This easy Instant Pot Minestrone Soup is a delicious spin on the Italian classic that comes together in less than 20 minutes.
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How to make minestrone soup
- Add all the ingredients except the macaroni, basil and parmesan to the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the steam.
- Stir in the macaroni.
- Replace the lid and let the macaroni soak for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve in large bowls with basil and parmesan and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or any other neutral flavour of cooking oil.
- Onions – the variety doesn't matter, but I prefer using white or yellow.
- Garlic – I prefer using fresh garlic cloves, but the jarred variety will work in a pinch.
- Carrot – parsnips would also work.
- Celery – double up on the carrots or leave this out altogether.
- Green beans – these are classic in minestrone, but feel free to use sugar snap peas instead.
- Kidney beans – you could also use lentils, chickpeas or black beans.
- Italian seasoning – make your own using a blend of oregano, basil, thyme, sage and rosemary.
- Bay leaves – try using dried oregano or thyme instead.
- Chicken broth – chicken stock and vegetable both are both great substitutes.
- Crushed tomatoes – I'll occasionally use passata (jarred strained tomatoes) and they work perfectly.
- Macaroni – use any small pasta variety that you have on hand.
- Fresh basil – to garnish.
- Parmesan – if you want a dairy-free or vegan minestrone, feel free to use nutritional yeast or cashew meal as a substitute.
How do you add flavour to minestrone soup?
You can add flavour to soup in a number of ways. Of course fresh herbs and extra spices will do the trick. To make things easy, use an all-purpose Italian spice blend.
Another way to boost the flavour is to add a protein, such as ground beef, chicken, or turkey.
Here are some other veggies you can add in for a flavor boost as well:
- Zucchini
- Bell peppers
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Squash (butternut, acorn, etc.)
What is the difference between vegetable soup and minestrone?
Essentially, these two soups are the same thing. The primary difference is that generally, classic minestrone is a heartier soup. This is because it includes legumes and pasta, whereas vegetable soup is strictly veggies and broth.
Is minestrone soup healthy?
Minestrone soup is definitely healthy! It's full of veggies and high in fibre, in addition to being low on calories at just 261 calories per serving.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes, taking the bowl out mid-way to stir.
Freezing the soup
After you allow it to cool to room temperature, freeze a batch in meal prep containers or glass bowls that have lids. This way, you can then pull them out whenever you want a meal in a hurry!
If you plan to reheat the minestrone soup from frozen, be sure that the container is rated safe for freezer to oven use. Microwave it for 6 to 7 minutes on high, being sure to stir it half way through the cook time.
You can also allow the soup to defrost in the fridge overnight and then microwave for 2-3 minutes.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup {Super Easy}
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (796mL) jar crushed tomatoes (sometimes passata)
- 3/4 cup dry macaroni
- Chopped fresh basil, for topping
- Grated fresh parmesan, for topping
Instructions
- Dump all ingredients except for macaroni, basil and parmesan in Instant Pot. Set to manual and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to pre-heat and then the 4 minutes to cook. When complete, press cancel and do a quick release of the steam, waiting until the pressure gauge drops back down and the lid is safe to open.
- Remove lid, stir soup and add macaroni, then replace lid. Let macaroni soak about 5 minutes (maybe more like 10 depending on the type of pasta you use; mine needed only 5 minutes).
- Remove lid again and stir. Serve in large bowls and top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Robin says
Hi. This sounds really good. If I wanted to add a pound of linked sausage, how much should I change the recipe cooking time please? I’ve only cooked three things so far in my instant pot…
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Robin – I haven’t tried this myself so I can’t guarantee a cooking time, but if you saute the sausage ahead of time until lightly browned but not fully cooked, the cook time shouldn’t change. Let me know if you try it!
Amanda says
This came out so good and was super easy. Mine looked just like the pictures (for once in my life). Family enjoyed & toddler got his dose of veggies! A repeat recipe for sure.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed 🙂
Lisa says
Do you really use 3 onions? Sounds like a lot in comparison to the carrot and celery.
Taylor Stinson says
I believe they were smaller cooking onions. One medium onion will work fine.
Jaclyn says
How would you recommend cooking this stove top or crockpot if you don’t have an Instapot?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Jaclyn – you can just throw everything in the slow cooker except for the pasta and cook on high for 3 1/2 hours, then throw the pasta in and cook another 30 minutes. If making on the stovetop, saute the veggies then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 min.
Kate says
Such a fantastic and easy recipe! I added zucchini in with my macaroni and it cooked just right. I prefer making things from scratch so I know just what is in them, and I feel like this stood up to my favorite Olive Garden soup easily. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Megan says
I REALLY wish you had a “print this recipe” button on your page.
Taylor Stinson says
I do normally have one – this is an issue I’m working on getting fixed!
Carmen says
This turned out great, thank you! The veggies and pasta were perfectly cooked.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy to hear that Carmen!!! So glad you liked it 🙂