Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Instant Pot Minestrone is an easy Italian soup filled with fresh vegetables, pasta, and a rich broth. With the help of the Instant Pot, this flavorful, healthy soup can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.  

The Best Instant Pot Minestrone

While I love my Slow Cooker Minestrone recipe, I prefer this recipe for Instant Pot Minestrone for two reasons.

• Faster. Thanks to the Instant Pot, this recipe for Minestrone Soup comes together in just 30 minutes! And I love when I can get a healthy dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
• More Flavorful. The Instant Pot seals in all the ingredients, which means none of the flavors are evaporated and I find this minestrone has a richer flavor when made in the Instant Pot versus the stove or slow cooker.

Thanks to a few key ingredients and the magic of the instant pot, this Instant Pot Minestrone is truly the best. Not only does this soup come together quickly, but the flavor that is developed is truly outstanding. 

Notes on Key Ingredients

• Red Wine: A good quality wine adds incredible flavor and depth to this minestrone recipe. Select a good-quality dry red wine, like Cabernet or Merlot. I NEVER recommend using a wine labeled as cooking wine. They are often sweetened and weak in flavor. If you are not a wine drinker, just use additional vegetable or chicken stock. You will miss out on some of the flavors the wine adds to this soup, but I promise your minestrone will still be delicious.
• Marinara Sauce: Instead of using diced tomatoes, I highly recommend using a store-bought marinara sauce or homemade spaghetti sauce. The sauce adds more depth to the soup than canned diced tomatoes and I prefer the texture of the sauce over the chunks of diced tomatoes--as do my picky kids!
• Red Wine Vinegar: The splash of vinegar brightens and heightens all the flavors in this soup and makes it truly memorable. Trust me, you don't want to skip this step!
• Vegetables: While I find that this soup benefits greatly from using a combination of carrots, celery, onions, and zucchini, feel free to adjust the vegetables used based on your family's preference.
• Beans: Use kidney beans or white beans or a combination of both for this soup.
• Noodles: For the noodles, elbow noodles are traditional, but orecchiette or small shells are a great substitute. Whole wheat or regular noodles work perfectly. For gluten-free noodles, I recommend Barilla Gluten Free, as they are the only noodles that cook up well in the soup without releasing too much starch.
• Spinach: Use fresh spinach or baby kale. You can also add in frozen chopped spinach or kale before pressure cooking if desired.

How to Make Instant Pot Minestrone

• Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add in a bit of oil and let the oil heat for a minute or two.
• Once the oil is heated, add the carrots, celery, and onions to the inner pot and saute for a couple of minutes until the onions begin to soften.
• Once the onions are just about softened, add in the minced garlic and oregano and allow the garlic and oregano to toast for just 1 minute. By lightly toasting the oregano, the flavor is enhanced.

• Add in the red wine (or a bit of stock if not using wine), and use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot using a spatula. This will help prevent a burn notice.
• Allow the alcohol to cook off for 1 minute and then turn the Instant Pot off from the saute function.

• Stir in the vegetable broth, marinara sauce, zucchini, beans, and noodles.

• Set the cooking time for 1 minute on high pressure. This is much less time than I typically suggest for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot, but for this recipe, we need to let the pressure release for 10 minutes. In that time, the noodles will cook up to al dente perfection and the soup will develop incredible flavor.
• Once the cooking time has elapsed and the pressure has released naturally for 10 minutes, do a quick release of any remaining pressure. Because our instant pot is full of thin liquid, be extra cautious when doing a quick release. Knock the vent knob from sealing to venting using the handle of a wooden spoon and stand away from the vent knob in case any liquid escapes from the knob. Remember to never release pressure directly under kitchen cabinets either. It is best to always use your pressure cooker in an open space.
• Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker and stir in spinach and red wine vinegar. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and let sit for a couple of minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.

• Serve the minestrone with freshly grated parmesan if desired.

Storage

Allow any leftover minestrone to cool slightly and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Alternatively, transfer the cooled Instant Pot Minestrone to a freezer-safe container, being sure to leave at least 1-inch of space for expansion and freeze for 3 months.

Defrost frozen soup in the microwave in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat as desired. Keep in mind that you may need to add a splash of water or vegetable broth prior to reheating the soup, as the noodles will absorb the broth as the soup sits.

More Instant Pot Vegetarian Soups

• Instant Pot Lentil Soup
• Instant Pot Tomato Soup
• Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
• Instant Pot French Onion Soup
• Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

If you enjoyed this recipe for Instant Pot Minestrone, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Instant Pot Minestrone

Instant Pot Minestrone is the easiest, most flavorful minestrone recipe. This simple soup is vegan friendly and absolutely delicious.

4.87 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Pressure Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 31 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ onion minced
• ▢ 2 large carrots peeled and diced
• ▢ 2 stalks of celery diced
• ▢ ½ tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ cup dry red wine
• ▢ 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
• ▢ 1 zucchini diced into ½ inch moons
• ▢ ½ cup dry elbow macaroni
• ▢ 15 ounces kidney beans rinsed and drained
• ▢ 15 ounces white beans rinsed and drained
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 cups baby spinach
• ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• ▢ Parmesan for serving optional

Cook ModePrevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

Instructions

• Turn the Instant Pot to saute, add in the oil, and let it heat for 1-2 minutes. Once heated, add the onions, carrots, and celery to the Instant pot. Let saute for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add in the garlic and oregano. Saute that for 1 minute.
• Add in dry red wine (or additional broth) and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot and let cook off for 1-2 minutes. Turn the saute function off.
• Add the vegetable stock, marinara, zucchini, beans, elbow noodles, bay leaf, salt, and stir well.
• Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set cook time for 1 minute on high pressure.
• Once the cooking time has been released, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, do a quick release of the remaining pressure by using a wooden spoon to hit the vent knob from sealing to venting. (Be sure to stand away from the vent knob to protect yourself.)
• Remove the bay leaf and then stir in the spinach and red wine vinegar. Place the lid back on the pressure cooker and allow the spinach to wilt for just a couple of minutes.
• Serve the soup with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

Equipment Needed

• Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart)

Notes

Wine: the dry red wine is optional but adds incredible flavor. Use a dry wine such as merlot or cabernet and be sure it is suitable for drinking. Don't use a wine labeled cooking wine, as the flavor is not very good!

Beans: I use kidney beans and Great Northern beans, but you can use all kidney beans, white beans, or even garbanzo beans/chickpeas work great in Minestrone.

Noodles: For the noodles, elbow noodles are traditional, but orecchiette or small shells are a great substitute. Whole wheat or regular noodles work perfectly.

Gluten-Free Modifications: For gluten-free noodles, I recommend Barilla Gluten Free--those are the only noodles that cook up well in the soup without releasing too much starch.

Spinach: Feel free to stir in baby kale instead of the kale. You can also add shredded cabbage BEFORE pressure cooking if desired. 

Storage: Leftover minestrone soup can be stored in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. It also can be frozen for up to 3 months. Keep in mind you may need to add a bit of stock when reheating, as the noodles will absorb the extra broth. 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 947mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4910IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 5mg

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