Instant Pot 8-Minute Minestrone
Need a nourishing Instant Pot vegetable soup recipe? This is it! Made with all kinds of vegetables, plus pearled sorghum, this Instant Pot 8-Minute Minestrone is soul-satisfying and hearty. Made as a vegetarian soup in this recipe, you can easily add Italian sausage, mini meatballs or diced ham to this recipe, if desired.
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Howdy –
Are you a Minestrone soup fan? It’s dang hard to beat a good pot of this hearty Italian vegetable/pasta soup. Surely you’ve seen it on the menu at Olive Garden, too, right? Well, now you can make it at home for just pennies on the dollar. And, instead of pasta, I’ve incorporated a gluten-free grain that I love to use whenever I can, pearled sorghum. (Learn more about the benefits of pearled sorghum and where you can purchase it further down in this post.)
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So Why is This THE BEST Minestrone Soup???
- It’s made in MERE MINUTES in your Instant Pot.
- It’s super easy to make and calls for ingredients you’ll probably already have on hand.
- This soup freezes well, so save some for later that you can just re-heat.
- It’s way better than anything you’ll eat in a restaurant!
Are You Familiar with Pearled Sorghum?
If you are looking for ways to incorporate whole grains into your meals, sorghum is a naturally gluten free grain that can be popped like popcorn, ground into flour, used in soups and salads, or even brewed into beer. The Whole Grains Council is an excellent resource for general information, how to find and prepare different grains, and the benefit that they can provide. Look for their stamp of approval on Nu Life Market sorghum products and find out more information at www.wholegrainscouncil.org.
What’s so Great About Cooking With Healthy Grains, Such as Pearled Sorghum?
- It’s a super easy way to get added nutrition. Eating more whole grains is a good way to make your diet healthier. Whole grains are packed with nutrients, including protein, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. A diet rich in whole grains has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer.
- By themselves, grains have little to no flavor. This means the grains are actually going to take on the flavors of the dish that you are adding them to! If it’s a Mexican-inspired recipe, the grains will grab those flavors, if Italian flavors (such as in this Minestrone Soup recipe) are prominent, the grains will take on those flavors and so on.
Printable 8-Minute Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Recipe
Instant Pot 8-Minute Minestrone
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbs. good olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 sweet red or yellow bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed
- 4 carrots, diced
- 4 celery ribs, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup basil pesto, I used Barilla brand
- 1 24 oz. jar of your favorite marinara sauce
- 14 oz. can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup uncooked Nu Life Market pearled sorghum grain, may substitute any fully cooked grain
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups vegetable broth, heated
- 1-2 cups chopped baby spinach or baby kale, as desired
- chopped fresh Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese, grated or freshly shredded, for garnishing
Instructions
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot set to the sauté setting, add the oil; when the oil is hot, add the paprika and the vegetables; sauté for one minute, then turn off the sauté setting.
- Add the pesto, marinara, beans, sorghum, and bay leaves; top with broth - don’t stir these ingredients; leave them layered with the broth sitting mostly on top.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid into place, then use the manual button to choose the high pressure setting for 8 minutes, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure. When the timer sounds, use a natural release for 10 minutes, then a quick release if any pressure remains in the Instant Pot. (the natural release period allows the grains used in this recipe to fully cook)
- Carefully unlock the Instant Pot lid and give the soup a stir; remove the bay leaves. Stir in the baby spinach.
- Serve up steaming bowls of the minestrone, garnished with a good sprinkle of parsley and lots of Parmesan. Yummy served with good crusty slices of bread.
Nutrition
Instant Pot Fanatic Here!
Have you jumped onto the Instant Pot band wagon yet? If not, what in the heck are ya waiting for? Electric Pressure Cooking is here to stay, and once you get the hang of using your pot, you’ll never look back. I love getting dinner done in such a speedy, delicious way.
At our house, we primarily use the Instant Pot to make these five categories of foods on a regular basis each and every week:
- H.O.M.’s (Hunks ‘O Meat!).…such as chuck roasts and pork butts, that turn into Tender Pulled Pork and Big Bold Beef Carnitas
- Beans…..beautiful beans! Pinto beans and Great Northern beans are just ah-mazing made in your pot, and there’s no soaking of beans required!
- Grains…..we really like steel-cut oats, pearled sorghum, and quinoa made in the IP.
- Casseroles.…such as Enchilada Casserole and 5-Minute Italian Pasta.
- Soups and Chilis…..most of these take about 5 minutes! Such as Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup and Ham and Bean Soup.
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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli
This recipe was presented on a sponsored segment for KAKE Wichita, March 2019, and featured From the Land of Kansas members and products. Special thanks to KAKE of Wichita and From the Land of Kansas for making this segment possible!