Italian Farmhouse Vegetable Soup (Instant Pot)
Try this Italian Farmhouse Vegetable Soup Instant Pot recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Italian Farmhouse Vegetable Soup Instant Pot recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 brown onion diced
- generous pinch of salt
- 1/2 long red chilli sliced
- 2 celery sticks sliced
- 2 medium carrots peeled halved lengthways and sliced
- 6 large button mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- a handful of dried porcini mushrooms (forest mushr
- 100 grams cavolo nero/kale leaves (medium bunch of kale) leaves removed from the hard stems and sliced roughly
- 1 cup tinned chopped tomatoes or tomato passata
- 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
- lemon zest and chopped parsley for garnish
- Carbohydrate 5.8746775 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.70597 g
- Fiber 1.72622498905659 g
- Protein 1.8460825 g
- Saturated Fat 2.9906575 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (104g)
- Sodium 26.32975 mg
- Sugar 4.14845251094341 g
- Trans Fat 0.309973750000001 g
- Calories 58 calories
Step-by-step
- Turn the Instant Pot on and press Sauté function key, the pot will start to heat up.
- Add coconut oil, onion, salt, celery and carrots and stir through. Cook for about a minute or two, while slicing the mushrooms.
- Add the chilli, mushrooms, garlic, and dried porcini mushrooms and stir through. Cook for 2 minutes on Sauté, while preparing cavolo nero/kale leaves and zucchini.
- Add the kale, zucchini, tomatoes, stock and bay leave and stir through. Press the OFF function key. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Check that the the lid knob is turned to Sealing. Press Manual key, High Pressure, and set to 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally for a couple of minutes and then use the quick release method to let the rest of the steam out. Serve in bowls with grated lemon zest and chopped parsley on top.
- If you eat dairy, feel free to grate some Parmesan cheese over the top.
How much liquid do the dried mushrooms actually absorb before pressure builds inside the chamber? Dehydrated porcini act like tiny sponges, soaking up broth rapidly during the initial heating phase. If you notice the pot displaying a burn warning during the sauté stage, add two tablespoons of water immediately to loosen the fond stuck to the bottom. Sautéing the aromatics in coconut oil for precisely two minutes prevents the garlic from turning bitter while softening the onions and carrots. Cut the zucchini into uniform half-inch cubes so they retain structural integrity under high pressure rather than disintegrating into mush. Ensure the pressure valve is firmly turned to the sealing position before programming the ten-minute cook cycle, otherwise steam escapes and alters the internal liquid ratio.
Managing the Pressure Cycle
Ten minutes at high pressure extracts deep umami from the mushrooms and softens the fibrous stems of the cavolo nero. Allowing a natural pressure release for three minutes lets the boiling liquid settle before activating the quick release valve to prevent hot starch from sputtering through the vent. Opening the lid too aggressively causes boiling broth to splatter across the counter.Scaling and Storage
Doubling this recipe requires a six-quart electric pressure cooker to maintain the mandatory safety gap below the maximum fill line. Halving the batch does not require reducing the ten-minute cooking duration because pressure cookers demand identical time thresholds regardless of total volume. Leftovers keep safely in an airtight glass container inside the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat individual portions on the stovetop over medium heat until simmering.
