A hearty, healthy Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian soup made with beans, veggies and some pasta. High in protein and fiber rich, makes it quite filling and can be enjoyed as a meal itself. This soup is so easy to make and a perfect complete meal for weeknight dinners that comes together in under 30 minutes. This soup can be made VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Minestrone soup is loaded with veggies, beans and pasta, makes it a complete, well-balanced meal, loaded with nutrients. High in protein and fiber rich, this Minestrone soup will keep you fuller for longer, with lower calories.

This hearty Minestrone soup is loaded with beans, veggies, pasta and flavored with Italian aromatic herbs such as thyme, oregano, and basil. Simmered in a savory tomatoes and vegetable broth. 

Minestrone soup is made with basic pantry ingredients and some commonly used veggies such as carrots, celery, zucchini, and spinach. The best part about this soup is that this soup is so versatile you can add veggies, beans or even pasta of your choice and end up with a hearty bowl of soup, sure to please your palate.

A perfect weeknight dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. Yes, it does not take long to make this hearty, comforting soup. With little chopping, this is almost a dump-and-go recipe that I make for those busy weeknights. Serve this delicious one-pot meal with some crusty bread or with some garlic bread on side. Enjoy!

Pic Shown: Classic Minestrone Soup

WHAT IS DITALINI

Ditalini or “small thimbles”, is an Italian name for a pasta, shaped into small tubes. It is a very similar to short macaroni and is often refereed to as “salad macaroni”. It is used in various dishes from soups, salad or even as a side dish.

One of the classic rustic Italian soups “Pasta e fagioli” (pasta and beans), uses Ditalini and beans, cooked along with some veggies, resulting in hearty bowl of soup.

Ditalini makes a great alternative to add in pasta salad instead of Penne or Rotini, for that little pasta bite.

I like to use Ditalini in soups as it cooks in same amount of time as rest of the ingredients. Thus saving me some time and an extra pot for boiling pasta separately. You can use pasta of your choice. If cooking pasta with rest of the ingredients, make sure the cooking time of pasta is same as the other ingredients to avoid under-cooked or over-cooked pasta and/or veggies.

Short pasta such as mini shells, macaroni, orzo cook in the same amount of time as rest of the ingredients. Thus, makes them an ideal candidate for dump-and-go, one-pot recipes.

Pic shown: Ditalini pasta, uncooked

INGREDIENTS FOR MINESTRONE SOUP

OIL – olive oil or any mild flavor oil of your choice.

ONION – red or yellow onion, either one would do.

GARLIC – adds a ton of flavor to the soup. Fresh garlic or garlic powder, both work fine.

GINGER (optional) – hot and zesty, peppery ginger, adds spiciness and warmth to the soup

CELERY – adds a nice texture to the soup.

CARROTS – carrots add an extra flavor to this soup

ZUCCHINI – or courgette, adds a nice delicate flavor to the soup

PASTA – Ditalini or any small pasta of your choice, mini shells, macaroni or orzo pasta works well. 

DICED TOMATOES – fresh or canned tomatoes

TOMATO PASTE – adds a nice texture and color to the soup

BROTH – low sodium broth adds an additional layer of flavor. Low sodium broth helps control the sodium intake. You can also use a bouillon, mix it with water as per package instructions and use it.

HERBS – Fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, add more depth and flavor to this soup. 

SPICES – red chili flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste, adds little heat to the soup.

SPINACH – leafy green vegetable makes it so much nutritious. You can add kale, spinach or any other leafy vegetable of your choice. Cook the greens accordingly, as some take little longer to cook than others.

CHEESE (optional) – Hard Italian cheeses like Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano works well, adds distinct taste and flavor. 

CILANTRO / PARSLEY – traditionally parsley is used in Italian cooking, I occasionally add cilantro, for a different flavor, adds a nice refreshing flavor and color to the soup

LEMON (optional) – fresh lemon juice gives soup a nice refreshing and tangy flavor. Add as per taste.

Pic Shown: Classic Minestrone Soup

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP

Hearty, healthy Minestrone soup can be made in under 30 minutes time in your Instant Pot. You can make the same recipe on stove top as well. 

INSTANT POT MINESTRONE SOUP

Turn on the saute mode (high), when it displays “HOT”, add oil.

Add onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, and celery. Saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add spices – oregano, thyme, red chili flakes, garlic powder, saute of 30 seconds. Add zucchini, mix well.

Add kidney beans, Ditalini pasta, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, some salt and black pepper to taste.

Add broth, deglaze the pot. Close the Instant Pot lid, pressure value on sealing.

Turn the Manual / Pressure Cook (high) for 5 minutes. 

After the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally, around 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, manually release the remaining pressure.

Open the Instant Pot. Turn ON saute mode (high). Add spinach and cheese(optional), cook for 1-2 minutes. 

Adjust seasoning- salt and pepper as per taste. Turn OFF the Instant Pot.

Garnish with some fresh parsley or cilantro, some fresh basil and freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional).

Italian Minestrone Soup is ready to devoured. Enjoy!!

STOVE TOP MINESTRONE SOUP

In a dutch oven or a soup pot, follow the same recipe as discussed. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Rest of the recipe is same as Instant Pot.

VARIATIONS TO THIS MINESTRONE SOUP

VEGETABLES – you can use vegetables of your choice. Green beans, corn, peas, snow peas, broccoli, sweet potatoes or potatoes, make a great addition to this soup. I like to rotate the veggies in the soup, thus enjoying the flavors and nutritional values of different veggies.

BEANS –  kidney beans, pinto beans, white or cannelini beans or even a combination of beans works just fine.

PASTA – Ditalini pasta or use any short pasta such as macaroni, mini shell, orzo, works great. If making the soup in Instant Pot, make sure the pasta cooks in the same amount of time as the rest of the ingredients.

For cooking pasta in a Instant pot, I reduce the cooking time “BY HALF MINUS ONE” what is recommend on the box of the pasta.

For eg, if the cooking time on the box of pasta is 10 minutes, I reduce the time by half minus one, which is {((10 / 2)-1)=4} 4 minutes of cooking time in Instant Pot.

With 5 minutes of natural pressure release and after 5 minutes, release the remaining pressure manually. Pasta turns out perfect, never under-cooked or overcooked, just perfect!!

Note: You can cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup, would totally do.

HERBS – rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil are mainly used in Italian cuisine. Feel free to add spices of your choice. Occasionally, I do add some bay leaves, for some herbal and flowery flavor.

SPICES – cayenne pepper, red chili powder or red chili flakes are used for the heat in the soup. I also use some fresh green chili (Thai pepper) for the heat.

Sometimes, I also use some Indian spices such as turmeric powder, coriander powder, just for a change. The warmth of the spices adds such a depth of flavors into this soup. Do give it a try and let me know how you like this Indian style soup.

BROTH – I use vegetarian broth, to keep this soup vegetarian. However, chicken broth can also be used. You can adjust the consistency of this soup by adding broth as per your liking. For thicker consistency add more broth. For more soupy consistency, simply add some more broth.

CHEESE (optional) – Hard Italian cheeses like Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana padano and Pecorino Romano, work well on pasta and soup. These hard Italian cheeses have their own distinct flavor and when added to soups and pasta, takes the dish to another level due to its distinct taste and flavor.

Pic Shown: Classic Minestrone Soup served with some herb buttered toast.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH MINESTRONE SOUP

You can serve some crusty bread, drizzle with some olive oil. I like to toast my bread in a skillet, drizzle some olive oil and have it as a dipping for the soup. It tastes amazing.

I also like this soup with some homemade garlic bread, tastes yum!!

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP VEGAN

Skip the cheese or add any vegan cheese of your choice.

HOW TO MAKE MINESTRONE SOUP GLUTEN-FREE

Use any short, gluten-free pasta.

Here are some more SOUP recipes from blog. Enjoy!!

Chicken Gnocchi Soup – restaurant style chicken gnocchi soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup – cream, comforting, earthy flavors in a bowl of soup

Chicken and Cabbage Soup  – healthy, low-carb, chicken and cabbage soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup  – spicy, hearty soup inspired by Mexican cuisine

Tomato Carrot Beetroot Soup  – smooth, velvety textured, different version of tomato soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Here are some more Instant Pot (Pressure cooker) recipes:

Instant Pot Beets or Beetroots

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

How to grow sprouts – Lentils and Beans

How to Steam Broccoli – Instant Pot

How To Cook Basmati Rice – Instant Pot

How to cook Chickpeas – Instant Pot

Instant Pot Perfect Boiled Baby Potatoes

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