The husband has been feeling under the weather the past few days and requested minestrone soup. Of course the day I plan to make it is a day where I will be out of the house the majority of the day. So how to get the best of both worlds? A pressure cooker. I know some people might be a little scared of this guy, believe me, I was to when I first tried it. In fact, I am still scared of that damn thing. It makes cooking things like soup, which normally take an hour or so to get the flavor you want so effing simple!
So you may be asking yourself, “Does it really take 20 minute?” Yes, I swear it only takes 20 minutes. Half the time to chop up all your veggies, and half to cook it. But if you’re really fast at chopping and dicing, then it might be shorter. Just don’t chop you finger off….
20 Minute Minestrone Soup
yum.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 cup baby carrots or 2 regular carrots, chopped
- 1/2 cup string beans (I used frozen, its all I had)
- 2 mini sweet peppers, chopped
- 1 can red kidney beans, cannellini beans or chick peas
- frozen spinach
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 3 cans chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Dash of Italian seasoning
- optional: Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup elbow pasta or shells
In your pressure cooker, heat oil over medium high heat and sautee onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add zucchini, carrots, string beans, and peppers. Give that a good stir and incorporate everything. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, spinach, beans, seasoning, salt & pepper. Once everything is in the pot, bring it to a boil, throw in the cheese if you choose, lower the heat to low and place the lid of your pressure cooker on and lock. Make sure your pressure cooker is locked securely. Set your timer for 10 minutes and let it cook. I like to make my pasta separate then add it to the soup. So while your soup is pressure cookin’ away, boil some water with salt and add the pasta. Cook for just about 10 minutes then reserve until your soup is done.
When the 10 minutes are up, turn the heat off and let the pressure cooker sit for a few minutes. Then it’s time to release the steam…aka the scariest part of using a pressure cooker so BE CAREFUL! Once the pot stops hissing, carefully remove the lid. Add cooked pasta and you are ready to serve!
I usually buy a wedge of Locatelli cheese to grate over my pastas and soups. I save the ends of the cheese and throw them in when I make any type of veggie soups. I had some left over rinds and added them to this minestrone and it gave it an amazing flavor! Moral of the story: don’t throw those rinds out and repurpose!! 
If you don’t have a pressure cooker or are scared to use one, you can make this in a regular pot or dutch oven. Instead of cooking it for 10 minutes, cook for about 45-60 minutes.
What are you cookin’ tonight? Only 2 more Meatless Friday’s left!
– Amanda
