Minestrone Soup in Jar (Printable)

Hearty vegetable and pasta soup layered in jars. Add water and heat for convenient, make-ahead meals ready in minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Base Layer

01 - 1/3 cup small pasta (ditalini, elbow macaroni, or mini shells)

→ Dried Beans & Legumes

02 - 2 tbsp dried red lentils
03 - 2 tbsp canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

04 - 1/3 cup zucchini, diced
05 - 1/3 cup carrots, diced
06 - 1/3 cup celery, diced
07 - 1/4 cup frozen green peas
08 - 1/4 cup baby spinach, chopped

→ Tomato & Flavor

09 - 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (oil-packed, drained)
10 - 1 tbsp tomato paste

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
12 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
13 - 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
14 - 1/2 tsp salt
15 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
16 - 1 vegetable bouillon cube, crumbled

→ For Serving

17 - 2 cups boiling water per jar
18 - Grated Parmesan cheese (optional, omit for vegan)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Layer ingredients in each clean, quart-size mason jar in this order (bottom to top): pasta, lentils, beans, carrots, celery, zucchini, peas, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, seasonings, and bouillon cube. Press down gently to compact if needed.
02 - Seal jars tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
03 - When ready to eat, remove jar from refrigerator. Add 2 cups boiling water to cover ingredients. Stir well or screw lid back on and shake gently to mix.
04 - Let sit for 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is cooked and vegetables are tender. Alternatively, microwave open jar (without metal lid) for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway.
05 - Stir again, season to taste, and top with grated Parmesan if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You prep once on Sunday and have four ready-to-heat meals waiting for you—no excuses for skipping lunch.
  • It tastes homemade and nourishing without the guilt of takeout soup loaded with sodium.
  • The layering trick keeps everything intact and prevents the pasta from getting mushy before you eat it.
  • It's genuinely cheaper than buying soup containers, and somehow feels fancier than it has any right to be.
02 -
  • The pasta must be small and cooked al dente before layering—it will soften further as it sits, so don't use anything that takes longer than 8 minutes to cook.
  • Squeeze excess moisture from your drained beans and rinsed lentils; extra liquid makes the jar contents soggy and unappetizing before you add the hot water.
  • Always use boiling water, never room-temperature or lukewarm—the temperature is what actually cooks the pasta and vegetables and makes the texture right.
  • If your bouillon cube doesn't dissolve completely, the soup will taste bland in some bites and oversalted in others, so stir aggressively.
03 -
  • Invest in quality mason jars with tight-sealing lids—cheap jars leak and ruin your refrigerator shelf, and loose lids let your soup dry out.
  • If you're making these for someone else, write the heating instructions on a small piece of tape on the lid so they don't guess and end up with cold soup.
  • The moment you remove the jar from the fridge, you've started a clock; eat it within a few hours of adding water for the best texture and taste.
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