Quick & Easy Chicken Minestrone Soup (5 Ingredients!)

I love recipes that you can assemble in minutes and taste amazing, don’t you? This quick and easy Chicken Minestrone Soup is just the thing! With only five main ingredients, you’re set for a hearty soup dinner that cooks up in a flash.

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I think I’ve done it! I’ve taken all the components of a classic minestrone soup and condensed them into a simple chicken minestrone soup recipe that comes together in minutes with very little effort.

In fact, it only takes five basic ingredients plus olive oil, salt, pepper, and water, so you can easily keep these ingredients on hand for a delicious meal the whole family will love.

Fun fact: Minestrone is my husband’s favorite comfort food, especially when he’s feeling under the weather. This Chicken Minestrone recipe gives me one more option to help him feel better.

Why Make My Chicken Minestrone Soup

It’s quick. With just a handful of ingredients that are easy to keep on hand, this chicken vegetable soup comes together in just minutes in a pot on the stove. 

It’s healthful. This chicken soup is a lighter soup than my Sausage Tortellini Minestrone. Instead, lean juicy chicken breasts, tons of veggies, cannellini beans, and small pasta give it body while your favorite spaghetti sauce adds extra flavor without the calories or added fat.

It’s an amazingly versatile recipe. Seriously. I’ve developed this recipe to have a wholesome base of simple ingredients that you mix together in a pot, but can embellish with whatever you have in the kitchen to make it more. This recipe is a great way to use little bits of leftover fresh vegetables or rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this quick and easy Chicken Minestrone Soup:

frozen stew vegetables – This bag of frozen stew vegetables includes chunks of potato, carrots, onions, and celery. You can also use fresh or frozen mirepoix or mixed veggies or cut your own fresh veggies. For simplicity’s sake, I love keeping a bag of stew veggies in the freezer.

favorite spaghetti sauce – Minestrone is typically a tomato and herb based soup, so why not cut some of the time by using a favorite spaghetti sauce. This can be homemade spaghetti sauce or your favorite brand. In a pinch you can also substitute a small can of tomato paste or a sauce made of high-quality tomatoes along with a few shakes of Italian Seasoning Mix.

chicken – I love to keep cooked and cubed chicken in the freezer in 2 cups portions, specifically to make this Chicken Minestrone Soup. It’s almost magical how quickly it comes together. You can cook chicken to use in recipes or carve a rotisserie chicken. This is also good with leftover chicken or with leftover turkey from a holiday meal.

cannellini beans – These are large white beans from Italy. You can also use garbanzos (chick peas), navy beans, great northern beans, or red kidney beans if that’s what you have on hand. To save money, you can cook your own dried beans.

small pasta – I use shells because that’s the small pasta I usually have on hand. You can use small elbow macaroni or ditalini or salad macaroni, really any kind of pasta that’s bite-sized will work.

In addition to those five basic ingredients, you’ll also need olive oil, water, salt, and black pepper. If you prefer, you can increase the flavors in this comforting soup by adding homemade chicken stock or vegetable broth, as well as a rind of parmesan cheese and/or red pepper flakes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

It really couldn’t be easier to make this Chicken Minestrone Soup:

• In a large Dutch oven or big soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the veggies and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the spaghetti sauce. Rinse the jar out with the water and add to the pot. Stir in the chicken pieces and the rinsed and drained beans. Bring to a simmer.
• Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t overcook the pasta. Noodles in soup will soften as they absorb the broth. Instead be sure to cook it to al dente. 
• If making this soup in advance, boil the pasta separately and store it in a separate airtight container in the fridge. Then add the pasta right before serving.

Serving Suggestions: I consider this a one-dish dinner, served with garlic bread or rolls. However if you like, you can include it as a side dish to sandwiches or salad.

How to Make a Meal Prep: This chicken minestrone makes a great easy lunch! If making more than a day in advance, consider cooking and storing the pasta separately, refrigerating until ready to serve. Then add the noodles to the soup and enjoy!

Make a Plan for Leftovers: Leftover soup is good for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you store leftovers in clear air-tight containers you’re more likely to notice them and make sure they get eaten. If you don’t want the noodles to bloat too much, freeze the soup as soon as it’s chilled.

Freeze Extras for Later: To freeze: chill the soup completely before storing in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 2 months.

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