My easy-to-follow tips take this vegetarian minestrone soup up a notch and get it ready in under 30 minutes.
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Instant Pot Method
- Watch Pasta Soup Video
- My Tried and True Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Minestrone Soup Recipe
Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian pasta soup. This soup recipe will work with almost any combination of pasta, vegetables, beans, or meat .
There is something utterly comforting about the minestrone. When it is made right, you’ll go back for seconds and thirds, slurp big bowls of it for dinner, and happily have it for lunch the next day.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with This Pasta Soup
- It freezes and defrosts well.
- It takes only 30 minutes to get ready
- It is wholesome, fulfilling and nutritious.
- It is so easy to customize and adapt as per the local produce.
- It can be done in a stovetop, pressure cooker, or an instant pot .
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta: Tiny shape pasta like macaroni , elbow, gnocchi, or shells are the best in a soup.
- Red Beans: You can use canned or pre-cooked beans for this pasta soup recipe. I use uncooked beans and cook them from scratch in the stock for making minestrone.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add your favourite vegetables like carrot, spinach, snow peas, fresh peas, kale, spinach, basil , and so on to create a hearty bowl of minestrone.
- Tomato Pasta Sauce, pizza sauce , or tomato paste works miraculously in this soup recipe. So I highly recommend adding them to build layers of flavour in the soup.
- Stock: If you do not have vegetable stock , use 1 bouillon cube or stock cube dissolved in 1 litre of hot water.
- Other Ingredients: Olive Oil, Garlic, Onion, Bay Leaf, Celery, Salt, Pepper, Thyme, Oregano, Italian Basil, Parsley, and Parmesan Cheese
Instant Pot Method
- Set the SAUTE mode for 8 minutes . Start with sauteing bay leaf, garlic, celery, onion, beans, and vegetables. Add stock or water.
- PRESSURE COOK Soup for 20 minutes (if you use uncooked beans).
- Add elbow pasta, herbs, and PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh herbs or the green leafy vegetables. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve Instant Pot Pasta Soup warm with toasted garlic bread.
Watch Pasta Soup Video
My Tried and True Tips
- Use vegetable or chicken stock as the base for this soup. The soup made with plain water lacks the depth of flavour.
- The second magical tip is to use tomato pasta sauce to flavour the soup. Don’t bother about the tomato puree or any other fancy sauce; add the best pasta/pizza sauce on hand to the soup. Trust me; you will end up with the finger-licking good minestrone.
- You can make this pasta soup with both canned beans and uncooked beans. If you are using uncooked beans like me, soak them in water for 6 hours, and cook them in the soup for 20 – 35 minutes before adding pasta.
- Do not cook the pasta too long. 5 – 6 minutes in an instant pot is a good enough time.
Tiny shape pasta like macaroni, elbow, or shells are the best in a soup and compliments small diced vegetables. You can also use spaghetti or angel hair pasta if you enjoy slurping noodles in soup.
Pasta, when overcooked, always turns mushy. Always stir the pasta at the end and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Since pasta absorbs a lot of liquid, it is always best to serve soup hot and fresh without letting it rest for too long after adding pasta.
Minestrone is a one-pot soup. No need to cook the pasta separately. All the ingredients are cooked together, including beans, vegetables, and pasta.
Yea, you can use canned or pre-cooked beans. In that case, you can cook beans, vegetables, and pasta together for 5 minutes.
You can easily make a minestrone on a stovetop. Use a heavy-duty casserole, a dutch oven, or a pressure cooker. However, the cooking time may vary on a stovetop.
What other vegetarian Italian recipes you are looking for? Try my Gnocchi Soup , Fusilli Pasta Caprese , Basil Pesto , or Summer Pasta Salad .
follow me on Youtube or Instagram for latest recipes.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup elbow pasta
- ▢ 4 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped celery stalk
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped onion
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped zucchini
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped carrot
- ▢ ¼ Cup cherry tomato cut into halves
- ▢ ¼ Cup tomato pasta/pizza sauce ( get recipe )
- ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)
- ▢ ½ Cup red kidney beans (rajma) (see NOTE 1)
- ▢ 6 Cup vegetable stock ( Get Recipe )
- ▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, sage etc)
- ▢ ¼ Cup fresh basil leaves roughly torn
- ▢ 2 tablespoon flat parsley, roughly chopped
- ▢ 2 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Rinse the red beans until the water runs clear. Soak them in water for 5 to 6 hours.
- Set the SAUTE mode of an instant pot for 6 minutes. Add olive oil to the inner pot along with garlic, celery, bay leaf, and onion. Saute for a minute to release the aroma of the ingredients. No need to brown the onion or garlic.
- Next, add the red wine vinegar (optional), tomato paste or sauce, vegetables, and soaked beans. Saute for a minute.
- Add vegetable stock, salt, and stir to combine. Seal the lid of the instant pot. PRESSURE COOK for 20 minutes or till red beans is al dente. Skip this step if you are using canned or pre cooked beans.
- After 20 minutes, release the steam manually. Add pasta, thyme, oregano, pepper, and stir. Seal the lid of the instant pot. Once again, PRESSURE COOK the soup for 5 minutes.
- Release the steam manually so the pasta doesn’t soak up all the liquid. Add fresh herbs, and grated cheese.
- Serve Minestrone Soup warm with the slices of toasted bread.
Recipe Notes:
- Feel free to use red beans, white beans, cannellini beans, or other kinds of beans.
- You can use cherry tomato or 1 Cup of chopped tomato .
- Pasta tends to absorb liquid. Hence, after adding pasta, if required, add more stock to get the desired consistency of the soup. Also, do not cook the soup for too long. Serve it warm and fresh.
- This is a vegan soup if you skip adding cheese in the last. Or if we use gluten-free pasta, this soup turns into a gluten-free dish .
- Add salt cautiously according to the taste of your stock.
- Store the leftover pasta soup in the refrigerator for 1 week. While reheating, add more stock to get the desired consistency.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Minestrone Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Cup elbow pasta
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped celery stalk
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ Cup chopped onion
- ½ Cup chopped zucchini
- ½ Cup chopped carrot
- ¼ Cup cherry tomato cut into halves
- ¼ Cup tomato pasta/pizza sauce ( get recipe )
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)
- ½ Cup red kidney beans (rajma) (see NOTE 1)
- 6 Cup vegetable stock ( Get Recipe )
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, sage etc)
- ¼ Cup fresh basil leaves roughly torn
- 2 tablespoon flat parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Rinse the red beans until the water runs clear. Soak them in water for 5 to 6 hours.
- Set the SAUTE mode of an instant pot for 6 minutes. Add olive oil to the inner pot along with garlic, celery, bay leaf, and onion. Saute for a minute to release the aroma of the ingredients. No need to brown the onion or garlic.
- Next, add the red wine vinegar (optional), tomato paste or sauce, vegetables, and soaked beans. Saute for a minute.
- Add vegetable stock, salt, and stir to combine. Seal the lid of the instant pot. PRESSURE COOK for 20 minutes or till red beans is al dente. Skip this step if you are using canned or pre cooked beans.
- After 20 minutes, release the steam manually. Add pasta, thyme, oregano, pepper, and stir. Seal the lid of the instant pot. Once again, PRESSURE COOK the soup for 5 minutes.
- Release the steam manually so the pasta doesn’t soak up all the liquid. Add fresh herbs, and grated cheese.
- Serve Minestrone Soup warm with the slices of toasted bread.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to use red beans, white beans, cannellini beans, or other kinds of beans.
- You can use cherry tomato or 1 Cup of chopped tomato .
- Pasta tends to absorb liquid. Hence, after adding pasta, if required, add more stock to get the desired consistency of the soup. Also, do not cook the soup for too long. Serve it warm and fresh.
- This is a vegan soup if you skip adding cheese in the last. Or if we use gluten-free pasta, this soup turns into a gluten-free dish .
- Add salt cautiously according to the taste of your stock.
- Store the leftover pasta soup in the refrigerator for 1 week. While reheating, add more stock to get the desired consistency.
Nutrition
Creamy, aromatic malai broccoli tikka is a fantastic vegetarian Indian snack for parties that everyone loves.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Malai Broccoli
- Serving Suggestion
- My Tried and True Tips
- Air Fryer Malai Broccoli Recipe
Malai Broccoli is a modern-day fusion Indian dish. In recent years, it has started appearing on the vegetarian menu of many popular Indian restaurants. The dish got its name because of the white, cream-like marinade called malai in Hindi.
This delicious, rich, creamy white sauce differs from the bold paneer tikka or gobi tikka marinade. And it is the main reason for the popularity of the malai broccoli tikka.
More Reasons to LOVE Malai Broccoli
- gluten-free
- easy to make
- air fryer friendly
- tasty vegetarian appetizer
- mildly spicy with subtle aroma of spices
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Broccoli – use fresh or frozen florets. I highly recommend using fresh broccoli florets for bright green colour and natural taste.
- Cashew Paste: A smooth blend of cashews, ginger, garlic, green cardamom, and hot water.
- Yogurt or curd for the marinade.
- Cheese: Use grated parmesan, cheddar, or any other cheese for baking you prefer.
- Seasoning: Cumin Powder, Salt, Black or White Pepper Powder, Granulated White Sugar, Garam Masala , Fresh Coriander Leaves
- Corn Starch helps thicken the marinade and stick it to the broccoli.
How To Make Malai Broccoli
Step 1) Soak cashews, ginger, garlic, and cardamom in hot water for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste.
Step 2) Blanch broccoli florets.
- Boil salted water in a saucepan.
- Add broccoli florets. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Transfer them to a colander. Drain all the water.
- And then, immediately transfer them to a bowl full of ice-cold water.
- Once again, drain all the water and transfer the broccoli to a colander.
- Allow it to sit for 15 – 20 minutes to drain all the excess liquid.
Step 3) Prepare marinade by combining cashew paste, yogurt, salt, spices, seasoning, coriander leaves, and cheese. Whisk nicely!
Step 4) Add broccoli florets and coat each piece with the marinade.
Step 5) Air Fry at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes, turning the malai broccoli halfway through the cooking time.
Serving Suggestion
Malai Broccoli Tikka tastes great with mint chutney or roasted red pepper dip . You can serve it with a dipping sauce of choice, like any other grilled appetizer.
Broccoli Tikka makes an excellent component for vegetarian buddha bowls, salad bowls, or tacos. Or serve it on your mezze platter with other vegetarian snacks and dips.
My Tried and True Tips
- Marinade broccoli without blanching or soaking it in hot water. I prefer blanching it to get rid of that raw taste.
- While blanching, do not cook the broccoli for too long in hot water. Quick 1 – 2 minutes are fine to get rid of that rawness.
- This is a medium spicy malai tikka. You can add red chilli powder, kasuri methi, or green chilli paste to make it a little extra spicy.
- You can cook malai broccoli in a greased pan over the stovetop or grill it on a BBQ.
- Malai Broccoli Tikka is best consumed fresh and hot. Because once grilled, after a few hours, its crunchiness is lost.
More Air Fryer Snack Recipes
- Gobi Tikka
- Pasta Chips
- Karela Chips
- Crispy Chickpeas
- Sweet Potato Chaat
Get 25+ Healthy Sweets and Snacks Recipe Ideas for Diwali
Ingredients
- ▢ 250 gram broccoli florets
- ▢ ¼ Cup cashews (kaju)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic cloves
- ▢ 2 green cardamom
- ▢ ¼ Cup plain Greek yogurt
- ▢ ¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon powdered white sugar or caster sugar
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Garam Masala ( get recipe )
- ▢ ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ▢ salt to tastes
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch), optional
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- ▢ Oil Spray
Instructions
- Soak cashews, ginger, garlic, and cardamom in ¼ cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste.
- For blanching broccoli, boil salted water in a saucepan. Add broccoli florets. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer them to a colander. Drain all the water. And then, immediately transfer them to a bowl full of ice-cold water. Once again, drain all the water and transfer the broccoli to a colander. Allow it to sit for 15 – 20 minutes to drain all the excess liquid.
- Prepare marinade by combining cashew paste, yogurt, salt, spices, seasoning, coriander leaves, cornstarch (if adding), and cheese. Whisk nicely. It should be thick and smooth with a spoon dropping consistency.
- Add blanched broccoli florets and coat each piece with the marinade.
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees Celcius. Brush or spray the inner basket with oil. Arrange marinated broccoli in the inner basket. Do not overcrowd the basket. Spray oil over the marinated broccoli.
- Air Fry at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes, turning the malai broccoli halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve malai broccoli with green chutney or a dip of your choice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
