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Dehydrated Tomato Minestrone Soup:
Store Now, Enjoy Later!

Susan Gast, founder of Easy Food Dehydrating

by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!

I love a good bowl of tomato minestrone soup... it's one of those comfort foods that never goes out of style, right?

Tomato minestrone soup in a bowl

Today, I'm sharing with you how to make it... with dehydrated tomatoes and mixed veggies (carrots, celery, and onions). This page is "from start to finish" with the recipe at the end HERE.

Pro tip: Using canned beans saves significant prep time and ensures consistent results since they're already perfectly cooked. Just be sure to rinse them well to remove excess sodium before dehydrating.

Equipment to Make the Dehydrated Ingredients

  • Food dehydrator (recommended temperature range: 125°F-135°F)
  • Vacuum sealer and bags
  • Oxygen absorbers (optional, but recommended for long-term storage)
  • Pot for cooking at camp
  • Camping stove
  • Airtight containers or zip-lock freezer bags (if vacuum sealer unavailable)
  • Clean, lint-free kitchen towels for checking dryness

How to Dehydrate the Specific Ingredients

First things first, we need to dehydrate our ingredients. Below, I share with you the average dehydrating times and at what temperature to use when dehydrating.

Use our Fahrenheit to Celsius converter here on our site!


A person with dehydrator, fresh food

Step 1: Dehydrate Your Ingredients

Here are some specific dehydrating times and temperature settings for tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. Feel free to click on their links to read all about how to dry these veggies on their individual page(s):

  • Tomatoes: 135°F for 8-12 hours
  • Slice 1/4 inch thick
  • Done when leathery with no moisture pockets
  • Carrots: 125°F for 6-8 hours
  • Slice 1/8 inch thick or grate
  • Done when hard and brittle
  • Celery: 135°F for 4-6 hours
  • Slice 1/4 inch thick
  • Done when brittle and easily snapped
  • Onions: 135°F for 4-8 hours
  • Slice 1/8 inch thick
  • Done when crispy and brittle

OVERALL DRYNESS CUES:

  • Vegetables should be brittle and snap easily
  • Tomatoes should be leathery but not sticky
  • No moisture should be visible when breaking pieces in half
  • Color will be darker and more concentrated

TIP: If you're short on time, you can use store-bought dehydrated vegetables, but trust me, homemade tastes so much better!

Step 2: Mix Your Dry Ingredients

Here's the easy part, the mixing of the dry ingredients! Not rocket science.

In a large bowl mix together all the dry items. (Reminder, the recipe is coming up!)

Add the canned beans and mix VERY well.

Cooking Minestrone Soup at Camp

IF you want to take this soup mix along with you on your camping trips, I suggest you pack the 'wet' beans separately. It's so easy to then vacuum seal the dried ingredients in a food vacuum sealer bag.

Yes, you can open the can and take out what you need of the wet beans, and tote those along with you in a vacuum-sealed separate bag, too!

I do like using canned kidney beans. Why? Because it takes so dang long to cook dry beans. Been there, done it. Don't want to do it again, sorry.

Water to Mix Ratio

For a one cup single serving, add 2 cups of water. Don't get carried away thinking that, OK, a double serving is 4 cups of water - no - just shy of 4 cups, like 3.75 cups is enough liquid.

If making a family size batch of 4 cups of dry mix, use 7 cups of water. To be honest, when camping, you'd better be camping near a good, clean water source as water is heavy to carry around. You all know that.

NOTE: When re-hydrating the dried food pieces - let them sit in the water for about five minutes before cooking. I was gonna say, "let's not make a meal out of this," but in fact, we are making a meal out of this. Again, we don't need Elon Musk to show us how to make soup while camping, right? Right!

Family making tomato minestrone soup

Bring the Soup to a Boil for One Minute...

After the five minute rehydration, bring the soup to a boil for at least a minute, and then gently simmer - until the dehydrated food is cooked. Takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.

Please, let it cool - then do the "taste test" to see if you need to add salt, etc.

Altitude Cooking Time Adjustments

  • 5,000-8,000 ft: Add 1-2 minutes cooking time
  • 8,000-10,000 ft: Add 3-4 minutes cooking time
  • Above 10,000 ft: Add 5-6 minutes cooking time

Tips and Tricks

For an extra protein boost, consider adding some dehydrated chicken or tofu to your mix.

If you like your soup with a bit of kick, add some red pepper flakes to the spice mix.

On cold nights, this soup pairs perfectly with some crusty bread (if you've packed it) for dipping.

OK, here's the recipe!

Tomato Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

A bowl of tomato minestrone soup
  • 2 cups dehydrated tomatoes (for the tomato-y texture)
  • 1 cup dehydrated mixed vegetables (carrots, celery, onions)
  • 1/2 cup store-bought canned red kidney beans or cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
  • 1/4 cup dry (uncooked) small pasta (such as small shells, ditalini, or small elbow macaroni)
  • 2 tbsp tomato powder (creates the rich base of the soup)
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Also, if you're making this at home and wish to use Better Than Bouillon vegetable stock as the base (instead of just plain water), go ahead!

How to Make It:

  1. Empty your dehydrated minestrone mix into your cooking pot.
  2. Add about 2 cups of water per 1 cup of mix. Don't worry if it looks like too much water – the ingredients will absorb it as they rehydrate.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Let it sit for a few minutes to cool and fully absorb the liquid.

And I wish I would stop humming to myself 10cc's "Life is a Minestrone" song...



Seasonal Vegetable Options:

Spring/Summer:

  • Dehydrated zucchini
  • Bell peppers
  • Green beans

Fall/Winter:

  • Dehydrated butternut squash
  • Kale
  • Parsnips

Spice Variations:

Italian Style:

  • Add 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary

Mediterranean Style:

  • Add 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried mint
  • Pinch of saffron

Pre-Trip Testing Tips:

If you want to impress the other campers...

1. Make a small batch and rehydrate at home
2. Time the rehydration process
3. Note any adjustments needed for seasoning
4. Practice with your camping stove
5. Test different water ratios

Why You'll Love This Tomato Minestrone Soup Recipe

Aside from it looking so good with the red hue, and the white beans and stuff... the aroma of it cooking is enough to drive you crazy! It's genuinely delish, it's warming... and totally satisfying. I could eat it every night while watching the stars come out, hearing the crackle of the camp fire...

It's these simple pleasures in life that makes all the prep time so worthwhile.

Storing Your Tomato Minestrone Soup

When properly vacuum-sealed and stored in a cool, dry place, your dehydrated minestrone mix can last up to 6 months. If you've used oxygen absorbers, you might even get a year out of it! Just make sure to label your bags with the date and contents – future you will thank you.

So there you have it – your guide to making and enjoying dehydrated tomato minestrone soup at home, or on your next camping trip. It's a little bit of home-cooked comfort, no matter how far from home you roam.

Don't forget to get your free "Six Simple Steps" eBook where I share how to dehydrate food safely!

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Hi, I'm Susan Gast and I've been making food preservation simple since 2010.

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