Instant Pot White Minestrone Soup Recipe for Quick Comfort

If you love classic minestrone — the Italian vegetable soup with pasta — try a tomato-free, creamy version: White Minestrone. This variation trades tomatoes for a rich dairy finish, producing a hearty, comforting soup that is reminiscent of vegetarian chicken & dumplings. It’s quickly become a favorite in my kitchen and is hard to stop eating after just one bowl. Serve with a crisp Parmesan chip or warm, crusty bread for dunking.

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Instant Pot White Minestrone Soup

Pre-Pressure Cooking

Butter added to Instant Pot — Begin by adding butter to the Instant Pot.

Melted butter in pot — Heat until melted.

Adding mirepoix to pot — Add a mirepoix — onion, celery and carrot — to build the soup base.

Sautéing mirepoix — Sauté the vegetables for a few minutes until they begin to soften and release flavor.

Adding garlic to pot — Add garlic and cook briefly to wake up the aromatics.

Adding white wine to pot — Deglaze with a dry white wine for added depth, or skip it and use extra broth.

Adding broth to pot — Add chicken or garlic broth to create the soup liquid.

Adding seasonings to pot — Season with seasoned salt (or Creole seasoning), Italian seasoning, thyme, and black pepper for balanced flavor.

Adding beans to pot — Add drained and rinsed beans for texture and protein.

Adding green beans to pot — Stir in frozen cut green beans.

Adding ditalini to pot — No minestrone is complete without small pasta like ditalini; add it now.

Stirring pot — Stir everything together to combine ingredients evenly.

Topping pot with spinach — Top with baby spinach. It may look like a lot, but the spinach will wilt down during cooking.

Post-Pressure Cooking

Soup after pressure cooking — After pressure cooking, the spinach will have collapsed and blended into the soup.

Stirring soup — Stir to distribute pasta, beans and vegetables evenly. The base is flavorful already, but the dairy finish transforms it.

Adding herb cheese to soup — Add herb cheese to introduce a creamy, savory note.

Adding cream to soup — Stir in heavy cream or half-and-half for richness.

Adding Parmesan to soup — Finish with grated Parmesan for savory depth and mouthfeel.

Stirring until dairy is combined with the soup — Stir until the cheeses and cream are fully incorporated and the soup turns a brilliant, creamy white.

Ladle of soup — Ladle the finished soup into bowls.

Soup in bowl with cheese crisp next to it — Garnish with extra Parmesan, a Parmesan crisp, or serve alongside crusty bread.

The Taste Test

Man holding bowl of soup — A colorful, comforting bowl ready to taste.

Man trying soup — Delicious — rich, savory and satisfying.

Man kissing fingers — White Minestrone truly makes a memorable soup that may become a regular in your rotation.

Yield: 6

Instant Pot White Minestrone Soup

If you’ve had minestrone soup, you know it as a tomato-based Italian vegetable soup with pasta. White Minestrone removes the tomato and finishes with a creamy dairy addition, creating a vegetarian-style comfort soup similar to chicken & dumplings. It pairs perfectly with a Parmesan crisp or warm bread.

Prep Time
15 minutes

Cook Time
5 minutes

Additional Time
5 minutes

Total Time
20 minutes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
2 large shallots, diced
2 large carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch disks and quartered
3 ribs celery, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
5 1/2 cups chicken or garlic broth (use 6 cups if not using wine)
1 (15.5-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons seasoned salt or Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 ounces frozen green beans
1 cup ditalini, pipette or mini shell pasta
5-8 ounces baby spinach
1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin or other herb cheese
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (More/High). Melt the butter, then add shallots, carrots and celery (mirepoix). Sauté about 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
Add the white wine (if using), broth, beans, seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, thyme, pepper, frozen green beans and pasta. Stir to combine.
Top with the spinach without stirring — it will seem like a lot but will wilt down during cooking.
Secure the lid, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on High for 5 minutes. Quick-release when finished.
Stir in the herb cheese, cream and Parmesan until fully combined and the soup turns creamy white, about 1–2 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with additional Parmesan if desired.

Jeffrey’s Tips

To make this soup meaty, add 1–1 1/2 pounds of uncased Italian sausage in Step 1 with the garlic and sauté until lightly browned and crumbled.