This Minestrone Soup is a healthy, hearty, and full of flavor soup combining vegetables, beans, and pasta.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Main Course, Soup
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 medium carrot (diced)
  • 1 medium zucchini (halved and diced)
  • 2 stalks celery (diced)
  • 4 medium tomatoes (diced (or 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes, do not drain (about 2 cups)))
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce ((about 1 cup))
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans (drained & rinsed (about 1.5 cups))
  • 1/2 cup shell pasta (or elbow macaroni)
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth ((or 32 ounce vegetable broth, or water))
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 2 teaspoons parmesan cheese (freshly grated, optional)
  • 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped, optional)

Seasoning:

  • 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (red chilli powder, optional)
  • black pepper powder (to taste)
  • salt (to taste)

Method

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Firstly, press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot add minced garlic and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes till onions soften.
  2. Add the diced carrot, celery, zucchini, and diced tomatoes, tomato sauce into the pot. Then add in the Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper.
  3. Next, add in the pasta, canned or cooked red kidney beans, vegetable broth, or water. Stir it all up.
  4. Furthermore, close the lid on the pot, set the instant pot to " MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK" (High Pressure) for 6 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, Quick Release (QR). Open the lid.
  5. Add in the baby spinach, Stir for 2 minutes until the leaves wilt. You can adjust the consistency by adding more vegetable stock at this stage.
  6. Lastly, sprinkle some fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese (skip if vegan) into the soup. If you are a vegan you can sprinkle nutritional yeast on top.
  7. Serve Minestrone Soup hot with garlic bread.

Stovetop Pot Method:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute garlic and onion till onions turn soft. Then add carrots and celery. Saute for another 2 minutes.
  2. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, canned kidney beans, and seasonings, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes on medium-low flame.
  3. Stir in the zucchini, spinach, and pasta, and cook for another 8 or so minutes until the pasta is al dente.
  4. Sprinkle some fresh parsley, grated parmesan cheese and serve hot with garlic bread

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.