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
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