Italian Vegetable Soup Recipe (Zuppa di Verdure)

Italian Vegetable Soup is a simple and hearty soup that’s packed full of veggies! This is a great recipe to have on hand during soup season or for any occasion. 

Classic Italian Vegetable Soup is one recipe you can feel good about making. It’s packed full of fresh vegetables, is so filling, and tastes even better the next day! 

If you love Italian soup recipes, don’t miss my Chicken Pastina Soup or Minestrone with Italian Sausage. For the perfect bread to serve with your soup, try these Bacon Parmesan Pinwheels or the classic Italian Focaccia recipe. 

Italian Vegetable Soup

Italian Vegetable Soup, known as Zuppa di Verdure, is a classic dish made with lots of vegetables simmered in a simple chicken broth with tomatoes and beans.

This veggie-packed soup is such a great way to get your vegetables. It’s made with a variety of veggies including zucchini, cabbage, potatoes, and green beans. 

The soup is simmered low and slow to really bring out the flavors. The combination of the creamy potatoes with the soft vegetables makes it the perfect cozy meal served with a side of crusty bread. 

You’ll love that this soup keeps well and tastes even better the next day! Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and you have a delicious and comforting soup that everyone will love. 

So, if you enjoy healthful and delicious veggie-filled soups, definitely give this Italian Vegetable Soup a try. You’re going to love it! 

Ingredients and Variations

• Onion: you’ll need one diced yellow onion. 
• Carrots: be sure to peel the carrots. You’ll need about two large carrots. 
• Celery: 4-5 ribs of celery. You can use the stems too if you’d like.
• Potato: I like to use a sturdy potato like Yukon Gold or Russet. 
• Green Beans: fresh green beans or frozen green beans work. 
• Zucchini: diced green zucchini or yellow squash. 
• Cabbage: use shredded green cabbage or Napa cabbage. Swiss chard or kale would also be delicious. 

• Crushed Tomatoes: diced canned San Marzano tomatoes are best. No need to drain the tomatoes before using. 
• Broth: you can use store-bought chicken broth or keep this vegetarian and use vegetable broth. I prefer the low sodium variety. 
• Beans: canned beans such as cannellini beans, kidney beans or garbanzo beans. 
• Parmesan Rind: if you have a leftover parmesan cheese rind, be sure to add it to the soup to get great flavor. 
• Oil: olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. 
• Butter: add a bit of unsalted butter to help soften the veggies. 
• Salt & Pepper: use kosher salt and black pepper. 
• Parsley: I like to finish My Italian Vegetable Soup with some chopped fresh parsley. You can use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.

Variations: add small pasta during the last 10 minutes of cooking to make this more like a minestrone soup. You can also substitute whatever veggies you have on hand. Change up the seasonings by adding in Italian seasoning, a bay leaf, or red pepper flakes. 

How to Make Italian Vegetable Soup

This veggie-packed Zuppa di Vedure is simple to make healthy soup recipe but will require some chopping. The veggies all cook at different times allowing you to prepare the vegetables while the others cook. 

You will need a large pot or large dutch oven as this makes a lot of soup. Let this simmer for the time indicated to get the best flavors. 

Step 1: Cook the Onion, Carrots, and Celery

In big soup pot or dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until the veggies just start to get tender, about 3 minutes. 

Step 2: Add in the Remaining Vegetables

​Add in the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, for another 5 minutes. Add in the diced zucchini and green beans and cook for 3 minutes, then add in the shredded cabbage, salt and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Step 3: Pour in Broth and Tomatoes and Simmer

​Add in the broth, diced tomatoes and their juice, and parmesan rind if using. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 90 minutes. 

Step 4: Add in Canned Beans

​Once the soup has cooked, add in the drained cannellini beans and cook for another 30 minutes. (The soup is meant to be thick.) Remove the cheese rind, if using. Taste for seasonings and stir in chopped parsley. Serve with parmesan cheese.  

To make this more like a traditional minestrone soup recipe, you can add in small pasta to cook at the end until just al dente. However, I think this chunky vegetable soup is perfect as is. 

Tips for Making Italian Vegetable Soup

• The vegetables in this recipe cook at different times and don’t go in all at once. While the vegetables are cooking, you can peel and dice the next one, or chop them all ahead of time. 
• These are the veggies I like to have in my Italian Vegetable Soup. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. 
• The parmesan rind is optional but adds great flavor. Use it if you have it. 
• You can make this more of a minestrone soup by add in a cup or so of small pasta during the last 10 minutes of cooking. 
• Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can also freeze for up to two months.

​More Classic Italian Recipes