Instant Pot Minestrone
Red wine and marinara give this one-pot Instant Pot minestrone its depth, and the pasta cooks right in the soup. Vegetarian as written, with gluten-free and alcohol-free swaps.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion minced
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- ½ cup dry red wine or additional broth
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium 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 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Parmesan for serving optional
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté, add the oil, and let it heat for 30-60 seconds. Once heated, add in the onions, celery, and carrots and sauté until softened, stirring often. Add in the garlic and oregano and let toast for 30-60 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add in the wine (or additional broth) and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot. Continue to cook on Sauté for 1-2 minutes to let the wine reduce slightly. Hit Cancel to turn off the Sauté function.
- Stir in the broth, zucchini, macaroni, drained and rinsed beans, bay leaf, and salt. Add the marinara on top of the ingredients, but don't stir it into the soup (it's okay if it sinks a bit).
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent knob is in the sealed position. Using the Manual or Pressure Cook button, set the cooking time to 1 minute on High Pressure. Keep in mind that it will take about 10 minutes to reach pressure.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for exactly 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by using the handle of a long utensil to release the knob or switch from the sealing position to the venting position in small increments. If your machine doesn't allow this, a full quick release is fine. Also, stand away from the vent knob to protect yourself from steam escaping. I also don't recommend releasing pressure under kitchen cabinets.
- Remove the lid, stir, and remove the bay leaf as you come across it. Then, stir in the spinach and red wine vinegar. Put the lid back on and let it sit for a couple of minutes, until the spinach wilts.
- Serve the soup with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.
Video
Notes
Using a 3-Quart Instant Pot? Halve the ingredients and follow the same cook time and pressure-release instructions.
Note on Doubling: Don't double this recipe; the noodles and zucchini overcook while the larger batch comes to pressure.
In place of marinara: Use crushed tomatoes plus 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
Red Wine Vinegar: You can replace it with balsamic vinegar if needed. I don't recommend any other vinegar as a substitute.
Wine: Optional but adds depth. Use a dry red you'd drink, not cooking wine, or swap in more broth.
Beans: I use kidney and Great Northern beans, but any combination of kidney, white beans, or even chickpeas works.
Gluten-free: Barilla Gluten Free elbows are the only ones I've found that hold up in the pot.
Greens: Instead of fresh spinach, add chopped kale or defrosted, drained frozen spinach before pressure cooking.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. The pasta swells as the soup sits, so you will need to thin with broth when reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 934mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4413IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 5mg
