This fall minestrone soup starts with a rosemary-infused tomato broth and is packed with tender pasta, kale, hearty beans, and sweet potatoes. It's an extra cozy, comforting spin on the Italian classic that's perfect for chilly autumn days!
First off, I acknowledge that just about any minestrone soup is perfect for fall. I don't care if it's my classic vegan minestrone, my green minestrone, or an old family favorite minestrone. If it's got pasta, vegggies, and beans in piping hot broth, it's going to be really good this time of year.
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But this fall minestrone was created with the season in mind. It takes classic minestrone and adds fall veggies like kale and sweet potatoes, along with savory herbs like rosemary and thyme, for an extra cozy spin that's made for chilly days.
I've been making this one on repeat in recent weeks. Like pretty much any good minestrone, it's hearty but not overly heavy. It's made with tender pasta, creamy cannellini beans, lots of vegetables, and a savory, herb-infused tomato broth, so it has that vibrant, veggie-packed feel, while also being super satisfying. You've also got to love the fact that it's an easy one-pot meal, and the recipe makes a nice big batch, so you'll have leftovers for days and days!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. Or substitute another high-heat oil you like to use for sautéeing.
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Fennel.
- Garlic.
- Tomato paste.
- Vegetable broth.
- Sweet potato. I used a red sweet potato, but orange, yellow, or even purple will work!
- Tuscan kale. You can substitute another variety of kale, such as curly or red kale, if you prefer.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Cannellini beans. I love the creamy texture of cannellinis with this soup, but butter beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and cooked lentils would all work well, too.
- Fresh rosemary. Stick with fresh here. It has the best flavor, and allows you to just drop an entire sprig in the pot.
- Dried thyme. With this one I use dried for convenience. If you prefer fresh, go for it! You'll need to triple the amount.
- Small pasta shells. Or use whatever small pasta shape you have on hand — orzo, ditalini, and elbow macaroni will all work. Cooking times will vary, so keep an eye on it while it simmers.
- Salt and pepper.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Sweat the veggies. Heat your oil in a large pot, then add diced onion, sliced carrots, diced celery, and fennel. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring here and there, until everything begins to soften a bit.
Step 2: Add tomato paste and garlic. Stir both ingredients in, then continue to cook the mixture for about a minute, until the garlic starts to smell heavenly. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
Step 3: Add the broth and veggies. Stir in the broth, sweet potato, kale, tomatoes, cannellini beans, rosemary, and thyme. Turn up the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Add the pasta. Stir in the pasta and let the soup continue to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the pasta and sweet potato are tender. Give it a stir every so often while it cooks.
Step 5: Finish the soup. Take the pot off of heat, remove the rosemary sprig, taste the soup and give it a little salt and pepper if needed.
Step 6: Serve. Your fall minestrone is ready to enjoy! Ladle it into bowls and optionally top each one with some vegan Parm and/or a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Variations
- Make it creamy. Stir a little cashew cream, coconut milk, or vegan heavy cream alternative in at the end.
- Veggie swaps. Replace the kale with another leafy green, such as spinach, chard, or collard greens. Keep in mind that most of these will need less cook time than the kale, so add them later on. The sweet potato can be replaced with a regular baking potato, winter squash, turnips, or rutabaga.
- Tortellini minestrone. Replace the dried pasta with vegan tortellini for an extra indulgent soup. They'll cook faster than dried pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and you'll be set.
Just cook it until al dente. Alternatively, if you want to avoid mushy pasta even in the leftovers, reduce the amount of broth by 1 cup and cook the pasta separately, then add it to each bowl when serving.
Leftover fall minestrone will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. The beans and pasta will continue to soak up broth as it sits, so you may need to add some when reheating the soup.
It is! It'll keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Fall Minestrone
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 1 small fennel bulb, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces), diced
- 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 1 (15 ounce/425 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce/425 gram) can cannellini beans
- 1 rosemary sprig (about 4-inches)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup dried small pasta shells (or small pasta of choice)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion, carrots, celery, and fennel. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant and the paste darkens slightly, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the broth, sweet potato, kale, tomatoes, cannellini beans, rosemary, and thyme. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta. Let the soup continue to simmer until the pasta and sweet potato are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from heat and remove the rosemary sprig. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
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