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, stock, 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.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- 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 stock 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 stock can be substituted with vegetable stock.
Use vegetable stock 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 stock (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 chicken stock
- 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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Your butter chicken recipe for the Instant Pot looks perfect for this seemingly unending cold weather!
I love soups and this one looks delicious. One of my favorite soups to make is Tuscan Vegetable Soup and this one closely resembles it.
I can’t wait to get an InstantPot to make cheesecake and roast.-
I’d love to make brown rice pilaf in the instant pot if I ever get one!
I would make this minestrone soup first!
I’d go with a basic chicken soup while learning all the controls, but once I mastered the the Instant Pot, I’d probably try some of the more off-beat recipes like cheesecake.
I’d probably make shredded chicken or cheesecake!
Stews and soups!
What wouldn’t I make?! I would make stews and soups and so much more. The possibilities are endless!
I would make a cheesecake!
Would love to make oxtail stew. It’s one of my favorite fish growing up.
Well… firstly I would like to make some solid rice! My boyfriends mom always ends up burning the bottom of her pot when she makes it. I’d like her to use it too!
Then on to the fun stuff like your stroganoff recipe or really just messing about with it and getting creative!
I’d make a beef stew!
I’ve wanted an instant pot for soooooo long!!! I’m a huge soup lover so of course I’d make that, but also meals that came together quickly for work nights 🙂
I would honestly probably make every one of your instant pot recipes!!
I would make this amazing looking soup! I showed the photos to my mister and told him we need an Instant Pot just so I can make this soup.
I would probably make some type of barbecue chicken based on friend’s amazing recipe. But let’s be honest, I’d be really psyched to make some delicious slow cooker style mac ‘n cheese too! 🙂
Pepperoncini beef or enchilada soup would be the first items I made in an Instant Pot. I have heard a lot of good things about them.
I have an entire folder full of instant pot recipes I want to try — I just need to get one! 🙂
I just made this recipe in my instant pot. I made a substitute because I had a different dried type cheese and I used some canned spaghetti sauce with cheese instead of canned tomatoes. This is amazing! I went out and picked some wintered over kale and added some spinach to the recipe and instead of parsley, I added cilantro. Fabulous!
I want to make cheesecake!