Vegetarian Pressure Cooker Minestrone Soup is a healthy recipe full of fiber, flavor and other good-for-you nutrition! Cozy up and enjoy a warm bowl on a chilly day.
I love a good bowl of warm, comforting soup – especially if it’s healthy for me, too! Minestrone soup is all that in one pot. Healthy, delicious and warms my insides on a chilly day. Since we are still in the midst of winter, I decided to pull out another soup recipe for ya’ll. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Again, I turned to my trusty pressure cooker (like I did with my taco soup recipe). The pressure cooker seems to make everything easier when it comes to cooking. I love it! Throw everything in one pot and it does the rest! I can relax, read a book, or who am I kidding, chase after my kids and clean up the mess they’ve made, all while it does the cooking.
This soup is chock full of veggies, which provides you with plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals and keeps it low fat. The beans are also a great source of plant based protein. I used whole wheat pasta, too, to help keep things healthy. The only downside to this soup’s nutrition is it is a little high in sodium – which is why when I buy canned goods I always opt for low- or no-salt added varieties, then at home I drain and rinse the veggies or beans. Draining and rinsing doesn’t remove all of the sodium, but can be effective at removing up to 40% of the sodium. I say it’s worth it. I mean, look at that soup!
If you love The Olive Garden’s minestrone soup, this pressure cooker minestrone soup is sure to be a hit! Sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and serve some breadsticks on the side and you’ve completed the restaurant experience. Or you can keep it simple like me and just serve it with crackers. Either way, this soup is a nourishing bowl of goodness!
(Note: In the video below, I have doubled the recipe. The written recipe instructions below only make ~8 cups of soup compared to ~16 cups in the video.)
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Pressure Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 31 minutes
- Yield: ~8 cups
- Category: soup
- Method: pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Vegetarian Pressure Cooker Minestrone Soup is a healthy recipe full of fiber, flavor and other good-for-you nutrition! Cozy up and enjoy a warm bowl on a chilly day.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 small zucchini, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1/4 cup grated or matchstick carrots
- 1 cup cut green beans (if choosing canned opt for no salt added, then drain and rinse)
- 1 can (15 oz) reduced sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) reduced sodium great northern beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 can (14.5 oz) no salt added diced tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup small shells pasta
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- shredded parmesan cheese, for serving (omit if vegan)
Instructions
- Using the saute function, add the olive oil and onion. Cook for 2 minutes then add the garlic. Cook an additional 1 minute. Turn off the saute mode.
Add in the zucchini, celery, carrots, green beans, kidney and great northern beans, diced tomatoes, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir well. Pour in the vegetable broth, water and pasta shells. - Seal the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook on high for 6 minutes (it will take a little while to come to pressure before the actual cooking time begins). Once the timer is done, natural release the pressure for 5 minutes, then turn the valve to release the remaining pressure.
- Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid and stir in the chopped spinach. Place the lid back on (do not need to seal) for 3-5 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Adjust seasonings as needed. Top with parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
(Note: In the recipe video, I have doubled the recipe. The written recipe instructions below only make ~8 cups of soup compared to ~16 cups in the video.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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