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 would LOVE an instant pot to make yogurt and use as a rice cooker, and of course all of these new instant pot recipes from all of my favorite food bloggers!
Korean Beef or Butter Chicken! I LOVE that it cooks meat so quickly!
The first thing I’ll make is a green curry.. then ribs.
I would love one of these! My crockpot lid broke, and I’ve had a terrible time getting a new one (apparently, they’re on backorder). I would make chili in this if I were to win!
I would love to make slow cooked beef and broccoli. (Damn Delicious recipe of course!) I would also be using Instapot daily to make rice!!
I’d be all over bone broth!
I would love to make slow cooker beef and broccoli. (Damn Delicious recipe of course!) I would also be using Instapot daily to make rice!!
I would definitely make your recipe for butter chicken! Butter chicken was the first meal I ever made for my husband when we first started dating, so it would be fun to make it again with a fancy new instant pot!
I have loved checking out your instant pot recipes! As a New Englander living in the south, I DEFINIETLY want to try the corn chowder! Might have to add some clams! Your Toscana soup also had drooling!
Ooooooo!!! I have had my eye on one of these ever since you posted about your beef and broccoli! But I would definitely start with the soup! My kiddos love soup (even in the summer!) !!
I’d make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
I’ve seen some amazing soup recipes — this one included!
I’d start by making this Minestrone Soup! Looks amazing!! I have three hungry sons, so I know an Instant Pot would get a lot of use in my home.
I would make potatoes everyday, all day and everyway!!!
Pick me
I would make all the foods. All the regular slow cooker foods then other stuff like experimenting with a citrus apple crumble or other desserts. But of course I would start with soup.
I would make corned beef and cabbage, then all the fantastic things I have seen !
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai/Goong or is it Gung for shrimp? By the way Chungah, your recipe is very good!
PS: One of my favorite places in the world is Thailand. I’ve been three times. I know you love it too! I’m retired Hm.Ec. Foods Teacher who lived in Greece and Saudi many years; unable to travel as i once did. But yours and my own memories, photo, and Thai cuisine make me smile every time.
I will make beef stew in my instant pot. Both my husband and I enjoy eating beef stew!
I would make anything with beans, maybe a vegetarian cassoulet? I don’t eat meat, and there are so many recipes I want to try!
African peanut chicken stew!