Have you ever had Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup? It is so yummy! This hearty, healthy vegetarian soup is full of nutritional goodness. A combination of beans, vegetables, and optional pasta in a yummy broth that is flavorful, but not overly spicy. This is so easy to make, especially when using my favorite, Instant Pot or slow cooker. It can be made on the stovetop as well.
The other night I made this up and my son said, after his second bowl, “This is really good, even with all these vegetables.” What I love about this soup, is that you can throw in whatever you have available. I try to stay stocked up in canned beans. tomatoes and broth so it is an easy go-to recipe when trying to think of something healthy and hearty for dinner. Speaking of broth. One copycat recipe stated NOT to use chicken broth, but I have made it both ways and like it both ways.
Instant pot
This little gem has seriously been one of my best purchases! The Instant Pot gets used in our home almost every day! Several years ago I started using a pressure cooker and I had just the stovetop style. I liked it but I had to sit and babysit while stuff was cooking.
This baby you just program things in and go on with your business. You can steam veggies, pressure cook, use it as a slow cooker, make beautiful rice, and can even make yogurt. I hesitated to buy an electric one because they all seemed to have that nasty coating on the inside. This has a stainless steel pot. LOVE IT!
Anyway, back to the recipe. Many of my recipes I have been tweaking for the Instant Pot and here is one of them. I will show how easy it is to make both in the pressure cooker and on the stovetop.
One more kitchen tool I have to share with you. Now you have to know, I am not one to have a bunch of unnecessary gadgets in my kitchen. ( I don’t have room.) So the tools I do have are functional and items I use frequently. This is another one of them. It is a fruit and veggie chopper. I use it all the time to chop veggies for soups and salads.
Minestrone soup Ingredients – 8 Servings
- 3 Tablespoons avocado or coconut oil
- 1 cup white onion chopped ( about 1 small)
- 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup green beans
- 1/4 cup chopped celery ( about 1/2 stalk)
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 (14 oz. ) can diced tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz.) cans of small white beans or great northern beans, drained
- 1/2 cup carrot (julienned, chopped, or shredded)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup small shell pasta (optional)
INSTANT POT
- Choose the saute setting and add oil, onion celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini.
- Saute for about 5 minutes or until onions begin t turn translucent.
- Add broth, drained tomatoes, kidney beans, carrot, water, and spices. (Do not add white beans at this time).
- Change the settings on the Instant Pot to “SOUP” and set for only 3 minutes. (It will take about 25 minutes to bring up to pressure and cook 3 minutes)
- Release pressure using the “quick release” and add pasta, white beans, and spinach.
- Put the lid back on tight, AND let the soup SIT FOR 10 minutes or so. (You don’t need to turn it back on).
STOVETOP
- Saute ingredients in a large soup pot, just as described above.
- Add all the rest of the items and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and then allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
Feel free to add or omit any vegetables you desire. This is a really flexible soup recipe. Use what you have available.
Serve the minestrone with Parmesan cheese (optional.)
There you have it, a wonderful, hearty, homemade satisfying and soothing soup.
Enjoy!
Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup – Instant Pot
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This hearty, healthy vegetarian soup is full of nutritional goodness. A combination of beans, vegetables and optional pasta in a yummy broth that is flavorful, but not overly spicy.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time51 min
- Total Time1 hr 1 min
- Yield8 Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 3 Tablespoons avocado or coconut oil
- 1 cup white onion chopped ( about 1 small)
- 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup green beans
- 1/4 cup chopped celery ( about 1/2 stalk)
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 (14 oz. ) can diced tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz.) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
- 1/2 cup carrot (julienned, chopped or shredded)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup small shell pasta (optional)
INSTUCTIONS
Instant Pot
Choose the sauté setting and add oil, onion celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini.
Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions begin t turn translucent.
Add broth, drained tomatoes, kidney beans, carrot, water and spices. (Do not add white beans at this time).
Change the settings on the Instant Pot to “SOUP” and set for only 3 minutes. (It will take about 25 minutes to bring up to pressure and cook 3 minutes)
Release pressure using the “quick release” and add pasta, white beans and spinach.
Put the lid back on tight, AND let the soup SIT FOR 10 minutes or so. (You don’t need to turn it back on).
Stove Top
Sauté ingredients in a large soup pot, just as described above.
Add all the rest of the items and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and then allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
Feel free to add or omit any vegetables you desire. This is a really flexible soup recipe. Use what you have available.
Jan Howell
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Jan Howell
Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.
2 Comments
I made this in the Instant Pot today. First mouthful my husband said “this is good”! I concur and will be making it again.
Thank you for this great recipe
So glad your husband liked it!