Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (from Pressure Luck Cooking)

• 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 tsp of dried basil
• 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 2 tsp of seasoned salt
• 5-6 oz bag of baby spinach
• 1 cup of Pipette pasta (Ditalini or mini shells works well here too)
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

This makes a LOT! Like a solid 6-8 bowls. So if you don’t halve the recipe and anticipate a lot of leftovers, consider boiling the pasta and adding it separately as it will expand and sop up as much of the soup as possible if stored in the fridge.
Don’t want the extra carbs? Leave out the pasta (and now instead of a great Minestrone, it’s a great vegetable soup!

1. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and hit “Sauté” and Adjust so it’s on the “More” or “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. Add the garlic, mix together and cook for another minute
2. Then, add in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, red kidney/cannellini beans, oregano, basil, thyme, pepper, seasoned salt and stir
3. Now, add in the pasta (see the “Jeffrey Sez” section) and frozen cut green beans. Give it a good stir
4. 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 into nothing)
5. Secure lid, hit the “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then “Manual” or “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)
6. Ladle into bowls and top with some grated Parmesan when done and serve with some warm, crusty bread