This classic Italian soup recipe is perfect for warming up on a cold winter’s day, and the best part is that it only requires one pot and can be ready in just 30 minutes. And if you’re looking for a vegan option, skip the Parmesan cheese! To round out the meal, serve this soup with crusty, no-knead bread to soak up the savory broth, and sprinkle on some grated Parmesan cheese for an extra cozy touch. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry – this recipe includes directions for stovetop and Instant Pot methods. Do you like the endless bowls of soup and the breadsticks from Olive Garden? They are truly delicious, aren’t they? I always get nostalgic thinking about it. My family loves Olive Garden and everything they offer, from their delicious salad and warm breadsticks to their cozy bowls of minestrone. I don’t mean to brag, but I prefer my homemade minestrone over Olive Garden’s. And the best part is, making it in the Instant Pot saves so much time, and it tastes scrumptious! Making soups in the Instant Pot has become a staple around here. We love making easy and delicious soups in the pressure cooker, such as our famous 15-bean soup, spinach, and Lasagna soup. And if you’re a fan of creamy soups, you should try out this Instant-Pot broccoli cheese soup, this Potato leek soup, or this gnocchi soup. They’re all so delicious!
What is Minestrone Soup?
Minestrone is a hearty and delicious Italian vegetable soup made with tomato-y broth, kidney beans, and pasta. There is no right or wrong way to make minestrone. You can swipe ingredients in the recipe as per your taste and availability!
Why I love this soup?
hearty and wholesome easy to make and worth the effort. The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry ingredients. crowed pleasing packs great for lunch, and tastes even better the next day. freezes and defrosts well, too. it’s so versatile! You can adjust the consistency according to your preference. On top of all, it is much better than the Olive Garden or store-bought varieties!
Ingredients required
Below is the ingredients list and possible substitutions. The exact ingredient amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Vegetables – Minestrone was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use any seasonal vegetables and greens you have on hand. I used celery, carrots, zucchini, onion, and spinach for the soup and it was delicious. You can use any vegetables of your choice. Swap the spinach for Swiss chard or baby kale If you don’t have or don’t like spinach. If you want your spinach to be less cooked, fold it in right after the soup is done cooking. Pasta – For this recipe, we use dry pasta shells that get cooked directly in the Instant Pot to make this an easy one-pot meal. Small/tiny pasta is preferred, our favorite one is small shell pasta. You may use mini farfalle, mini macaroni, orzo, etc. You can also boil the pasta separately and stir in later or use leftover cooked pasta. Also, if you plan on freezing this soup, I would leave out the pasta and cook it separately on the stove whenever you’re planning to serve it. That way, the pasta doesn’t end up getting soggy. For an even healthier option, use whole wheat macaroni pasta. To keep this low-carb, omit the pasta, you honestly won’t miss it with everything else in this soup. Beans – I have used canned red kidney beans here. You can use any beans you have on hand – kidney beans, cannellini, northern beans, or the combination of all the beans. Chickpeas will also work. If using dried beans instead of canned, cook and drain ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Seasoning – For seasoning, I used Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, black pepper powder, and salt. Since we love spicy, red pepper flakes are an absolute must for us. You can reduce the number of chili flakes or leave it out if you’re making these cheese cookies for kids or for someone who isn’t a fan of spices. Be very careful while adding salt. Because tomato sauce and beans have salt added to them. If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, you could use a mix of individual Italian herbs as per your preferences. Cheese – What makes this soup extra special, is using the rind from a wedge of parmesan. I always stash them in my freezer just for soups, if you don’t have one toss some grated cheese into the soup while it’s cooking. It adds a rich, savory flavor to the soup. You can skip what you want to make vegan or don’t have at hand. Btw, if you are looking for vegetarian parmesan cheese, then Sprouts and Wholefoods does carry them. Diced tomato and tomato sauce – I always use this combination for that tomato-y flavor. You can use tomato paste for the intense flavors. If you don’t prefer to use canned products, use fresh diced tomatoes. Vegetable stock – I have used low sodium vegetable stock. If you don’t have it in the pantry, you may use water or a combination of better than bouillon and water. Feel free to use any other stock of your choice. Oil – I have used extra virgin olive oil. You may use any oil of your choice. Basil leaves and Parmesan cheese
Step by step process
Heat oil on ‘saute’ high setting. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic to the instant pot and sauté for 30 seconds. Add onion, zucchini, carrots, celery, and spinach. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, salt, Black pepper powder, red pepper flakes, Pasta shells, and parmesan rind. Give it a nice stir.
Securely lock the Instant pot’s lid and set for 5 minutes under high pressure. Set vent valve on sealing position. Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and ‘quick release’ the release the remaining pressure.
Remove the parmesan rind. If it’s soft then chop it and add it to the soup. Add chopped basil leaves and give it a quick stir. Dish out, sprinkle some parmesan cheese, top it up with basil leaves and serve it hot with your choice of bread and salads.
To make keto, low carb minestrone soup, or a whole paleo version of it, simply leave out the pasta, beans, and carrots. And instead, add cauliflower and green beans. Add sugar if you feel soup is sour.
More soup recipes to try
Hot and sour soup Manchow soup Tom kha soup Taco soup
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