evaporated. Return the sausage into the pot and add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Add all the seasonings and herbs: salt, pepper ,thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, and paprika. Stir everything together with a spatula until well combined.
Cooking the Soup:
- Add the vegetable or chicken broth. For a thinner soup, add an additional 2 to 3 cups. My recipe yields a thicker and chunkier soup. Stir everything together and bring the soup to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer, the better for more flavor. Stir the soup every 10 to 15 minutes.
- After simmering, add the pasta and cubed zucchini. Cover and continue cooking, now over medium heat, for another 20 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the drained and rinsed beans. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley at the end.
Serving Suggestion:
- Serve the soup with finely grated parmesan cheese on top and sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. A side of toasted baguette or garlic bread completes the dish!
- Leftover soup should be stored in the refrigerator. Reheat the soup on the stove top over medium heat until simmering.
This is delicious! I made it with chorizo sausage and it’s amazing! Great recipe!
I love the idea of using chorizo sausage! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thanks for leaving a review
One of the tastiest soups I’ve ever had! The Italian sausage in this recipe takes it to the next level. This might be one of my favorite recipes by Tatyana, which is saying something.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I love having the Italian sausage here, too. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!