Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

I feel like it’s been a while since I posted a recipe for you all. Well it has been quite some time! This is my first recipe of 2020. What better way to kick off the new year than with a hot, nutritious, hearty soup?! Oh I know what makes it even better … it’s an instant pot recipe!

I made this soup as a meal prep for the week and it was absolutely perfect. I looked forward to lunchtime each day, so I could fill up on this flavorful soup loaded with veggies.

I decided to kick the spice level up a notch in this soup and used a fusion of spices. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking. I assure you, you will be glad you tried my fusion version of minestrone soup!

Tip: try garnishing with some parmesan cheese or vegan cheese!

Instant Pot – Minestrone Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 cups

Ingredients

• 4 tsps olive oil
• 1 serrano chili diced and seeded
• 1.5 tsps minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp indian red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dhana jeera powder
• 1 32 oz container vegetable broth low sodium
• 4 cups water
• 6 tbsps tomato paste
• 1.5 tsps dried oregano
• 1.5 tsps dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 1 8 oz package baby Bella mushrooms sliced
• 1 15.5 oz can kidney beans rinsed and drained of liquid
• 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1.5 cups dry ditalini pasta can either cook in instant pot, or have prepared according to package directions, see notes

Instructions

1. Turn instant pot to sauté setting for 2 mins and when display reads hot add in: oil, diced serrano chili, minced garlic, turmeric, red chili powder and dhana jiru.

2. Once sauté setting has finished add in vegetable broth, water, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried parsley, cumin and garlic powder. Mix well.
3. Next add in chopped zucchini, sliced mushrooms, kidney beans, fire roasted tomatoes and divatoli pasta. (Note: I sometimes find that since the instant pot stays hot even after you turn it off, the pasta tends to get overcooked. If you do not mind overcooked pasta, then disregard this note. You can also cook the pasta separately as per package directions and add it into the soup once the soup has cooled. I prefer to do this.) Give all ingredients a quick stir and cover. Press pressure cook button and set to high pressure. Set timer to 5 minutes. Make sure valve is set to “Sealing”. When the timer completes let the pressure release naturally for 5-7 minutes and then move the valve to “venting”. Remove lid once all pressure has released and stir to incorporate all ingredients together.
4. Optional garnish: freshly grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes!
5. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

• Dhana jeera is otherwise known as cumin and coriander powder. You can find this on amazon or the international aisle in your local supermarket. 
• I prefer to cook my pasta before hand and then add it into the soup once it has cooled. Depending on your preference you can cook it all in the instant pot. Just note that since the instant pot remains hot for a while, the pasta may be well done!