Instant Pot Minestrone is hearty, filling, and healthy. This comfy warming soup is always loved on a chilly fall or winter day. It's loaded with healthy vegetables and beans, and pressure cooked in a broth worthy of a 5-star restaurant!
What's more to love than a quick and delicious Instant Pot soup recipe that's packed with vegetables and pasta on a chilly evening?
This recipe is a cozy, flavor-filled vegetarian soup that the whole family will love.
Instant Pot minestrone soup is chock full of nutrient-dense vegetables and beans. It's broth is full of vitamins, minerals, and good-for-you ingredients.
The best part about soups filled with vegetables, is that they can be easily customized with your favorites or the veggies you have on hand.
They are perfect for when you're cleaning out the cabinets of those forgotten-about and often overlooked cans of vegetables and beans. Or when doing a fridge cleanout of vegetables that are about to go bad, or those that you cooked and had leftover.
Ingredients
Minestrone soup should contain an assortment of different textured vegetables and beans. Some should give the soup a slight crunch, while others should be nice and soft.
In this Instant Pot minestrone soup, I use:
- onion
- celery
- carrot
- canned corn
- kidney beans (or pinto beans)
- sweet potato
- green beans
- canned tomatoes
- fresh spinach
- elbow pasta (or small shells, or another short pasta)
- parmesan cheese
Plus, lots of seasonings. I use oregano, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, and vegetable broth. Chicken broth can be used in place of vegetable broth.
The "crunch" in this minestrone recipe comes from the beans, carrots, and celery. While the smooth texture comes from everything else.
As the vegetables and beans can be replaced with what you have on hand, always keep the onions, celery, and carrot as is. They are used to make the base of the broth and give the soup it's starting flavor.
This is called a mirepoix, where onions and vegetables are cooked over low heat in either butter, oil, or another fat.
Step-By-Step Directions
- In a 6 or 8 qt Instant Pot, heat the oil on high using saute mode. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and sweet potato. Cook for 4 minutes stirring frequently.
- Turn off saute and add 1 cup of the broth. Deglaze until no pieces are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining broth, green beans, corn, tomatoes and their juices and all herbs/spices. Do not stir. Set the lid to sealing and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. The pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure.
- Do a quick release. If broth comes out of the steam release valve, stop the quick release and let naturally release for 5 minutes. Then quick release again, repeating the above directions as needed. Or, perform a full quick release and lay a thin towel over the valve to prevent broth from creating a mess.
- Add the kidney beans, spinach, and parmesan. Stir and let soup sit for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the spinach to cook and the beans to warm, while marrying the flavors or the soup.
- Add the cooked pasta to each bowl and serve!
Yes! The vegetables, beans, and herbs in this Instant Pot minestrone soup give it 14 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, and tons of calcium, vitamin A, potassium, and fiber. One serving, about a 2 cup bowl, is just 352 calories.
Yes, most minestrone soup recipes have pasta. Most commonly, it will be made with small shell pasta. In this Instant Pot minestrone soup, I use elbows. Feel free to use whatever short pasta you have on hand.
Instant Pot minestrone soup can be easily made vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken/beef broth and leaving out the parmesan cheese. Make sure you are using an egg-free pasta (most are).
To make this minestrone soup keto, leave out the beans, pasta and carrots. Add cauliflower and zucchini instead, or other keto-friendly vegetables.
Yes! If you plan to freeze your soup, always cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls at serving. You do not want to freeze the pasta in the broth because it could turn mushy. The pasta should be frozen separately. but for the best freezer minestrone soup, don't freeze the pasta at all. Boil a fresh batch once you've defrosted the soup.
Serve minestrone soup with a salad and crusty bread.
You might like these salads and breads to serve with your Instant Pot minestrone:
How to Store
Fridge: keeps in the fridge for 7-10 days, covered.
Freezer: store in the freezer for about 6 months (keep pasta separate or cook fresh when ready to eat later on).
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Recipe
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 9 cups vegetable broth (or 9 cups water + 9 bouillon cubes)
- 2 cups canned green beans
- 2 cups canned corn
- 3 cups diced tomatoes (26 oz can)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ¾ tsp basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups kidney beans
- 4 cups fresh spinach, torn
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 6 oz cooked elbow or shell pasta (optional)
Instructions
- In a 6 or 8 qt Instant Pot, heat the oil on high using saute mode. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and sweet potato. Cook for 4 minutes stirring frequently.
- Turn off saute. Add 1 cup of the broth and deglaze until no pieces are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the broth, green beans, corn, tomatoes and their juices, oregano, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Do not stir. Seal the pressure cooker lid and set to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
- When pressure cooking is complete, do a quick release. If broth comes out of the steam release valve, stop the quick release and let naturally release for 5 minutes. Then quick release again, repeating the above directions as needed.
- Once pressure is released, add the kidney beans, spinach, and parmesan. Stir and let soup sit for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the spinach to cook and the beans to warm, while marrying the flavors of the soup.
- Add a scoop of pasta if desired to each bowl and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Susan Karalun
Very high Sodium content. I'd suggest Low Sodium Chicken Broth instead of 6 Bouillon Cubes.