This Hearty Sausage Minestrone Soup is a cozy, flavorful twist on traditional minestrone. Packed with savory hot Italian sausage, crisp bacon and nutrient-rich vegetables, it’s inspired by the warmth of Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone, but elevated with bold, hearty flavors. Perfect for a chilly evening, this minestrone recipe is simple to make, yet offers layers of richness in each spoonful.
What is Minestrone?
Originating from Italy, minestrone is a thick, vegetable-rich soup that typically includes pasta or rice, beans, and sometimes meat. The beauty of minestrone lies in its versatility, as almost any vegetable can be used depending on what’s in season.
This Hearty Sausage Minestrone Soup keeps the essence of tradition, while elevating it with bold flavors and satisfying textures.
Why You Should Make This Hearty Sausage Minestrone Soup
- Rich and Satisfying: With hot sausage, crisp bacon and Parmesan cheese, this hearty minestrone has an extra depth of flavor that fills you up and warms you through. It’s perfect for a comforting dinner, or to bring variety to your soup rotation.
- Nutrient-Packed Vegetables: Loaded with zucchini, spinach, carrots and celery, this minestrone offers essential vitamins and minerals. This easy minestrone recipe is a delicious way to get more vegetables into your diet, without sacrificing flavor.
- Great for Meal Prep: This Italian soup recipe makes a large pot, which is ideal for meal prepping. Enjoy this sausage minestrone fresh, or freeze portions for easy, hearty meals later in the week.
- Crowd-Pleaser: This hearty sausage minestrone soup is savory, herby and slightly spicy profile, appeals to a variety of tastes. This soup recipe is perfect for family dinners, casual gatherings, or game day.
Ingredients
- Bacon: Easily substitute with pancetta for a similar flavor, or use turkey bacon for a lighter option.
- Hot Italian Sausage Links: Substitute with bulk Italian sausage or use mild or sweet sausage for a less spicy soup. For a vegetarian version, omit the sausage and bacon.
- Onion: Use red or sweet onion if you don’t have white or yellow on hand. Shallots work too for a milder flavor.
- Carrots: Substitute with parsnips for a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Celery: Add extra carrots if you prefer, or use fennel for a different twist.
- Garlic: Replace fresh garlic with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder per clove if needed.
- Zucchini: Try yellow squash or diced bell pepper for a similar texture.
- Tomatoes: Easily replace boxed tomatoes with canned or fresh tomatoes.
- Ditalini: Use any short pasta like elbow macaroni, small shells, or orzo.
- Cannellini Beans: Substitute with navy beans or Great Northern beans.
- Baby Spinach: Use kale or Swiss chard, but give them a bit more time to wilt.
- Pesto: Replace with homemade pesto or fresh basil.
- Chicken Stock: Substitute with vegetable broth for a vegetarian minestrone soup, or beef broth for a richer taste.
- Parmesan Cheese: Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano make great alternatives. For dairy-free, try nutritional yeast.
How to Prepare This Hearty Sausage Minestrone Soup
- In a large pot, cook the diced bacon until crisp. Remove half of the bacon and reserve for garnish. Drain excess fat, leaving about one tablespoon in the pot.
- Add the sausage to the pot and cook, breaking it into small pieces as it browns.
- Stir in the minced celery, onion, carrots, garlic, diced zucchini and thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-8 minutes to soften the vegetables.
- While the vegetables cook, prepare the pasta to very al dente. Drain without rinsing.
- Add the diced tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot along with the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaves, then add the spinach, cannellini beans, pesto, and pasta. Stir gently until the spinach wilts and the beans are heated through.
- Serve in bowls, garnished with fresh basil, Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and reserved bacon pieces.
How to Serve and Store Minestrone Soup
- Serve with crusty bread, or enjoy this minestrone soup on its own for a complete meal. A sprinkle of extra Parmesan and a few drops of olive oil elevate each bowl.
- Store: Keep leftover minestrone in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavors of this hearty sausage minestrone soup will deepen as it sits, making it even tastier the next day.
- Freeze: This sausage minestrone soup freezes well. Portion into containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove.
More Hearty Soup Recipes to Love
- Spicy Cabbage and Rice Soup
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Crockpot Bean and Ham Soup
- White Bean Chicken Soup
- Easy Creamy Meatball Soup
- Italian Sausage Orecchiette Soup
- Creamy Sausage Potato Soup
- Sausage Cheese Tortellini Soup
- Hearty Cheeseburger Soup
Hearty Sausage Minestrone Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This Hearty Sausage Minestrone Soup is a cozy, twist on traditional minestrone. It’s packed with bold flavors from sausage and crisp bacon.
Ingredients
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
- 3 Italian hot sausage links (12 ounces), casings removed
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 cup carrots, minced
- 1 celery stalk, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced small
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 14-ounce box chopped/diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 pound ditalini pasta
- 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- Cracked black pepper, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the diced bacon until crisp. Remove half of the bacon and reserve for garnish. Drain excess fat, leaving about one tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the sausage to the pot and cook, breaking it into small pieces as it browns.
- Stir in the minced celery, onion, carrots, garlic, diced zucchini, and thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-8 minutes to soften the vegetables.
- While the vegetables cook, prepare the pasta to very al dente. Drain without rinsing.
- Add the diced tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot along with the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaves, then add the spinach, cannellini beans, pesto, and pasta. Stir gently until the spinach wilts and the beans are heated through.
- Serve in bowls, garnished with fresh basil, Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and reserved bacon pieces.
- ENJOY!
Notes
- For a vegetarian minestrone, leave out the bacon and sausage.
- Feel free to use whatever vegetables are in season.
- Fresh tomatoes can be used instead of boxed or canned tomatoes.
- Cook the pasta just to al dente, as it will continue to cook as it soaks up the hot broth.
- For convenience use jarred pesto. Feel free to make your own.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Soup, Dinner
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American, Italian
GET TO KNOW ME!
WELCOME! My name is Melissa Latin aka. Charlotte Fashion Plate. Happy to meet you! I am more than just recipes. I love fashion and style too! Most importantly, I love my Family (my Hubby and my Fur Babies). My Husband (aka my “Kitchen Bitch”) means the world to me. He’s pretty damn cool too. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he also has had a lengthy career in professional hockey. Not only winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early ’90’s, but most recently winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers, amongst many other accolades. If you live in Charlotte and play hockey, or have a family member who plays, be sure to contact him!
Our life has changed dramatically in the past few years with the passing of our two goldendoodles, Vegas and Viva. We were lucky enough to have Vegas for five years (totally wish it was longer). Most recently, losing our Viva to a brain tumor in July of 2020. We welcomed our mini goldendoodle 7, almost seven years ago. We just added the amazing Hazel! Of course, I am always posting tons and tons of photos! Be sure to check out my recipe for Pet Bone Broth! This broth is super rich in nutrients and will provide your pet with a multitude of health benefits!
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[…] Grilled Cheese. I paired this amazing sandwich a few weeks ago with my Minestrone Soup…click here for both recipes! If you are following the Keto diet…use a low-carb bread…there are so […]