A delicious and hearty Instant Pot Vegetarian Minestrone Soup that can be a meal by itself with some bread on the side.
Minestrone soup is one of the first soups after tomato soup that I liked. We have eaten it only in Olive Garden restaurant as that is the only restaurant chain that has the vegetarian version of the soup. My boys love to go to Olive Garden especially to eat the Minestrone soup and the Breadsticks.
I am a little more obsessed with Olive Garden and have recreated quite a few of their recipes at home. This Instant Pot Vegetarian Minestrone Soup is one such of my creation that adds to my list of Olive Garden Copy cat recipes.
If looking to make a different Italian soup similar to this Minestrone, then give this authentic pasta Fagioli recipe a try.
Why use the Instant Pot?
I made Minestrone soup earlier on the stovetop and it is quite time-consuming. It takes a good hour and a half from start to finish. Ever since I started using the Instant Pot, it has been fun to make recipes that take quite a bit of time on the stovetop much quicker without compromising the flavors.
This recipe takes 30 to 35 minutes from start to finish. It can't get any better than this to make a hearty Instant Pot Vegetarian Minestrone Soup for weeknight dinner. I had some homemade French baguettes that I made into Garlic bread and made this a meal.
One more of my favorite recipes is this instant pot white cheddar mac and cheese. No draining of the pasta or prior cooking is needed.
This week my theme for BM is Meal time dishes and this is my third recipe under the theme.
Ingredients to make Instant Pot Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
- Onion - 1 cup (chopped)
- Garlic - 3 cloves (finely minced)
- Carrot - ½ cup (chopped)
- Celery - 3 stalks (sliced)
- Zucchini - 1 medium (sliced)
- Diced tomato - 1 - 28 oz can
- Tomato sauce - 1 - 8 oz can
- Fresh Spinach - 1 ½ cups (tightly packed)
- Kidney beans - 1 - 14 oz can (drained and washed)
- Cannellini beans - 1 - 14 oz can (drained and washed)
- Vegetable Broth - 32 oz
- Pasta - ½ cup
- Salt - to taste
- Black pepper - to taste
- Italian Seasoning - 1 TBSP
- Olive oil - 2 TBSP
- Parmesan cheese - as needed (to serve)
Step-by-step process
- Chop all the vegetables and have them ready.
- Place the inner pot of the instant pot and turn it on saute mode.
- When the pot displays 'Hot', add the olive oil.
- Add the chopped onions and celery and mix well. Let them saute until lightly translucent (about 3 minutes).
- Then add the garlic and saute for a few seconds.
- Now add the Chopped carrots and zucchini and saute them for a couple of minutes.
- Next, add the diced tomato and tomato sauce and mix well.
- Pour the vegetable broth along with the drained beans and mix well. Add the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and give it a good mix.
- Also, add the pasta to the pot and mix.
Note - This makes the pasta a little mushy and hence I prefer to cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup at the end when adding the spinach.
- Give it a good stir and turn off the pot. Place the lid of the Instant pot and place the vent in the 'sealing' position.
- Turn on the Instant pot on 'Manual' and set it for 4 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the Instant pot turns off after finishing the cycle, do a quick release in 10 minutes.
- Open the pot and add the washed spinach leaves to the soup. Also, add the cooked pasta at this stage. Mix it well and cover the pot again so that the spinach leaves wilt a little in the heat.
- After about 5 minutes, open the pot and check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if needed, and serve hot sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
These are my few favorites from Olive Garden that we always order. These recipes taste so much better than the restaurant and they are so easy to make at home.
More soup recipes
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
Recipe
Instant Pot Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Onion chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic finely minced
- ½ cup Carrot chopped
- 3 stalks Celery sliced
- 1 Zucchini sliced
- 28 oz Diced tomato Canned or diced fresh
- 8 oz Tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cups Fresh Spinach tightly packed
- 14 oz Kidney beans canned or cooked
- 14 oz Cannellini beans canned or cooked
- 32 oz Vegetable Broth substitute with water, if needed
- ½ cup Pasta
- to taste Salt
- to taste Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- to garnish Parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- Chop all the vegetables and have it ready.
- Place the inner pot of the instant pot and turn it on saute mode.
- When the pot displays 'Hot', add the olive oil.
- Add the chopped onions and celery and mix well. Let them saute until lightly translucent (about 3 minutes).
- Then add the garlic and saute for few seconds.
- Now add the Chopped carrots and zucchini and saute them for couple of minutes.
- Next add the diced tomato and tomato sauce and mix well.
- Pour the vegetable broth along with the drained beans and mix well. Add the salt, pepper and the Italian seasoning and give it a good mix
- Also add the pasta to the pot and mix. Note - This makes the pasta a little mushy and hence I prefer to cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup at then end when adding the spinach.
- Give it a good stir and turn off the pot. Place the lid of the Instant pot and place the vent on 'sealing' position.
- Turn on the Instant pot on 'Manual' and set it for 4 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the Instant pot turns off after finishing the cycle, do a quick release in 10 minutes.
- Open the pot and add the washed spinach leaves to the soup. Also add the cooked pasta (if using). Mix it well and cover the pot again so that the spinach leaves wilts a little in the heat.
- After about 5 minutes, open the pot and check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if needed and serve hot sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Leah says
I would love to know how to make this on the stove instead of the IP. It looks yummy!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Hi, you can follow the exact same procedure until sauteeing and adding all the ingredients. After that you will cook it on low to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Add the spinach and the cooked pasta at the end (turn of the flame) and cover the pot and let it sit for few minutes before serving.
Arthi says
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! Turned out so good and so healthy with beans and veggies! Thank you so much!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Perfect! I am so happy that you liked the recipe. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Katie says
Just made this soup. DELICIOUS! I added extra veggies and an extra can of tomatoes and tomato sauce. It filled my instant pot to the top! Everyone enjoyed it so much!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Awesome Katie!! I am so happy that you liked the recipe and thanks for sharing it with me 🙂
Puja says
When did you add garlic to the soup?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Missed it in the recipe. We add it right after we saute onions and celery. Updated the recipe now. Thanks for letting me know.
Archana says
Awesome soup Sandhya! Minerstone soup is one soup I don't make at home because my family thinks of it as failed rasam. Rather than break my head on bringing them uptodate on the classic soup I shut up.
But one day....
Swati says
We love minestrone soup and this one looks perfect bowl of comforting soup. IP has made cooking so simple.. just dump al the ingredients, set the timer, and you are all set to go.. Wonderful recipe and clicks.
Anne says
I would love to know how to use dry beans in this recipe! Otherwise looks amazing!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Anne, if using dry beans, I would cook them first and then use. Since this cooks just for about 5 minutes in the IP, that won't be enough to cook to the beans.
Srivalli Jetti says
Your bowl surely makes me grab it righ away..I am not a big soups person, yet I feel I want to right now..very nicely presented Sandhya
Chef Mireille says
minestrone is one of my all time fave soups but have not had it in quite a while..you are making me want a bowl now
Suma Gandlur says
Quite a filling soup. I need to try this version.
harini says
I go to Olive Garden for their Minestrone as well. The IP method sounds very easy. Shall try soon.
Swati says
A perfect dinner time recipe.. will try soon in my new Instapot!! Soup looks so inviting and comforting!!
Priya Suresh says
With beans and vegetables,cant ask more. Prefectly balanced and absolutely comforting soup for winter days dinner. Beautifull bowl there.
Veena Krishnakumar says
Wow.......awesome presentation. The soup looks so filling
Gayathri Kumar says
With so much of beans and veggies, this is quite a filling soup. Those garlic bread slices are so gorgeous.