Aimee Brabant
- Jan 2
- 5 min read

Vegan Minestrone Soup

January 2, 2024

This is the best Vegan Minestrone Soup. It is packed full with fennel / “finocchio” and fregola pasta in a homemade tomato based broth from scratch. It is essentially a super delicious wintery 1-pot thick vegetable and pasta soup!

This recipe is recipe is written by Florentina at ciaoflorentina.com

About Florentina

I’m Florentina, the voice behind the articles and recipes you’ll find around here. Welcome to my recipe and lifestyle journal of a simple life, filled with joy and laughter and sinfully delicious recipe! ” Ciao Florentina ” is where I channel the man in the photo, my grandfather, while in search of my own dream: to share my passion for real, simple, mostly vegetarian and plant based cooking with the world. A Food & Lifestyle Journal about the lost art of wholesome cooking and living, the perfection of imperfection, featuring simple but delicious recipes, organic wholesome ingredients, with a passion to love; in a flawed but beautiful and unique way. It is my second home where I hang my apron and my heart. A food journal of a simple life, captured in its raw form through the lens of my Iphone (lately my Canon) as life happens, in this moment and as passed down through generations in a bowl of rustic soup.

This journey starts in the shade of an old walnut tree, by a creek covered in yellow water lilies running through poppy covered fields, in the beautiful country side…Because I believe that real food, a simple wholesome and nutritious home cooked meal, is the greatest excuse to get people together and keep those you love close to you, and close to home. Loveis the secret ingredient that makes it all worthwhile and Peace is the only side dish you will ever need.

Pasta for Minestrone

Traditionally different small shape pasta aka “pastinas” are best to cook in broth. Orzo, stelline, anellini, lumachine, ditalini rigati, farfalline, grattini, even mini gnocchi and tortellini. Just pick a favorite! For me it has to be fregola di sarda aka Italian couscous, the little toasted pearl pasta you usually seen in Italian wedding soup. It’s my go to for a hearty pot of Pasta e Ceci, there really isn’t a pasta shape more fun to eat in broth in my humble opinion. The pasta is meant to be cooked straight into the soup to absorb the flavors and also help naturally thicken the broth. If for whatever reason you decide to cook your pasta separately, make sure to cook it in plenty of salted water. All things considered, there’s something to be said about both the depth of flavor and texture of pasta cooked in broth, and the marriage of flavors that takes place during this process

course: Soup

cuisine: Italian

servings: 8 people

calories: 155kcal

author: Florentina at ciaoflorentina.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion diced
1 carrot (peeled + grated)
1 bell pepper diced
1 small fennel bulb thinly sliced
2 Tbsp capers (brined +roughly chopped)
4 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 pinch red chili flakes or to taste
8 cups water
1 cup small shape pasta (I used fregola / Italian couscous)
1/2 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
S + P to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat and sautee the onion in a light drizzle of olive oil (or water for WFPB compliance) until translucent and starts to get a little color. Add a pinch of salt and chili flakes and give everything a good stir: 1 onion, 1 pinch red chili flakes or to taste.

Stir in the grated carrot, diced bell pepper and sliced fennel. Toss to combine with the onion and cook a few more minutes on medium high heat until the veggies start getting a little color:.

Push the veggie mixture to the sides. Drizzle a little olive oil in the center of the pot and add the garlic, capers and fennel seeds. Cook until fragrant taking care not to let the garlic burn. Stir well.

Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary and water. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook the soup on medium low heat for 25 minutes to concentrate the flavor:.

After 25 minutes have passed taste the soup and season it with a generous pinch of salt. Add the fregola couscous or whatever small shape pasta you are using.

Cook until the pasta is al dente. Usually fregola takes between 15 and 17 minutes to cook but other small shape pastas are done in half that time, so it’s important to follow the cooking times on the package. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Stir in the fresh parsley and serve with homemade crusty bread or garlic bruschetta.

NOTES:

The Fennel - Choose a firm white bulb without blemishes or many signs of browning. You'll want to use both a fresh bulb and some dry seeds. Fresh Florence fennel is a sweet bulbous vegetable from the carrot family with a very mild and unique anise flavor. (Contrary to popular belief it does not taste like a licorice stick so please don't let that hold you back from making this soup).
Gluten Free - The fregola can be swapped for gluten free pasta of your choosing or replaced with diced potatoes, lentils and even butternut squash.
Grains vs Pasta - For an even healthier adaptation of this recipe you can swap the pasta with a whole grain. Barley and farro are classic ingredients found in Italian minestrone but wheat berries, wild rice and even quinoa could be used instead.
Add Ins - For an even thicker soup you can also add some shredded savoy cabbage and a can of cannellini beans. A handful of chopped Italian kale (Kavalo Nero) or baby spinach wilted at the last minute will add a nice boost of micronutrients to the meal. Any freezer vegetables that need using up could go in here: broccoli, asparagus, green peas, green beans, mushrooms and even cauliflower.
Storage - This is one of those soups that taste even better the next day as all the flavors get to marry overnight. It keeps well in the fridge up to 5 days and can be frozen for a rainy day if desired.

Recipe Tips

Gluten Free – The fregola can be swapped for gluten free pasta of your choosing or replaced with diced potatoes, lentils and even butternut squash.
Grains vs Pasta – For an even healthier adaptation of this recipe you can swap the pasta with a whole grain. Barley and farro are classic ingredients found in Italian minestrone soup but wheat berries, wild rice and even quinoa could be used instead.
Add Ins – For an even thicker soup you can add in some shredded savoy cabbage and a can of cannellini beans. A handful of chopped Italian kale (Kavalo Nero) or baby spinach wilted at the last minute will add a nice boost of micronutrients to the meal. Any freezer vegetables that need using up could go in here: broccoli, asparagus, green peas, green beans, mushrooms and even cauliflower.
Storage – This is one of those Italian soups that taste even better the next day as all the flavors get to marry overnight. It keeps well in the fridge up to 5 days and can be frozen for a rainy day if desired.

NUTRITION: