Quick & easy to make, minestrone soup recipe that tastes much better than the Olive Garden’s version! My minestrone soup is loaded with good for you veggies, like celery, green beans and Carrot. You can also add zucchini & Spinach in this soup. I would add spinach as garnishing for better color and taste. It’s also protein packed with red kidney beans and other beans like great northern beans can be added as well. Very stomach filling soup and you’ll be full for hours from this healthy, nutritious soup!
Below is the video instructions to make Minestrone soup. If you don’t own electric pressure cooker, regular stove top pressure cooker can be used as well or if you are just planning to use canned beans, then this soup can be made quickly in open pot even. I prefer to make in my electric pressure cooker just because it keeps soup warm.
I start with dry beans but certainly you can use canned beans for this recipe to prepare soup even quicker. You will need following ingredients for 4 servings.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes (keep rest of the 1/2 can for other recipe)
1 7-ounce can crushed tomatoes if desired (keep rest of the 1/2 for other recipe)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock.
1 7-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed (keep rest of the 1/2 for other recipe)
1/2 cup elbow pasta
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or simple garnish with baby spinach if no basil available.
Then I use my Electric Pressure cooker, Instapot or instant pot can be used.
Using the sauté function first and then soup function, this recipe can be prepared easily with fun!
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup onion diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup celery diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- ⅓ pound green beans trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 14- ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes keep rest of the 1/2 can for other recipe
- 1 7- ounce can crushed tomatoes if desired keep rest of the 1/2 for other recipe
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock.
- 1 7- ounce can low-sodium kidney beans drained and rinsed (keep rest of the 1/2 for other recipe)
- ½ cup elbow pasta
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or simple garnish with baby spinach if no basil available.
Instructions
- Set Electric Cooker / Instant Pot to saute mode.
- Once HOT, add oil, let it warm up and add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and tomato paste if using. Mix and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly softened.
- Add basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. I simply add dried Italian seasoning mix.
- Add diced tomatoes, stir to combine.
- Add pasta and red kidney beans, Northern white beans, black beans(It is your choice to add all or add just one kind) and cut green beans. Stir to combine.
- Add stock/broth or water. You might not have to use it all, but add enough broth so it covers all the ingredients. The Instant Pot should be about 3/4 full.
- Add spinach, stir to combine and add bay leaves.
- For the canned Beans follow the procedure below.
- Close lid and set to manual High Pressure for 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach high pressure, then it will cook for 6 minutes. Make sure you close the vent.
- For the dried soaked beans, I set the cooker to soup or beans function.
- When timer goes off, let sit for 8-10 minutes. Then release any remaining pressure by opening the vent steam.
- Remove lid and if you prefer, add 1-2 more cups of spinach right into the hot soup.
- Remove and discard bay leaves.
- Stir, taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Serve and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh, chopped parsley.
- Enjoy hearty soup with snowflakes!
