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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Would definitely want to try the Korean Beef BBQ recipe first, but I also noticed some posts about cheesecake which is also very intriguing. These Instant Pots look really cool — and functional!
Any soup recipe.
I love your recipes, so I will make any Damn Delicious thing in my new Instant Pot!! LOL! So many of my friends have jumped on the IP bandwagon so I would be excited to make the recipes they share! We just started the Keto diet so I would love to use it to make some great low-carb meals for my family so we can get and stay healthy!!
The first thing that I would make is your Mushroom risotto! Drool!
I would definitely make Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheddar Soup to start with if I had an Instant Pot! Then some of your Asian Instant Pot recipes. I’d love to have an Instant Pot since I really like to cook and love your recipes since they remind me of when we lived in China!
I would love to make mushroom risotto in my instant pot!
I want to make the chicken burrito bowls since that recipe was posted. And yogurt.
This pot would certainly shorten up my tamale making time.
I am looking forward to making the mushroom risotto.
I would make the Instant Pot Butter Chicken. My love loves a good butter chicken recipe that’s Damn Delicious!
I will make this minestrone soup with my granddaughter!
I’m most interested in how frozen meat can be “instantly” cooked in the instant pot—is like to experiment with that because of how often I forget to defrost something and then dinner is a disaster!
I do not know what I would make! All your recipes look delish! A bunch of my coworkers have an Instant Pot and have enjoyed the results!
Probably some sort of seared meat recipe. I hat doing 2 separate pans when I do Crock-Pot meals. Would love to do the searing and slow cooking all in one.
I’d definitely have to make this! It looks delicious! I’d also probably be making lots of other soups. My family adores soup!
I would make yogurt!
A hearty chicken noodle soup
I would make meat loaf and mashed potato’s‼️
Woops!! Just saw about posting a comment to enter the contest…
I hope I win this so I can try the recipe, it sounds amazing! Good luck to everyone!
I would love to make loaded cauliflower soup in a new Instant Pot.