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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I’d make bunches of quick paleo based meals for my husband! Starting with your minestrone!
Oh my goodness this sound so good! And as for what I would make in an Instant Pot, What wouldn’t I make?!? Probably a lot of soups and chillies. Maybe some Asian inspired food. I would definitely work my way through your IP recipes though!
I want to make the back recipe for Starbucks sous vide egg bites!
Pot roast and allllll the soups.
I really want to try one of those hour or so meals with larger pieces of meat like roasts or even ribs to see if they really do cook that fast.
I would make my own yogurt, I love yogurt and I think it would be bomb if I could do it myself!
I would definitely make the Mac and cheese with broccoli recipe you posted recently!! I was salivating at the pictures!
I’ve heard you can make wine in a an Instant Pot…I’m making that! 🙂
I would totally make ribs!! NOM NOM NOM!!
Oh I’d defiantlywould want to try this soup recipe! I’d also would like to make pasta sauces or maybe rice pudding Ideas would be endless!
ALL of your Asian inspired dishes. It’s my absolute favorite cuisine. ❤️
I would make Mac and cheese, I loved your stove top one with broccoli so I’d love to make your IP one. Or beef and broccoli!
I would make ribs! Or pulled pork! Or tacos! Or this soup! I have no idea what I would make first, the possibilities are endless!
I would definitely try your minestrone soup and also my grandmother’s chilli!
I’ve heard people talk about how fast you can cook chicken and roast in the IP so I would like to try and see if it’s as great as they say!
I would like to make a chicken dish that doesn’t take an hour to cook.
I will make this delicious soup in my new instant pot!!
Korean beef and minestrone soup are two I have been dying to make… amongst many others!!
First of all, I want to say how much I love your recipes. Your cheddar jalapeño cornbread muffins are a favorite of mine – and now my family & friends! If I won the instant pot, I would make your beef stew recipe. I love beef stew but tend not to make it purely because of time constraints. This would be a perfect solution!
Beef stew! It would be so much faster to make this comfort food!