Instant Pot Minestrone Soup – Quick and Easy Dinner!

Hey guys! Yesterday, and actually this whole week has been really cold and windy. And in case you’re wondering, yes it was cold and windy by sunny SoCal standards. But cold weather lends itself well to a variety of soups, which are actually some of my favorite things to cook. This Instant Pot minestrone soup is so easy and relatively quick, and is sure to be a crowd pleaser (if you choose to share it )

I’ve made minestrone soup a lot and it honestly never gets boring. The number of shortcuts I take honestly depends on the day and if I have time to go all out. Yesterday was not one of those days, and honestly no day until March 15 (end of final exams) will be one of those days. It is days like these that I am super grateful for my Instant Pot.

Let me take this opportunity to talk about the Instant Pot. I got it last October or so after reading rave reviews online and from friends and decided to give it a try. I’ve literally made everything from soup, to pasta, to rice, to stews in this magical piece of equipment. It functions as an all in one cooker that makes it so easy to have dump dinners that take 10 minutes to throw together and then a variety of cooking times, depending on how quickly you want food.

I’m going to share my Instant Pot version of minestrone soup here. It took me 5 minutes to throw together and then about 15 minutes to cook. The great thing about this recipe is that you can adjust the portions of veggies to whatever you want. Super simple and super yummy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

1 can San Marzano tomatoes (I usually cut my own Roma tomatoes, but these work in a pinch)

3-4 sticks of fresh celery, roughly chopped

1-2 handfuls of carrots, shredded

1 handful baby spinach leaves

1 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 russet potato, chopped into large pieces

4 cups vegetable broth (Trader Joes low sodium broth is good because it has carrot and tomato flavors that work with minestrone)

1/2 cup cannellini beans

1/2 cup elbow macaroni, or any small shell pasta

Pinch of basil

Pinch of thyme

2 bay leaves

Dash of lime juice

Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Set the Instant Pot to sautee mode and sweat your garlic and onions until translucent.
2. Add the celery, carrots and potatoes and potatoes, and stir until they are all coated lightly in oil.
3. Add the can of tomatoes, with the juice and continue stirring.
4. Add the basil and thyme and stir until fragrant.
5. Add the broth, macaroni, and bay leaves to the mixture and stir.
6. Close the lid and turn the knob to the sealing position.
7. Click the Soup/Stew button and default is 30 min. If you like your soup contents soft, keep it at 30 min. I like to set it to 10-15 min.
8. When the pressure cooker is done, do a quick release and then open lid and add the spinach, cannellini beans, and dash of lime juice. The tanginess from the lime juice compliments the different tang of the tomato surprisingly well!
9. Taste your soup and add salt to taste if need be.
10. Serve hot and enjoy!

Super simple right? Delicious, too. I love how I was able to make a large batch so quickly with the Instant Pot. Can’t wait for you guys to try this out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

See you soon!

Janani <3 <3