Minestrone soup is an Italian soup popularly served at Olive Garden. It is a little different from vegetable soup as vegetable soup is made only with vegetables however, minestrone soup is also loaded with beans and pasta which makes it more nutritious and filling.
This is a vegan recipe to make minestrone soup in the instant pot and can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free pasta or rice instead.
It makes a hearty meal on cold days or just when you are craving some comfort food. It is great for meal planning and can be made ahead of time for storing in the fridge or the freezer.
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Ingredients
The best part of minestrone soup is that you can add any kind of vegetable you have into the soup. You can use carrots, tomatoes, onions, celery, bell pepper, green beans, zucchini, spinach, kale, butternut squash, and more.
Fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, basil leaves, thyme, oregano, and bay leaf add a lot of flavor to the soup. White beans and red kidney beans are added along with some tomato paste.
This Italian soup is incomplete without some pasta. Small size pasta like elbow and shells go well in the soup. Low-sodium vegetable broth is best to use but if you don't have it you can simply use water.
Instructions
This Olive Garden inspired minestrone soup is very easy to make in the instant pot. Instead of canned beans, I used dried beans and soaked them for about 6 hours before pressure cooking them. Once the beans are soaked well, discard the water.
Place all the ingredients including veggies, beans, herbs, and vegetable stock. Do not add pasta or any leafy vegetables like spinach or kale at this point.
Pressure cook on high-pressure mode for 12 minutes with the pressure release knob in the sealing position. While the soup is cooking, cook a little shell pasta on the stovetop.
Once the instant pot is done pressure cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the pressure release knob to the venting position until the silver pin drops.
Stir in the cooked pasta, spinach, and some black pepper. You can adjust the salt to your taste and add more herbs if you prefer.
Delicious minestrone soup is ready to be served with your favorite breadsticks, garlic knots, or sourdough bread.
Substitutions
The best part of this minestrone soup is that it is very versatile and you can adapt it to your preference and the ingredients at hand.
- Veggies - any type of veggie like zucchini and kale can be added to the soup. A combination of fresh and frozen veggies can be used. Canned diced tomatoes can be used instead of fresh ones.
- Beans - I have used white beans and red kidney beans, however, you can use other types of beans like garbanzo beans and navy beans. You can also use canned beans and the cooking time will reduce for that.
- Herbs - if you don't have fresh herbs, you can use Italian seasoning for flavor.
- Pasta - any type of small pasta like elbows or shells can be used.
Variations
This minestrone soup is loaded with veggies, made without any oil, and is vegan.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while serving or add serrano pepper while cooking the soup.
- Gluten-free - use gluten-free pasta to make this soup gluten-free.
See this vegan pasta soup on my website.
Equipment
I have made this vegetarian navy bean soup in the 6 qt. instant pot. You can make it in other larger pots or a smaller batch in the 3qt. instant pot. A bigger batch can be made too for meal prep.
Storage
Minestrone soup stores well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. When you are ready to eat, simply reheat the soup in the microwave, stovetop, or in the instant pot.
It is also an excellent soup for meal planning. You can make it ahead of time and freeze it in freezer-safe containers for about 3 months. As pasta will soak up a lot of liquid on storing, it is best not to add pasta when you plan to freeze it.
When you are ready to eat, simply defrost the soup in the microwave or keep it in the fridge overnight. Reheat the minestrone soup in the microwave, stovetop, or in the instant pot, and add some cooked pasta at this point.
Top tip
It is best to soak the beans for about 6 hours. This will reduce the overall cooking time of the soup.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like
- Mushroom soup
- Black bean soup
- Quinoa soup
- Sweet corn soup
- Tomato soup
- Pasta soup
- Carrot soup
- Cauliflower soup
- Vegan instant pot soup recipes
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cup Vegetable stock
- ¼ cup Tomato paste
- ¼ cup Red Kidney beans (dry)
- ¼ cup White beans (dry, great northern or cannellini)
Vegetables
- ¾ cup Onion (chopped)
- ¾ cup Carrot (diced)
- ¾ cup Bell pepper (diced)
- ¾ cup Celery (3 stalks)
- 2 large Tomatoes (chopped)
Herbs and Spices
To be added later
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 cup Spinach or Baby spinach
- ½ cup Pasta (shell or elbow, cooked)
Instructions
- Soak the kidney beans and white beans in warm water for about 6 hours.
- Discard the water used for soaking.
- Add all the ingredients except the "to be added later" ingredient group.
- Mix well and close the lid.
- Turn the instant pot on high-pressure mode for 12 minutes with the pressure release knob in the sealing position. Keep the "Keep warm" setting on.
- While the soup is cooking, cook the pasta as per directions on the stovetop.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the knob to venting position until the silver drops.
- Add in the cooked pasta, spinach, and black pepper, and give it a stir.
- Adjust the salt and herbs as per your taste.
- The soup is ready to be served.
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