A perfect soup that is a complete meal in itself – beans, loads of veggies and pasta, topped with cheese and a side of bread. This tastes just like the Olive Garden minestrone soup. Vegetarian-friendly and can easily be made gluten-free and vegan.

Minestrone soup in a white bowl topped with parmesan
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

Fall is in full swing, although not so much in California yet. But I am still craving soup! So here is a hearty and healthy vegetarian Minestrone soup made in the Instant Pot. It is a perfect combination of tasty and nutritious.

Beans, loads of veggies and pasta, all cooked in a yummy broth….so flavorful. This is a complete meal with protein, carbs, and loads of nutrients from the veggies. It is also the easiest thing to make. It is most a throw all in and let the magic pot do it’s work kind of soup.

This is a perfect Vegetarian Instant Pot Soup!

Vegan? Skip the cheese at the end!

Gluten-free? Skip the pasta or use a rice or quinoa pasta to make this gluten free.

Check out this collection of 20+ Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup recipes for more delicious soups!

Table of Contents

Watch How to Make Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Ingredients for Minestrone Soup

Look for all the veggies in your refrigerator…okay, not all but most veggies work great in this soup.

It is easy to customize this soup and use other veggies. I have used:

  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Zucchini
  • Baby Spinach

I always keep some canned cannellini beans in the pantry. You can also add kidney beans if you like.

You can also cook the beans in the instant pot, which is great. Here is my recipe to make instant pot cannellini beans.

Many recipes add beans at the end after pressure cooking, but I like the canned beans cooked with the broth and veggies so they soak in the flavor.

I have tried making this soup with fresh tomatoes and with canned diced tomatoes. It works great both ways, so feel free to use any.

I used small elbow macaroni pasta in this soup. Any dry pasta works well in this recipe. I like to use dry pasta and cook it directly in the instant pot with the veggies.

If you have pre-cooked pasta ready, you can add that to this soup after pressure cooking along with the spinach and simmer for a few minutes.

How to make Minestrone Soup in the Instant Pot?

This is a very easy soup to make in the instant pot. You don’t have to simmer the pot on the stovetop for hours to get a flavorful delicious soup!

  • Start with heating oil in the instant pot and sautéing onions and garlic.
  • Then add diced tomatoes and chopped celery, carrots and zucchini.  Also add all the seasonings at this time.
  • Add in the pasta, vegetable broth and white kidney beans. Stir it all up. Make sure the pasta is under the broth. 
  • Now cook on SOUP mode in the instant pot.
  • When the instant pot beeps, manually release the pressure after 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the chopped spinach and let it sit for 5 minutes. Season with more slat and pepper if you like.
  • Garnish with parmesan cheese (optional) and minestrone soup is ready to serve.
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Step by Step

Love the colors in this easy, healthy minestrone soup!

Minestrone Soup in the instant pot with vegetables, pasta and spinach

This is a bowl of goodness, so satisfying. Top with some grated parmesan (skip for vegan).

You won’t miss going to Olive Garden for a hearty bowl of minestrone any more. You can enjoy it in the comfort of your home!

Close up of minestrone soup in a bowl
Can I freeze this soup?

If you want to freeze this soup, leave out the pasta when pressure cooking. Cook the pasta separately and add in when reheating.

If you like this recipe, do let us know by leaving a comment.  You might like other soups made in a pressure cooker –

vegetable and pasta minestrone soup in a bowl
Rate Print
4.91 from 196 votes

Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

By: Meeta Arora
A perfect soup that is a complete meal in itself – beans, loads of veggies and pasta, topped with cheese and a side of bread. This tastes just like the Olive Garden minestrone soup. Vegetarian-friendly and can easily be made gluten-free and vegan.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Equipment

Video

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
  • 1 can Diced Tomatoes, or 4 fresh tomatoes diced, 15oz
  • 2 Celery Stalks , chopped, 3/4 cup
  • 2 Carrot, chopped, 3/4 cup
  • 1 Zucchini , chopped, 3/4 cup
  • 1/2 cup Pasta , I used elbow macaroni
  • 32 ounces Vegetable Broth
  • 1 can White Kidney Beans, 15oz, drained (cannellini)
  • 2 cups Spinach (Palak), chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional, skip for vegan)
  • Parsley, chopped, to garnish

Seasoning

US Customary – Metric

Instructions 

  • Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat olive oil in it. 
  • Add diced onions and minced garlic. Stir and Saute for 2 minutes. 
    onion and garlic being sautéed in a pot
  • Add diced tomatoes and chopped celery, carrots and zucchini.  Add in the italian seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika.
  • Add in the pasta, vegetable broth and white kidney beans. Stir it all up. Make sure the pasta is under the broth. 
    ingredients for Minestrone Soup ready to cook in instant pot
  • Press Cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position. Set to SOUP setting (high pressure) for 5 minutes.
    veggies and pasta with broth to make a soup in instant pot
  • When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then manually release the pressure.
    Minestrone soup cooked in the instant pot
  • Stir in the chopped spinach and let it sit for 5 minutes. 
    spinach topped on cooked soup
  • Garnish with parmesan cheese (optional) and minestrone soup is ready to serve. 
    Minestrone Soup in the instant pot with vegetables, pasta and spinach

Notes

Broth: You can use “Better than Bouillon” base if you prefer. I had low sodium veggie broth at hand and used it.
Beans: Same for beans, I used white kidney beans, but any beans you have at hand would work. You could also cook the beans in the instant pot. Soak the beans in ample water for 4 hours and cook them for 20 minutes at high pressure in the instant pot. Then use them in this recipe.
Veggies: You can vary veggies to your choice. Some options are bell peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, kale. Add jalapenos for an extra spice kick.
Pasta: I used small elbow macaroni pasta in this soup. Any dry pasta works well in this recipe. I like to use dry pasta and cook it directly in the instant pot with the veggies. If you have pre-cooked pasta ready, you can add that to this soup after pressure cooking along with the spinach and simmer for a few minutes. 
Vegan Variation: Skip the Parmesan cheese at the end.
Gluten Free Variation: Skip the pasta or use a gluten-free pasta.
Note: The cook time has been lowered in this recipe to 5 minutes, as that has worked well too. Originally it was 10-20 minutes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 286gCalories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 12gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 2067mgPotassium: 917mgFiber: 10gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 7526IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 205mgIron: 4mg

Additional Info

Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten-free, Vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Mention @pipingpotcurry or tag #pipingpotcurry!

Categorized as: , , , , , , , ,

About Meeta

I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. My passion is to share easy, healthy, and wholesome recipes made using Instant Pot & Air Fryer, that are well tested, so you can cook with confidence.

Read More About Me

You May Also Like

Get new recipes sent to your inbox!
Don't miss out! Subscribe and get all the new recipes first.
4.91 from 196 votes (151 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




106 Comments

  1. I tried this soup and everyone in my family loved it. Thanks for the recipe. My elbow pasta got a bit overcooked though – have you faced that issue? Wondering if I should try soup setting for less than 20 mins next time.

    Reply

    1. Hello – Glad to hear your family enjoyed the soup. With canned beans, it is absolutely fine to cook this for just 10 minutes on soup setting too. Hope you enjoy it again!

      Reply

  2. I made this today and it was very yummy! Definitely a keeper. I skipped the spinach and cheese. And used a little “better than boullion” chicken flavor.

    Reply

  3. Thanks for the recipe!! I tried it today, husband really like, It was yummy and so simple to make. I did little bit of variation, I added Bouillon Cube instead of veg broth

    Reply

  4. Thanks so much for this recipe! It was the first thing we made in our new IP, and it is delicious! Very easy to prep and cook. Had chicken stock so I used that instead. Never would have guessed to use paprika, but went with it and I wouldn’t change a thing about the base recipe.

    Reply

    1. Hey Seema – Glad to hear your kid enjoyed the soup. It is one of our favorites too 🙂 Thanks for sharing your review!

      Reply

    1. Thank you! It is such a perfect soup with protein from beans and so much nutrition from veggies. And not to forget super delicious ????

      Reply