Easy single serving minestrone soup recipe made with vegetables, bacon, and pasta. The perfect recipe when you are craving a great bowl of hearty soup but don't want the leftovers.
Minestrone soup is an Italian classic. Our version is made with canned red beans, chicken broth, plenty of vegetables, and Parmesan cheese.
If you're a fan of Olive Garden restaurants in the United States, minestrone soup is one of their most popular menu items. It's also one of my favorite soups to make at home.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to customize: Minestrone soup, the Italian soup made of mixed vegetables and beans is also a soup that can be made with any number of your favorite vegetables and ingredients. It's kind of like a "clean your pantry out" soup and the recipe itself is very flexible.
- Easy to make: Minestrone is an easy soup to make. It's also hearty enough to be a meal in itself. You really can't mess up a good minestrone soup. I use canned beans and canned tomatoes along with frozen vegetables to keep it simple. Feel free to use same amounts of fresh vegetables and fresh chopped tomatoes instead.
- Tasty: This soup is hearty and incredibly delicious!
RELATED: The Best Soup Recipes For One
Ingredients
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
There really isn't a "recipe" for minestrone soup, since it's usually made with whatever vegetables are in season. You can make your soup vegetarian, add meat, or use a meat-based soup broth such as chicken broth.
The ingredients you put in minestrone soup is really up to you. If you don't like beans, leave them out. Want to leave out the pasta? It's perfectly fine to do so. Minestrone is about improvising and using ingredients you love or ones that you have on hand.
Here are the ingredients in my base recipe:
- bacon
- chopped onions
- garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- canned beans
- diced tomatoes
- mixed vegetables
- chicken broth
- salt & pepper
- small shaped pasta
How To Make This Recipe
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Begin by cooking the chopped bacon in a 2-quart saucepan. After the bacon has crisped, remove the pieces from the pot and set them on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until tender.
- Add beans, vegetables, tomatoes, the cooked bacon, chicken broth and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
- Finally, add the pasta which will cook while the soup continues to heat. I like using Conchiglie pasta and they look like small seashells.
Expert Tips
- To make a vegetarian minestrone soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and omit the bacon.
- Cook the pasta in the soup until it is al dente (meaning it has a little bite to it) because it will continue cooking after you remove it from the stove.
- If you aren't eating the soup right away, cook the pasta separately and add it to the minestrone when you are ready to eat it. Otherwise, the pasta will get mushy.
- Remember to customize your soup with ingredients you already have. From small shaped pastas to beans and vegetables, any will work well here.
- Consider adding a protein to your soup. Make a chicken minestrone using leftover chicken or beef minestrone made with cooked ground beef.
- Use rice instead of pasta. If you choose to use rice, I recommend cooking it separately to ensure it is properly cooked.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the best things about Italian minestrone soup is that it's a clean-out-your-fridge kind of soup. Use what you have on hand or what's in season. A few favorites include:
potatoes
zucchini
spinach
green beans
Minestrone leftovers can be refrigerated for 1 week and reheated either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
You can freeze minestrone soup although the vegetables will tend to soften after freezing and reheating. If you have added pasta to your soup, note that pasta does not freeze well. You may want to freeze the soup without the pasta and then add it after thawing and reheating. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes! If you want to make a second bowl, double the ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
You might like to consider serving any of these wonderful single serving side dishes with a bowl of minestrone soup:
What To Do With Leftover Ingredients
If you have any leftover ingredients from this minestrone soup recipe, you might like to use them in any of these single serving recipes:
- Bacon: Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf, Twice Baked Potato, Stuffed Fish, Cobb Salad
- Canned beans: Vegetable Enchiladas, Chili Baked Potato, Turkey Chili, Red Beans and Rice
- Canned diced tomatoes: Goulash, Chicken Chili, Shrimp Creole, Tomato Sauce
- Mixed vegetables: Fried Rice, Chicken Pot Pie
- Pasta: Italian Pasta Salad, Macaroni and Cheese, Crawfish Pasta, Mediterranean Pasta and Shrimp
- Chicken broth: Chicken and Rice Casserole, Chicken and Dumplings, Risotto, Turkey Cutlets
RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
Other Single Serving Soup Recipes
- Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pumpkin Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Carrot Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
- Clam Chowder
- White Bean Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this small batch of minestrone soup or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Minestrone Soup For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 strips bacon
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ cup canned red beans , rinsed and drained
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup dried small shaped pasta
Instructions
- Slice the bacon into ¼-inch pieces and cook in a medium-sized pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the chopped onions to the pot and cook 2 minutes until translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the Worcestershire Sauce, the red beans, the diced tomatoes and the mixed vegetables. Stir for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth and stir in the cooked bacon.
- Season with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pasta and cook on low heat until pasta is al dente, about 4 minutes.
- Pour into a bowl and enjoy hot.
Notes
- To make a vegetarian minestrone soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and omit the bacon.
- Cook the pasta in the soup until it is al dente (meaning it has a little bite to it) because it will continue cooking after you remove it from the stove.
- If you aren't eating the soup right away, cook the pasta separately and add it to the minestrone when you are ready to eat it. Otherwise, the pasta will get mushy.
- Remember to customize your soup with ingredients you already have. From small shaped pastas to beans and vegetables, any will work well here.
- Consider adding a protein to your soup. Make a chicken minestrone using leftover chicken or beef minestrone made with cooked ground beef.
- Use rice instead of pasta. If you choose to use rice, I recommend cooking it separately to ensure it is properly cooked.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Deepti says
I made this recipe last week for the first time and absolutely loved it! I've never made minestrone soup before (only had it in restaurants).I made mine vegetarian instead (used Smart bacon and Better than Bouillon Vegetarian) and it was so good! Thanks for the recipe! Looking forward to trying more recipes.
Myra S says
Hi,
I tried this minestrone soup and it was delicious! It made more than a single serving, so I will have enough for lunch tomorrow. I am over the moon to have found your recipes on line! I have to watch my weight but I don’t want diet food. So I really rely on the nutritional charts for each recipes. I would love it if you would put together a book for 1600 calories or less and include a dessert from time to time. The recipes you have compiled gives lots of varieties, choices and prevents food waste. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to get my own copy of your cookbook. I will be trying the clam chowder next🎉!
Darlene says
I doubled the recipe so we will have a leftover for a couple of lunches. Next time I’ll decrease the pasta. I added a couple shakes of italian seasoning. Because hot soup is too hot for use to eat when it’s first cooked, I added 2 ice cubes to cool it down a bit. Topped it with fresh grated parm cheese. Very good. So glad I found this site. I use it often.
Joanie Zisk says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback.
Lauren Phillips says
Thank you very much for this site! It's lockdown gold for a single person who also doesn't really know how to cook. 😉
Joanie Zisk says
We're so glad you are enjoying the recipes, Lauren!
Marjorie Lipsey says
For medical reasons I do not eat beef or pork, how about recipes with out bacon?
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Marjorie,
We have many meatless recipes here. You might be interested in browsing through our "meatless meals" article - https://onedishkitchen.com/single-serving-meatless-recipes/. Also feel free to leave out the bacon in this minestrone recipe - you won't even miss it.
Joanie
Ana says
This recipe looks awesome!
BUT, I am a little bummed because, yes its cut down to size for one... but I can half or 1/4 any recipe. The problem is, now what do I do with all the leftover 1/2 can of beans, 1/2 can of tomatoes, the rest of the bag of frozen veggies? Either i have to get super creative to use them up, or (more commonly) they spoil before I can. That is what is so frustrating about cooking for one.
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Ana, I always suggest saving the rest of the ingredients not used in a recipe to use in different recipes. For instance, the remainder of the beans can be used in a Chili Cheese Baked Potato ( https://onedishkitchen.com/chili-cheese-baked-potato/ ) or in a Red Beans and Rice For One (https://onedishkitchen.com/slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice-for-one/). Keep the remainder of the frozen vegetables in the freezer to use again when you need it. Canned diced tomatoes can be frozen once the can has been opened or use the remainder in other recipes like chicken chili (https://onedishkitchen.com/chicken-chili-for-one/) or Pasta with Vodka Sauce (https://onedishkitchen.com/pasta-with-vodka-sauce-for-one/). You can search our site for the ingredient and a list of recipes made with that ingredient will show up for you. I hate to waste food and don't recommend it. Hope these suggestions help.
Annamaria says
I just made this minestrone as it's 24 degrees outside! My husband opted for a cheeseburger (he's not really a soup person - his loss!! LOL!) So I found this because I am actually always looking for recipes we can both eat that are healthy but sometimes, he ends up eating something else and I still want to eat things he may not be crazy about. Anyway, made this tonight - it was delicious! I omitted the bacon and the Worcestershire sauce, sprinkled some cheese on it and it was so warming on this cold night! I used really tiny shells (soup shells) and it really made a good amount of soup! I ate it all!!
Joanie Zisk says
Annamaria, I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for letting me know.