You’ll love this Olive Garden copycat recipe for making minestrone in the Instant Pot!
This easy Instant Pot minestrone soup recipe brings together loads of veggies, beans, pasta, and plenty of flavor!
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It’s no secret that I am a fan of Olive Garden soups. They bring me back to my high school and college years, when our family frequently took advantage of the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks deal at the restaurant.
Each member of our family had a favorite soup option, but we also loved the fact that you could enjoy more than one bowl, and therefore try them all!
Homemade Minestrone Soup in the Pressure Cooker
Now that I’m older and have small kids of my own, and once I learned how easy and inexpensive it is to make soups at home, I’ve been making homemade versions our favorite Olive Garden copycat recipes in the Instant Pot.
Now we can easily enjoy the sausage and potatoes goodness of Instant Pot zuppa toscana, or the hearty pairing of pasta and beans in Instant Pot pasta e fagioli, or the simple but flavorful combo of veggies, beans, and pasta in this Instant Pot minestrone!
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe for the Instant Pot
Because I know you’re busy, I’ve kept this recipe as simple as possible.
I use canned beans, because dry beans require a longer cook time that would turn the veggies to mush.
For the veggies, you can slice and chop them or simply buy a bag of frozen vegetables if you’re running short on time.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it can be really flexible–you can pick and choose which type of vegetables to include. I often use whatever I have on hand.
Don’t have zucchini? Throw in some frozen green beans. Don’t like kale? Leave it out! Don’t have shells? Use macaroni! Seriously, this is meant to be an endlessly customizable recipe.
The Instant Pot Meal Plan Jumpstart
"Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience in such a friendly and delightful way!!! So far, I'm very impressed with the results...thanks again for your guidance into this new realm of cooking!" -- Margaret
How to Make Instant Pot Minestrone with Pasta
It’s easier than you think to enjoy restaurant quality soup at home!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery ribs
- Dark red kidney beans
- Cannellini beans
- Diced tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Squash
- Vegetable or chicken broth
- Tomato paste
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Dried basil
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Balsamic vinegar (optional)
- Pasta shells
- Kale
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Saute. First, you’ll saute the onion, carrots, and celery in the olive oil, using the Saute function. Cook them for just a few minutes.
Add everything but the kale. Next, you’ll add the remaining vegetables, beans, broth, seasonings, and pasta to the insert pot.
Give everything a good stir to combine. You want the pasta to be covered by the liquid. Now it’s time to pressure cook.
Pressure cook. You’ll cook the soup at high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release. Then, you can use a quick release for any remaining pressure.
Wilt the kale. After the pressure has released, carefully remove the lid and add in the kale. Stir it into the hot liquid, allowing it to soften a bit in the heat.
Serve with a salad or some delicious super easy french bread and enjoy!
Notes and Adaptations:
- Feel free to make adjustments based on your preferences. Switch up the veggies and pasta based on what you have on hand.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker – I’ve had this one for over 4 years now and it’s still going strong!
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
Instant Pot minestrone soup lets you enjoy a homemade version of the Olive Garden classic!
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion (red or yellow), diced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 3 ribs celery, sliced
- 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, drained
- 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained
- 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 1 small yellow squash, diced
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 1 cup uncooked small pasta shells
- 2 cups chopped kale
Instructions
- In the insert pot of the Instant Pot, combine olive oil, onions, carrits, and celery. Use the Saute button to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Press Cancel to turn off the Saute function. Add both types of beans, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, broth, tomato paste, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, basil, pepper, salt, and balsamic vinegar, if using.
- Add in shells and stir to combine everything together.
- Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 3 minutes at high pressure. When the cook time is complete, allow a 10 minute natural release, followed by a quick release of remaining pressure.
- After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid. Stir the kale into the hot liquid, allowing the heat to soften it for a few minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This is an endlessly customizable recipe--feel free to adjust it based on your preferences. You can choose different vegetables, use macaroni or ditalini instead of shells, use spinach instead of kale, omit the greens all together, etc.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 346Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 995mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 18gSugar: 16gProtein: 18g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
Stock Your Freezer!
2. No need to thaw before cooking in the Instant Pot--meals can cook from frozen!
3. Easy-to-use plan includes shopping lists, labels, recipes, and instructions!
A previous version of this recipe originally appeared as a guest post, written by me, on Creating My Happiness.
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