Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup | Lemons + Zest | Simple Soup Recipe (2024)

Last Updated August 10, 2023. Published October 9, 2020 By Lorie 20 Comments

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This simple chunky Italian Vegetable Soup is the perfect cozy recipe for a cool day. Simple to make, loaded with vegetables, beans and pasta, and perfectly flavored with Italian seasoning that is rounded out with fresh parmesan on top. Great with crusty bread and someone you love!

This recipe was originally published December 2014 and updated to include new photos October 2020.

Slow down with some Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup--that's what a good bowl of soup is for, right?

This is THAT soup for our family. It is the soup we make from the onset of cold weather and repeatedly throughout the fall and winter. I make this soup, my Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup, Sausage Gnocchi Soup, and Tomato Tortellini Soup on repeat as well! All the soup!

Aside from being super simple, it is not your average veggie soup.

Why You Will Love This Italian Vegetable Soup:

• It is packed with veggies and more! Lots of good stuff to eat in this veggie soup. Isn't that what it should be? Spinach, carrots, celery--lots of ingredients to make it good for the soul and the body!
• It is super hearty. My one problem with some soups is that they are not hearty enough. I want a soup that will really fill me up. All the chunks in this Italian vegetable soup add a lot of goodness. The beans give some protein, pasta gives it carbs and the veggies are an added bonus. Top with cheese to make it even more of a meal.
• Freezer friendly. Freezing soup is another amazing part of making it. Love to freeze leftovers. I put this soup into individual jars and freeze for single servings. The pasta can be a bit different in texture after freezing, but overall it is still great!
• Leftovers are even better than the day you made it! Having a day or two to soak in all the seasoning and flavor makes the soup as leftovers that much better!

What you need to make this recipe:

• carrots: carrots are my favorite part of soup, I often add extra. Fresh carrots are suggested versus frozen or canned. If you only have canned or frozen, add them in at the end so they don't become overly mushy.
• celery: freshly sliced is best again
• onion: yellow or red onion work well. Red is what we have on hand most of the time, but I have used yellow and loved that as well.
• garlic: fresh garlic is strongly suggested, minced.
• Italian seasoning: if your Italian seasoning has garlic in it, just be careful when adding it as it may be too much. If you don't have Italian seasoning, you can easily make your own. I like to use equal parts dried oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme.
• parsley: dried is what we use. You can toss freshly chopped over top before serving.
• broth: since it is vegetable soup, vegetable broth is the preference in this soup. Chicken broth will work, but the flavor profile will be different. Low or no sodium broth is suggested so that you can have all the control over the saltiness of the soup.
• beans: canned, pre-cooked and no salt added are the preference. Cannellini beans are great to add if you want to switch up the kidney beans
• diced tomatoes: again, canned are ideal in this Italian vegetable soup
• bay leaf: this adds another level of flavor although many question the use of a bay leaf. We like adding one!
• tomato paste: this thickens the broth up slightly which is my preference. I don't like watery broths. If you want a thinner broth, you can skip it.
• spinach: fresh, baby spinach is ideal. You could use frozen as well.
• pasta: ditolini or rotini are my favorite, but your favorite short pasta is great. Ditalini is another favorite, it cooks up a bit faster than others. Once you add the pasta, make sure to keep an eye on the soup so it doesn't overcook

Step-By-Step Instructions:

Start out by chopping all of your veggies up. That honestly takes the longest. I am a huge proponent of frozen veggie soup starters for days I just don't have it in me.

Sauté the veggies in olive oil until the onions become translucent. (step 1) The carrots will still be pretty firm at this point.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, bay leaf, garlic, spices, salt, pepper and broth. Stir to combine and then heat for about 25-30 minutes, or until the carrots have softened. (steps 2-3)

The soup will be at a low boil at this point. If for any reason, the boiling becomes a rapid boil, lower the heat a bit.

Once the carrots are soft, you are set to add the pasta. You want to make sure you are adding the pasta about 15 minutes before serving this chunky vegetable soup for best results. You can simmer the soup on low if you are not quite ready to serve.

Add in the pasta and spinach and stir to combine. Allow the soup to stay at a low boil and stir occasionally. Test the noodles after about 10-12 minutes, and allow to cook another several minutes, until al dente. (step 4)

Serve with your favorite soup toppings or a big grilled cheese sandwich!

Notes and Pro-Tips:

• One thing you DO NOT want to do is add the uncooked pasta and then walk away for a solid 30 minutes or so. The pasta will essentially break down and you will end up with starchy broth mush instead of soup with pasta. If you are worried about this, you can certainly add already cooked pasta just before serving.
• This chunky vegetable soup freezes well. Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to one month. I like to freeze individual servings and then I can pull them out for a simple lunch or dinner for one!
• I have made this soup with gluten free pasta as well. Rice pasta is the one I have found to be the most successful. Do not overcook the pasta for best results. You can also cook the pasta prior to making the soup and toss it in just before serving.
• I enjoy adding zucchini as well as chopped cabbage sometimes into this soup to change things up.

What To Serve With This Italian Vegetable Soup:

• Big pieces of crusty bread--you know soup and bread are a perfect match!
• Grilled Cheese is ALWAYS a good idea with soup, right? This Havarti Avocado Grilled Cheese is always a fan favorite!
• A good soup and salad night is always a great option. And this Spring Green Salad with Sourdough Croutons is a great option. This Caprese Farro Salad would go right along with the flavors of the soup for sure!

Other Soup Recipes:

• WHITE BEAN, KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
• SLOW COOKER CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
• BLACK BEAN AND RICE SOUP
• MAPLE ROASTED SWEET POTATO CARROT SOUP
• SLOW COOKER SWEET POTATO CHILI
• PUMPKIN QUINOA CHILI
• TOMATO TORTELLINI SOUP

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