Minestrone soup is an easy and nutritious one pot meal that can be made on the stove or in an Instant Pot.
Minestrone soup is a great basic recipe to master because it doesn’t require fancy cooking techniques. This soup can use a lot of canned goods, so you don’t need great knife skills. Plus, when you’re ingredients are shelf-stable, this recipe can be a emergency recipe. I make this soup when my fresh foods are getting low or when I need a quick and easy meal to prep.
Is canned as good as fresh?
There is a misconception that eating fresh, organic vegetables is the “right” way to eat veggies. Somehow canned and frozen vegetables were seen as less then. Let’s end that rumor now! Anyway that you can get vegetables into your diet is a good way! Vegetables are canned or frozen at their peak freshness, so they will retain their nutrients even if you’re eating them 6 months later. Canned and frozen vegetables can be easier to access, and they last longer in your house. So, it’s fine to use whatever you have access to. Plus, canned vegetables don’t have to be cut, so they save on prep time.
The only thing you may need to look out for in canned vegetables is the sodium content. Salt is added as a preservative and flavor enhancer. The easy fix for this is to buy low sodium canned goods when possible. You can also drain and rise your canned beans, potatoes, or green beans to remove excess sodium. Then you are able to salt your dish to taste later in cooking.
Another shelf-stable favorite is Banza pasta. It’s a tasty gluten free option because it’s made with chickpeas which adds protein to your dish. Plus, the noodles don’t disintegrate if you leave them in broth. If you use rice pasta or wheat pasta, feel free to add a can of chickpeas to the soup. I just didn’t want to go overboard!
Minestrone Soup in a Pressure Cooker
I like making this soup in an Instant Pot (AKA pressure cooker) because I’m able to set it and forget it. The pressure cooker makes this a super easy meal to prep for me. However, don’t worry if you don’t have a pressure cooker. You can easily make this recipe on the stove top. Once all the ingredients are added, you simply bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until the pasta and carrots are soft. Simmering on the stove will bring all the flavors together for a delicious soup. Try another one of my instant pot soup recipes here.
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 3 ribs celery
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium zucchini
- 16 oz. canned black beans
- 16 oz. canned green beans
- 16 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 8 oz. dried pasta
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh basil
Instructions
- Remove the papery skin from the onion and cut in half. Dice the onion and add to the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.
- Cut the celery ribs into about ¼ inch pieces. Peel the carrot if desired and cut into thin rounds. Add the the celery and carrot to the pot as well.
- Sauté the vegetables until the onion is translucent and the carrots are soft. If they begin to stick, add a splash of water.
- Mince the garlic and add it to the pot. Cut the zucchini into about 1/2 inch rounds or semi-circles and add to the pot also.
- Drain the black beans and green beans and add to the pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, pasta, and spices.
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
- Taste the soup and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Top with fresh basil.
Notes