Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (Vegan!)
—Not On Website, Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion- diced
4–6 garlic cloves- rough chopped
1 large fennel bulb, cored, diced thinly ( or sub 2 cups chopped celery)
2 cups chopped carrots ( ½ inch thick)
2 cans beans- kidney, white beans, cannellini beans, or chick peas- rinsed, drained. ( 3 cups)
1 x 14 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes ( or 1 ½ cups fresh diced tomato with their juices) Diced, fire roasted tomatoes are a tasty option too.
4 cups veggie broth or chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup dry penne pasta- feel free to use GF, bean pasta, or whole wheat, or sub with halved baby potatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
a couple handfuls chopped lacinato kale (optional)
pepper and chili flakes to taste
one batch Gremolata!
Directions
Serve with Crusty Bread and Gremolata ( Parsley-Lemon-Garlic- Oil) and optional grated pecorino.
Using the sauté setting of an Instant Pot, saute onion and garlic in the oil while you chop the rest of the veggies, adding them as you go.
Add the fennel, carrots and saute 3-4 minutes. Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth or stock, water, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir in the dry pasta and optional lacinato kale and set the pressure cooker to high for 10 minutes.
While it’s cooking make the Gremolata.
Once the ten minutes are up, release the pressure manually (throw a kitchen towel over the pressure release valve to help mitigate the steam). Taste and adjust the salt, add pepper and chili flakes if you like.
Serve in bowls with Gremolata, crusty bread and optional grated pecorino or parmesan if you like.
Notes
The Gremolata really elevates the soup here!
You could easily cook this on the stovetop, pretty much the same way, adding the pasta after the beans and veggies have simmered 10-15 minutes. Cook until pasta is tender!
For hearty meat-eaters, feel free to add browned Italian sausage or cooked chicken breast.