Mom’s sort of taken up Keto. By “sort of,” I mean my nephew’s wife is kickin’ it with keto, so she’s got my mom following suit. So when we went out to visit recently, Mom had whipped up some lovely, carb-friendly Minestrone all ready for lunch. The soup was fantastic, so I took home the recipe.
I made a few changes to suit myself and drop the carbs just a smidge more. Mom’s recipe used a can of Northern beans which, spread out within the whole pot of soup, wasn’t too bad. But I’ve been wanting to try some black soybeans, so I swapped that out and added some crushed red pepper to kick up a little heat.
Really, this would be good with no beans at all if you don’t want. But I like the beans because it makes it a little heartier. So this is (mostly) Mom’s Minestrone, with a few minor tweaks because I can’t leave anything alone. I mean, let’s get real. I’ve made this several times, and each time I put something a little different in it, depending on what I have on hand.
Note: This recipe is for the Instant Pot BUT I have notes for using slow cooker or stovetop. Use what you’ve got, man.
Homemade broth is wonderful in this. Leftover celery or a few cherry tomatoes losing their perk? Plop ’em in! Have canned mushrooms instead of fresh? No worries. It’s soup, man. It’s forgiving as all get-out. Just use a bit of imagination and what you’ve got in your kitchen, and you’ll be rewarded with comfort food at it’s finest.
I have to admit it: mine is better than Mom’s.
(Better Than) Mom’s Mostly Minestrone
8
servings15
minutes30
minutes4
Fast, easy, delicious and great for meal prep.
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✏ What’s in This Thing
2 pounds Italian Sausage
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup black soybeans (optional, measured before soaking)
1/2 small red onion (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced (or powder))
1 bag coleslaw mix
8 oz fresh mushrooms (sliced)
2 large carrots (sliced)
2 medium zuchinni (sliced)
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 cubes beef bullion
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tea crushed red pepper (optional)
1 pinch parsley (optional)
3 cans beef broth
⚡ Making This Thing
- Optional: If you are using the soybeans and have the presence of mind to plan ahead, soak overnight the day before, using about 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the water. The internet says it will make them come out a bit better. If you’re using canned beans, no beans or just forget, ignore this step.
- Heat up your Instant Pot. Once it’s hot, put in a little oil and the sausage. Cook until browned.
- Make sure there is no sausage stuck to the bottom of your pot. (Otherwise, you may get the dreaded “burn” notice.) Add your black soybeans, all the veggies and seasonings you’ll be using. Make sure you don’t go over the “Max” fill line for your pot.
- Add the broth last, on top of everything else. You can adjust the amount of liquid to suit yourself, adding additional water or broth until you’re satisfied.
- Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. A very full pot does take longer to come to pressure so be patient.
- After cooking, let pressure release naturally for another 15 minutes or so. You can then release any remaining pressure manually.
☕ Notes About This Thing
- This recipe as-written maxed out my 8-qt Instant Pot, so if you’re using a smaller pot, you’ll need to scale it down accordingly. Nutritionals are based on the fact that an 8-qt Instant Pot will hold 6 quarts of liquid or 24 cups.
- You could very easily use your slow cooker or a plain, ol’ stockpot for this as well. For a slow cooker, just use low like everything else we cook in those things! And for a stock pot, you’ll want to simmer for about 40 minutes. If you’re using canned (and hence, pre-cooked beans), just put them in about 20 minutes in.
- If you have a vacuum sealer, putting your ingredients in a big bag and sealing it up to toss into the freezer is a great, easy way to have this ready to go any time. You can pop it in the Instant Pot still frozen.
‼ Macro Mathing This Thing
- Total number of serves: 24
- Calories: 168kcal
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Cholesterol: 28mg
- Sodium: 493mg
- Potassium: 342mg
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 2g
- Protein: 8g
- Vitamin A: 995IU
- Vitamin C: .7mg
- Iron: 1.5mg
- Vitamin E: 14.4mg
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This a great served up with some LC Tortilla “Crackers” with melted cheese. Mmm!
Are you going to make this one? I’d love to hear how yours turns out or what changes you made to make it your own. Keep the ideas coming!
Can i freeze this soup?
It should freeze just fine. My mom freezes hers!