Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
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So cozy, so hearty! Loaded with vegetables, beans, pasta + Parmesan rind for extra flavor. Vegetarian-friendly!
Featured Comment
With so many soups and stews being made, my Instant Pot has been working some major overtime this winter. We call it our magic pot. And now our lovely magic pot can make the best minestrone soup there ever was with the touch of a button.
why i love this recipe
- One pot meal. This is one of those weeknight hero recipes where you can throw all of your veggies, beans, broth, pasta and greens into one single pot for a quick and easy clean up.
- Versatile. The recipe can easily be bulked up to add meat or made vegetarian (or vegan).
- Freezer-friendly. Minestrone soup freezes very, very well (sans pasta, of course) without significant changes to flavor and texture.
is this minestrone soup or vegetable soup?
Both minestrone and vegetable soup include veggies, but minestrone is typically a thicker soup that includes beans and pasta (or rice).
tips and tricks for success
- Use short cut pasta. Ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta similar in size to the vegetables is ideal.
- Add more vegetables. Minestrone can serve as a clean-out-the-fridge meal, adding in other veggies you have on hand such as shredded cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and green beans.
- Choose your meat. As written, this recipe does not contain meat but you can easily add ground beef, shredded chicken or crumbled Italian sausage.
- Save leftover Parmesan rinds. Get more out of those expensive Parmesan cheeses by using up the leftover rinds! Adding a Parmesan rind slightly thickens the broth and adds a level of nutty richness to the soup.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with minestrone soup
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Spinach, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all great subs.
The red wine vinegar adds brightness and helps balance out the flavors.
The chicken broth can be substituted with vegetable broth.
Use vegetable broth and skip the Parmesan.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked pasta and a splash of broth (if needed) when serving.
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 (3-inch) Parmesan rind
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup ditalini pasta
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Add olive oil, garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and fennel seed until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, zucchini, Parmesan rind and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Select high sauté setting. Bring to a boil; stir in pasta and cook, uncovered, until tender, about 8-11 minutes.
- Stir in kale until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in red wine vinegar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan.
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My husband and I love this soup recipe! It was awesome for dinner and really delicious for lunch! I added cubed butternut squash since I have so many in my basement from last year’s garden. The squash really added to the bulk and flavor of the soup.
Added chicken bouillon + cauliflower I had on hand. And added mini Italian meatballs. Turned out really tasty.
I actually have a question more than an actual review. What would be a good sub for the beans? i need a cheap protein that, to my taste buds, lacks the waxy skin that pops to a mushy ick. Because the rest of this recipes ingredients sound like it will be a whole caboodle of yum! Help!
You could try Chick Peas. They stay a bit firmer than beans. While still being high in protein and fiber.
Skip the beans and add potatoes instead.
It was good but lacked flavor. We added a small can of tomato paste and it was so much better!
I made this last night and as soon as it was done I had two bowls (I skipped eating before to go ahead and cook this out of excitement). I wanted to get more but was deliciously full! I ended up having to use 3 different tupperware to hold the leftovers! I’ll be eating this for lunch at work all week. 🙂
This is a fabulous and healthy recipe and I can’t wait to try more recipes from here!
This was so good! I was trying to used up some random vegetables in my fridge and came across this recipe. I had everything on the list. I also had a lonely green bell pepper, so I threw that in for good measure. The Parmesan rind made this a lot more flavorful than other minestrone soups I’ve made, which frankly were kind of boring. This is a keeper!
Another winner! I pretty much 1.5x’d the recipe and cooked it in the 8 qt (I have both). The only ingredient I didn’t have already on hand was the kale, so ran out to get that. Also, used half low sodium and half reduced sodium chicken broth, and then added a good amount of pepper. Glad to have made a lot, because we are going to want leftovers.
Also, I actually diced everything as it said, and then looked at the pictures on the website after the fact–those veggies aren’t diced! They are big huge chunks. Would have been so much quicker. Definitely doing that next time!
This is the third time I’ve made this- excellent! This time I added 2 spicy chopped, cooked Italian sausages for added richness. A wonderfully fast, easily and delicious weeknight meal.
Easy to make and very good. I added a piece of filet I had and some Ritalin I. This upped the carbs a little, but made a more substantial soup
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This was the Minestrone soup of my dreams! I made it during Lent and substituted vegetable stock for the chicken stock. The soup is hearty and filling and it tastes DIVINE! My whole family also loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Delicious! Whipped it up today and had all of the ingredients on hand. Wonderful soup. I added 1 c ditalini pasta and subbed spinach for kale since we don’t care for kale. Please, no comments about the kale part! 🙂
Spinach instead of kale is totally acceptable 🙂 thanks for sharing with us!
Great recipe. I made this for dinner tonight and we loved it! Thank you!
We love hearing that!
Loved the flavors! Easy recipe with easy to find ingredients!
Wow! This is a delicious soup. Must love veggies because there is a ton in the pot. Enjoy!
Came out amazing!!! My wife suggested next time we add cheese tortellini.
I would make this recipe. I have never been disappointed with any of your recipes.
The first thing I would make would be the ” Minestrone Soup”.. It looks soooooooo delicious and my husband and I love soups ….!!
Hi Lynda! The giveaway is actually closed. Sorry!
Beef and broccoli or another meat to shred for tacos!
Chicken wings!
rice