Instant Pot Quinoa Minestrone is an easy and delicious minestrone soup recipe that cooks in the Instant Pot in 15 minutes!

After a crazy October snowstorm here in Minnesota this week, I’m in full-on soup mode. While I happen to be partial to creamier soups, I absolutely love a veggie-packed minestrone soup. This Instant Pot Quinoa Minestrone was inspired by my Instant Pot Minestrone recipe that I posted last year, with a few key changes.

The obvious change is that I used quinoa instead of some sort of pasta. This ups the protein in the soup and I find it is much more filling than when I make it with pasta. In this recipe I don’t use any sort of bacon or pancetta, making it completely vegetarian. Lastly, I added a generous amount of pesto to this recipe, which adds great flavor to the soup.

Ingredients in Butternut Squash Quinoa Minestrone

Onion

Carrots

Celery

Garlic

Butternut Squash

Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes

Dried Oregano

Dried Basil

Pesto

Quinoa

Vegetable Broth

Kale

Can This Be Made On the Stove Top?

Yes! This minestrone recipe can definitely be made on the stove top instead of the Instant Pot. Simply, you will follow all of the steps listed except instead of cooking it for 5 minutes on high pressure, you will bring the pot to a boil and simmer for 15-ish minutes, until the quinoa is cooked.

Can This Be Made In the Slow Cooker?

Absolutely. For the slow cooker version, you can add all of the ingredients aside from the kale, and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Then stir in the kale and cook another 10-15 minutes, until wilted.

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Instant Pot Quinoa Minestrone

An easy and healthy recipe for minestrone made in the instant pot with quinoa and butternut squash.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: instant pot, quinoa, minestrone, soup, butternut squash, healthy, gluten freen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Taylor

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 white onion diced
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 3 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups butternut squash diced into 1/2" chunks (about 1 small-medium butternut squash)
• 14 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 3 tbsp basil pesto
• 1 cup quinoa
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups chopped kale
• shredded Parmesan for topping

Instructions

• Turn Instant Pot/pressure cooker to brown/saute function.
• Add the olive oil.
• Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, oregano, basil, and salt, and stir to combine.
• Add the butternut squash, diced tomatoes, pesto, quinoa, and broth, and stir to combine.
• Place lid on Instant Pot/pressure cooker, and seal the pressure valve.
• Cook on high for 5 minutes.
• Once cooking has finished, release the pressure.
• Stir in the chopped kale and let it sit in the hot soup for about 5 minutes.
• Serve soup topped with shredded Parmesan.
• Enjoy!

Notes

To make on the stovetop: Cook as directed, except after adding the quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until quinoa has cooked.  Add kale for last 2-3 minutes.

 

To make in slow cooker:  Add all ingredients to slow cooker except for kale and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  Add kale for last 30 minutes.  

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1388mg | Potassium: 832mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 20312IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 3mg

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