Instant Pot Minestrone

Well huh, I made a mistake cooking this the first time and it came out delicious. It will be interesting to see what happens next time. This is from pressureluckcooking.com, but could be paywalled tomorrow, so copying it here now.

The mistake is that, where it says 2 TBSP Better Than Bouillon plus six cups of water, I didn't add water. This can't work, It never comes to pressure, I opened it (zero pressure) after the THIRD burn warning and added about 3/4 cup of water. Then it cooked and only burned a little and the result was thick and delicious. So… next time, maybe three cups of water and see how that works out? Six cups is gonna make a pretty watery soup, maybe tat's how you like your minestrone.

I might add a couple of bay leaves next time. I might add a few chunks of mushroom next time. Maybe 25% more pasta.

I forgot the parmesan, it isn't necessary. I did make simple garlic bread.

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 large carrot, chopped into quarter wedges
• 1 small zucchini (known as courgette in Europe), chopped into quarter wedges
• 1 tbsp of garlic, minced
• 6 cups of vegetable broth (2 tbsp of Vegetable Better Than Bouillon + 6 cups of water)
• 1 cup of frozen cut green beans
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 15.5 oz can of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 15.5 oz can of cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp of dried basil
• 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 2 tsp of seasoned salt
• 5-6 oz of baby spinach
• 1 cup of Pipette pasta (Ditalini, mini shells, small elbows…)
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

1. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and hit “Sauté” and “High” setting. When it reads “Hot,” add the onions, carrots, celery and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until they become lightly softened.
2. Add the garlic, mix together and cook for another minute
3. Add in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, red kidney/cannellini beans, oregano, basil, thyme, pepper, seasoned salt and stir
4. Add in the pasta and frozen cut green beans. Give it a good stir
5. Top with the baby spinach, resting on top of the broth but DO NOT STIR (just lay the spinach on top of the broth and veggies. It will seem like a lot and be close to the brim of the pot but it cooks down)
6. Secure lid, cancel the sauce and “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 5 minutes and follow with a quick release when done (Note: it will take a little while to come to pressure AND quick release due to all the liquid and contents in the pot, so do be a little patient)
7. Ladle into bowls and top with some grated Parmesan when done and serve with some warm, crusty bread (or make garlic bread!)
8. Enjoy!

originally submitted by mike on Jan 11, 2024