Best Kale Minestrone Soup Recipe
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This kale minestrone soup is my take on the classic Italian favorite, made with tender potatoes instead of pasta, hearty kale, and a generous spoonful of basil pesto stirred in at the end. I’ve also included four simple tricks that give the broth an incredible depth of flavor, turning a humble vegetable soup into something truly special.
This kale minestrone soup is my answer to all the minestrone soups that never quite won me over. Too often, they end up with soggy pasta and overcooked greens, which is exactly why I decided to take a different approach with this recipe.
Instead of pasta, I use tender red potatoes that hold their shape beautifully and make the soup feel hearty and satisfying. And rather than spinach, I reach for Tuscan kale, which adds texture and substance without disappearing into the broth. The result is a soup that feels rustic, cozy, and packed with vegetables in the very best way.
My favorite finishing touch is a spoonful of basil pesto swirled into each bowl just before serving. It adds a burst of fresh, herby flavor that brightens the whole soup and ties everything together. It’s the kind of meal that’s comforting enough for a chilly evening but vibrant enough that you’ll look forward to leftovers the next day.
Tricks for making the best minestrone soup
I have four little tricks that will up your minestrone game. Big time. Use these little tips to craft your kale minestrone soup, and you’ll never go back:
- Caramelize the tomato paste: This is a little trick I use all the time. Cooking the tomato paste until it darkens and becomes sweet smelling adds so much extra flavor to the recipe!
- Parmesan cheese rinds: Whenever I get to the end of a brick of parmesan cheese, I take the Parmesan rind and put it in a bag in my freezer. When I make soup recipes (like this one!) I pull out a couple and toss them in the pot. They add a ton of delicious depth to the minestrone soup.
- Lemon juice: A squeeze of lemon juice at the end really brightens and freshens up the minestrone. Don’t skip it!
- Pesto: Like the lemon juice, adding a dollop of fresh basil pesto to your bowl breaths life into the minestrone. Of all the tricks, this one makes the biggest difference.
What vegetables to put in minestrone soup?
Since this is a kale minestrone soup, let’s start with the kale. While many minestrone recipes use spinach, I much prefer kale here. Spinach tends to become soft and wilt away in hot soup, whereas kale becomes tender while still holding its texture. It adds a little substance to every spoonful, which is exactly what I want in a hearty vegetable soup.
One of the best things about minestrone is how flexible it is. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or what’s in season. Aim for about 4 cups of vegetables, not including the potatoes.
Some of my favorite vegetables to use are:
- Onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and bell peppers
- Zucchini, yellow summer squash, or butternut squash
- Green beans, snap peas, split peas, or frozen peas
- Broccoli, asparagus, or cauliflower
- Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, or collard greens
No matter which vegetables you choose, try to keep them fairly small. A great minestrone has a little bit of everything in each spoonful.
Kale Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Kale Minestrone Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 large carrots (diced)
- 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 medium red potatoes (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (diced)
- 1 zucchini (diced)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, thyme, and black pepper
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- 2 parmesan rinds (optional – see notes)
- 15 ounce can white beans (drained and rinsed)
- 8 ounces kale (removed from stem and chopped)
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Sea salt (to taste)
Easy Basil Pesto
- 2 ounces basil (about 1 cup, loosely packed)
- 2 ounces parsley (about 1 cup loosely packed)
- ¼ cup pine nuts (cashews or almonds work great, too)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots and let them cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and onion start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook it until it is sweet smelling and starts to darken, about 3 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 large carrots, 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
- Add the vegetable broth, potatoes, celery, zucchini, black pepper, oregano, and thyme to the pot. Pour the juice from the tomatoes into the pot then use your hands to crush the whole tomatoes before adding them to the pot. If you’re using the parmesan rinds, add them to the pot now. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.4 cups vegetable broth, 3 medium red potatoes, 2 stalks celery, 1 zucchini, 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, thyme, and black pepper, 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- While the soup simmers, make the pesto. Add all the pesto ingredients to a small food processor and pulse until mostly smooth.2 ounces basil, 2 ounces parsley, ¼ cup pine nuts, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Juice from ½ lemon, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- Add the beans, kale, and lemon juice to the soup and let the kale wilt and the beans warm through. Season to taste with sea salt. Serve the minestrone topped with the pesto.15 ounce can white beans, 8 ounces kale, Juice from ½ lemon, Sea salt
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Soooo good. I used almost all the ingredients but with loose measurements, still came out delicious.
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for sharing your note! 💛
Hi, can you give an approximate measurement for the potatoes? I never know if my medium is your small, ya know? Do you think like two or three cups of diced potatoes?
Thanks, the recipe looks great! It’s actually weirdly hot out for springtime in my location but somehow I still want soup haha
It’s weirdly hot here, too! One diced potato = about 1 cup. So 3 cups will do it for this recipe.
Very good but too many tomatoes in my opinion. I followed the recipe and it was way too tomato-y, tried it another time with a 14 oz can and it was perfect
I made this recipe, and if you are a true vegan you want to omit the lemon juice. It will help greatly. I am sorry that I put the lemon in because it came out way to acidic without the fat from the cheese in both the soup and in the pesto to balance out the recipe.
A nice recipe though!
Can this be frozen please?
It freezes very well!
Just made this! I confess I was too lazy to make the pesto, but I may buy some tomorrow to spoon on top. Without it, though, the soup was still great! Flavorful and delightful. In addition to your ingredients list, I used the ton of green and yellow squash and red kale I got from my weekly produce box, green beans, and brown potatoes instead of red because that’s what I had on hand. Unfortunately I didn’t have carrots, but next time I’ll be sure to use them for extra caramel-y goodness! I adore your recipes and I think my New Years resolution just became: make everything on this site!! Thank you for these wonderful recipes! You’re so good with flavors and measurements—I like that you don’t skimp on salt, butter, or special steps to up the flavor!
Awww well you just made my day!!! I’m so happy you like my recipes!!
I adore minestrone in all it’s forms! This sounds amazing — I adore Tuscan kale in soups for exactly the reason you described! When I make minestrone with pasta, I boil the pasta al dente separately, then just add to bowls when serving. I am with you on soggy pasta! 🙁
That’s a good idea for the pasta. Soggy pasta is the worst!
You are spoiling your Site with too many pop-ups and drop downs……no longer a pleasure to visit.
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You just pointed out all the reasons I don’t go for vegetarian minestrone myself! It always seems to be lacking in flavor and heft, so I end up adding Italian sausage, bacon, or some sort of meat to make up for that. But you have such great ideas in this recipe that I’m anxious to try your version. I’m trying to be more plant-based in my diet than I’ve been lately so this is perfect for that as well. Thanks Kristen!
I hope you like it as much as I do!!