Introduction
I first met minestrone during my meal-kits era—that strange in-between chapter where cooking felt aspirational but exhausting, and boxes showing up at my door counted as self-care.
Daily Harvest’s minestrone hooked me immediately. Traditional versions lean heavily on pasta, but theirs used chickpeas instead, which felt like a small mercy. Pasta and I have a complicated relationship since my surgery, and chickpeas gave me the same comfort without the consequences. Hearty. Filling. Safe.
When I started reclaiming my kitchen—really reclaiming it—I kept circling back to that soup. This recipe is my closest home version so far. It’s simple, forgiving, vegetable-forward, and doesn’t demand anything performative from me. Just chop, press a button, and let the pot do the work.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups chopped kale or spinach
- 1 tsp dried basil*
- 1 tsp dried oregano*
- Salt and pepper, to taste*
*Or measure with your heart. I am heavy handed with spices.
Optional: Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the kale or spinach and Parmesan to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Close and seal the lid. Set to Manual (High Pressure) for 8 minutes.
- Once cooking is complete, carefully quick release the pressure.
- Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup for about 2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve warm, topped with Parmesan if desired.
Results
I’ve made this soup more times than I can count, tinkering just enough to learn what actually improves it and what just sounds good in theory.
Stewed tomatoes? Too heavy—they mute the brightness. Vegetable broth? Overpowering. Water lets the tomatoes and vegetables speak without shouting over each other. The original recipe also suggested black garlic, which I wanted to love, but regular garlic fits the soul of this soup better.
Fresh vegetables matter here. Frozen will work, but they surrender too quickly and turn everything soft in the wrong way. This soup wants texture. It wants presence.
What you get is clean, cozy, quietly nourishing comfort—the kind that feels like a reset instead of a project.
Storage
Refrigerator:
- Store in an airtight container.
- Keeps up to 4 days.
- Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.
Freezer:
- Let soup cool completely.
- Store in freezer-safe containers.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Still hearty. Still gentle. Still doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
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