Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Top view of a bowl of minestrone soup with bread slices.

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup is a hearty soup full of nourishing ingredients like fresh healthy vegetables, two kinds of beans, dried seasonings, small shell pasta, and a flavorful tomato and vegetable broth base.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot minestrone soup

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 6

Total Time 31

Servings (1.5 cups each)

Calories 211kcal

Author Jessica

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small sweet onion finely diced
1/2 cup small chopped carrots
1/2 cup small chopped celery
1/2 cup small chopped zucchini
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
2 cans (14.5 oz each) vegetable broth (see notes)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans drained & rinsed
1 can (15 oz) light red kidney beans drained & rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 cup small shell pasta
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, and kosher salt. Cook for 5-8 minutes, while stirring frequently, until the veggies are softened.
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 small sweet onion, 1/2 cup small chopped carrots, 1/2 cup small chopped celery, 1/2 cup small chopped zucchini, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Stir in the garlic cloves and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Turn off sauté mode.
3 cloves garlic
Add the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, great northern beans, kidney beans, petite diced tomatoes, dry small shell pasta, basil, parsley, kosher salt, and oregano into the Instant Pot insert and stir.
2 cans (14.5 oz each) vegetable broth, 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce, 1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, 1 can (15 oz) light red kidney beans, 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, 1 cup small shell pasta, 1 tablespoon dried basil, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Cover the Instant Pot with the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Press the SOUP button or MANUAL button (depending on your pressure cooker model) and set the time to 6 minutes on high pressure.
When the cook time is done, do a quick release by turning the valve to the venting position, to let the steam escape (watch your hands!). Once the pressure is released you will be able to open the lid.
Give the minestrone soup a good stir and serve it warm with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Notes

Carrots : For the best flavor and color, use regular whole carrots, instead of baby carrots. Peel the carrot skin off and then chop into small pieces.
Onion : I use a sweet onion but other options are yellow onion or white onion.
Vegetable Broth : For a vegetarian soup use vegetable broth or vegetable stock. Or you can also use chicken broth, chicken stock, chicken bone broth, or water + bouillon. Sometimes it can be hard to find the cans of vegetable broth, if that's the case, you will need to measure out about 30 ounces of broth which is almost 4 cups. I usually use chicken bone broth when I make this soup. I have a hard time finding canned vegetable broth at my grocery store.
Tomato Sauce : To add more flavor you could use the tomato sauce with Italian spices like basil and oregano.
Petite Diced Tomatoes : Regular diced tomatoes work, or if you don't want tomato chunks in your minestrone soup, use a can of crushed tomatoes instead.
Beans : I love the combination of white great northern beans and light red kidney beans, but other options are cannellini beans, dark red kidney beans, or navy beans. Or use two cans of the same bean if preferred.
Small Shell Pasta : This is the best type of pasta to use because it's really small, similar in size to the veggies, and cooks in the time given. If you use another type of pasta you need to make sure it's very similar in size. I recommend only using the small shell pasta because nothing really is similar in size to it. Elbow pasta is probably one of the only pasta shapes that is close in size.

Nutrition