Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Our easy Instant Pot minestrone soup with pasta and canned beans recipe is full of flavor, healthy and vegetarian. My kids raved that this was their favorite quick one pot meal you can make as a Ninja Foodi recipe too.

Ok so we are a little obsessed with our new 7 in 1 device. It just makes my life so much easier! Once I got my IP we started having more family dinners together. Then I added a Crockpot Express and Ninja Foodi so I had 3 pressure cooker pots to use to make all the things!

Believe it or not my girls actually prefer vegetables over a plate of meat any day, so they were all ready to try this vegetable soup I made.

I bet you have had this at your favorite Italian restaurant and wished you could have it a lot more often than when you went out to eat right?? I remember eating a big bowl of this at our favorite pizza joint growing up. It was a choice every single time vs. salad and you just had to get it.

How Long to Cook Minestrone Soup in Instant Pot

Just 3 minutes is all you need if you use canned beans, vegetables and your favorite small or medium noodles too. This will yield a softer outcome, if you prefer al dente pasta I would opt for 2 minutes with a quick release either way.

Best Vegetables to Add

We are going for the easiest way to make this so I use diced tomatoes (canned), and cube up some fresh carrots, zucchini and celery and throw all of that in there. You could add yellow squash too if you wanted another one.

Can you add potatoes?

You could but you would need them to be small bite size pieces or else 3 minutes won’t get them tender enough for you to enjoy. I would say 1/2″ x 1/2″ taters would work well probably with skin removed just so it is easier to chew.

Can you use frozen vegetables?

Yes you could, I highly suggest a bag of mixed frozen veggies vs. canned as the latter are already soft and will likely become mushy with extreme heat. I think a mix of green beans, carrots and peas would be the best and most commonly found at the store.

Best Noodles to Use

All shapes and sizes work for this but elbow macaroni or medium size shells is what we like. Any larger and they will be a bit firmer but that is up to you. I would stay away from egg noodles as they only take 1 minute so they would be mush in this case.

You can make Instant Pot Chicken Broth if you want to go all out and then noodles I wouldn’t even venture a guess on how to make those fresh, that isn’t in my wheelhouse.

Made with Canned Beans

You definitely want to add beans to this dish because you would typically find those in every spoonful. Once again, to make this easier we are going to use canned beans both kidney beans and I like to add garbanzo beans as well. Don’t bother to drain them if you don’t want, you can throw them both in as is.

Can you make minestrone soup with dried beans?

This is how to cook kidney beans from dry first. You can do this fastest using the same pressure under high pressure first, drain, and then follow the directions to make this once they are tender.

Can you add ground beef?

You could and we did with our Instant Pot vegetable beef soup recipe. You just saute and brown the meat first, drain, and proceed with the directions below to include meat in this bowl.

Ninja Foodi Minestrone Soup

If you are going to use this pot you would follow the same directions below but use the lid that is not attached with the pressure cook button on the front. You can make this and any of our other cheap Instant Pot recipes with any brand of machine you might have on hand.

Tips for Success

Choose what is in season I say. Squashes usually you can find year round. If you like them all then throw ’em on in. If you prefer to leave out the zucchini…no problem. Make it to your liking! I used a can of petite diced tomatoes because that is what I had on hand but dicing your own fresh tomatoes (use the juice that comes out of them too) is wonderful.

If you’re making it vegetarian soup just swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth! I typically use what is in my cupboard but we do eat meat so I am not too picky as far as that one goes. I have made it with all 3 different types I think they all turn out wonderful.

• TIP: If you’re new to this type of cooking, know it takes VERY little time for pasta to get tender.
  • Use my recipe notes and the exact timing I provide you or noodles will turn to mush with even 2 minutes longer.
  • Pay attention to the timer and quick release right when it’s done. Sitting in the liquid much longer will make them too soft too.

Can you cook soup in an Instant Pot without pressure cooking it?

Yes you can certainly just use the saute function which is essentially the same as if you had a pot on the stove over medium high heat. Just “boil” until all ingredients are tender to your liking and not have to put the lid on at all. We have done this with our Instant Pot chicken noodle soup in about 8 minutes.

What is the difference between vegetable soup and minestrone?

It’s kinda’ obvious by looking at them but basically one has pasta and beans where the other one doesn’t. It’s essentially just a hearty version but you can decide for yourself which you like better. Of course if you need a gluten free version you can either find gluten free pasta, or eliminate them all together.

Weight Watchers Minestrone Soup Pressure Cooker

Let’s talk about watching your weight and still eating tasty meals that are full of flavor. It is totally possible! Portion control is always a big part of losing weight and staying in shape (which is sometimes hard). There are simple devices out there though, like this EatSmart Precision Digital Kitchen Scale that help you with that!

It’s an ultra accurate, precise, and perfect for calorie or carbohydrate counting. It allows you to stop guessing about portion sizes and start living healthier. You can use a container and it will calculate automatically, subtracting the weight of the bowl or place food directly on the scale.

Super easy to use and very well priced. It fits right in my drawer and I can pull it out when I need it. I’m all about easy!

Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes you’ll Love

When you’ve tried this give these Instant Pot soup recipes other Instant Pot pasta recipes and soup recipes to choose from. They all make for wonderful meals in about 30 minutes or less so you can’t go wrong with any one of them. Work your way thru and have something new every day for the whole year!

If you too are huddled up at home with snow outside, or just want a bowl of warm comfort food in your belly we have more! Start with a delish bowl of Instant Pot french onion soup with warm melted cheese on the top. Here are a few other quick soup recipes we think you’ll like as well.

Creamy Pressure cooker broccoli cheese soup is the easiest way to make this favorite dish Our fave Instant Pot potato corn chowder is widely popular. I suggest adding lots of bacon to it so it’s over the top delicious!

Best way to save leftover soup – Always make sure it is cooled completely at room temperature before transferring it to a container. Then set into the fridge and reheat within 3 days. Transfer to a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute, stir and then 45 seconds beyond that or so until it is as hot as you’d like it to be. Then enjoy away.