Dump & start recipe for a quick & tasty Italian vegetarian soup, Pasta Fagioli. This hearty soup is made by simmering pasta & beans in a rich tomato broth. This easy meal can be made in an Instant Pot or stove, and is ready in 30 minutes!
Turn on Saute while you add all the ingredients. This warms up the broth while you’re assembling the soup, and cuts short the pressure building time. This is optional, but does save a few minutes. Add all ingredients in the pot, except spinach and cheese. Turn off Saute.
Pressure cook 4 mins at Manual/Pressure cook, or ‘Soup’ setting. If you are using another shape of pasta, check the notes for cooking time adjustment.
When the pressure cooking time is done, wait 5 mins (NPR 5), after which do a quick release (QR). That means release the pressure manually, by turning the vent to ‘venting’ position in Instant Pot DUO, or, pressing down the pressure valve in Instant Pot ULTRA. Waiting 5 minutes reduces the chance of any soup from leaking through the valve while releasing pressure.
Garnish
Stir in chopped spinach and parmesan cheese and check for seasoning. Let the soup sit for a 3-4 minutes, then serve warm.
Stove-top Recipe
Heat a wide soup-pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add all the ingredients, except spinach and parmesan cheese. Bring it to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for the recommended time for your pasta choice.
When pasta is cooked all the way through, add spinach and grated parmesan cheese. Let the soup sit for a 3-4 minutes, then serve warm.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips
This recipe has been tested in a 3 qt and 6 qt Instant Pot.
Tomatoes: I like using crushed or pureed tomatoes in this recipe for smooth texture, but you can use regular diced tomatoes as well.
Pasta shapes: Is using any other pasta shape in this recipe, to calculate the cook time, half the lower number in the suggested cook time on the box, and subtract 1 minute from that.
If you like to freeze this soup, skip the pasta and freeze the soup. When you want to serve it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, boil some pasta, add it to the soup and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.