Fall Harvest Minestrone

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You may be familiar with the usual cluster of summer vegetables in classic minestrone, but any Italian will tell you that real minestrone changes with the season. Italians like to prioritize whole, nutritious, in-season produce—especially those living in Italy’s blue zone, where some of the longest-living people eat minestrone every single day.

As we dive into fall, we’re taking our classic minestrone recipe with us and giving it a couple of tweaks. Our fall harvest minestrone ditches the zucchini, green beans, parsley, basil and spinach, and reflects what’s growing in the garden right now: sweet potatoes, onions, kale, sage and rosemary. We included Italian sausage, too, to enrich the broth and add a big boost of protein—enough for this fall soup to officially be considered dinner.

Ingredients for Fall Harvest Minestrone

Italian sausage: Buy 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage for this minestrone. The sweet variety works beautifully here, but go for spicy if you prefer a little kick.
Broth: Beef broth adds a rich, savory, umami depth. Feel free to use chicken, mushroom or vegetable broth as desired.
Sweet potatoes: Peel and cube two medium sweet potatoes. Try to cut the cubes into the same size so they cook evenly.
Canned tomatoes: The tomato broth comes standard in minestrone, no matter the season. It gives the soup its bright, rich flavor.
Kale: Strip the leaves from the stems of the kale. The stem is really bitter! Wash the leaves well, then chop them.
Red onion: You can use any type of onion here, but we like red onion for its strong pungency. It pairs well with the hearty fall vegetables.
Carrot: Peel the carrot first to remove its bitter skin.
Herbs: Instead of the usual basil and parsley, we’re leaning on cozier herbs (sage and rosemary) to give the soup a comforting, autumnal taste.
Pasta: This recipe calls for rotini or shells, but any small pasta shape will work. Don’t use anything big like rigatoni or cavatappi—they’re too big to fit on a spoon and will bloat in the broth overnight.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the Italian sausage

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until it’s no longer pink, six to eight minutes, breaking it into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Drain the liquid from the skillet, then transfer the meat to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Step 2: Add the vegetables, broth and herbs

Stir in the beef broth, sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, kale, onion, carrot, garlic, sage and rosemary. Cook the minestrone, covered, on low until the vegetables are tender, five to six hours.

Editor’s Tip: The sweet potatoes should be fork-tender before moving on to the next step.

Step 3: Cook the pasta

Stir the pasta into the minestrone. Cook everything, covered, on low until the pasta is tender, 20 to 25 minutes longer.

Step 4: Garnish the soup

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. If desired, top the fall harvest minestrone with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes or fresh sage or rosemary.

Overhead horizontal image of two bowls of hearty soup, each with a spoon. The soup contains fusilli pasta, diced sweet potato, ground sausage, kale, and diced tomatoes, and is generously topped with grated Parmesan cheese. A small dish of extra grated Parmesan and a wooden cutting board with fresh sage leaves and chopped rosemary are also visible on a light wooden surface.

Recipe Variations

Add beans: Boost the fiber by adding drained and rinsed beans. Cannellini or kidney beans would work best here. Add them when you stir in the pasta.
Try another pasta shape: The best pasta for minestrone is one that’s the same size as the vegetables. Small pasta like shells, elbow and orecchiette fit best on a spoon. Stelline and acini di pepe are too small for minestrone.
Use other in-season vegetables: Feel free to swap other fall vegetables as you see fit. Try butternut or honeynut squash in place of the sweet potatoes; shallots instead of red onions; or Swiss chard rather than kale. Add in-season sauteed mushrooms for an umami boost.

How to Store Fall Harvest Minestrone

Allow leftover fall harvest minestrone to cool completely to room temperature in under two hours. Transfer the soup to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to four days.

Can you freeze fall harvest minestrone?

Yes, you can freeze fall harvest minestrone. Let the soup come to room temperature in under two hours, then ladle it into freezer-safe, airtight containers. Freeze the soup for up to two months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before enjoying it again.

Fall Harvest Minestrone Tips

Overhead horizontal image of a hearty bowl of soup with a spoon resting within it. The soup features rotini pasta, crumbled ground sausage, chunks of orange sweet potato or butternut squash, diced tomatoes, and green kale, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.

Can I make fall harvest minestrone gluten free?

Yes, you can make fall harvest minestrone gluten free. Buy a box of good gluten-free pasta and make sure the Italian sausage is gluten free, too. I like to cook the gluten-free pasta separately when I suspect I’ll have leftovers. I add the pasta to individual bowls, then top it with the soup. Gluten-free noodles will absorb too much broth overnight, breaking down and becoming mushy.

What should I serve with fall harvest minestrone?

The fall harvest minestrone has everything: vegetables, carbs and meat. It doesn’t really need anything else, but if you want to stretch the meal a bit, serve the soup with cornbread, biscuits (I love our garlic bread biscuits) or slices of crusty sourdough bread. Something like a vinegary salad will cut the richness a bit and bring in fresh flavor.