Name: Spring Minestrone
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of olive oil (15 ml); 2 green onions (sliced into rounds (30 g)); 2 garlic cloves (crushed (10 g)); 2 small potatoes (diced into small cubes (200 g)); 1 cup of tomato juice (240 ml); 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (960 ml); 1 teaspoon of salt (5 g); 2 cups of chickpeas (rinsed and drained (340 g)); 1 cup of peas (fresh or frozen (150 g)); ½ pound of asparagus (cut into 1-inch pieces (225 g)); 2 cups of leafy greens (chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc., thinly sliced (60 g)); A handful of fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped (10 g)); 1 teaspoon of black pepper (2 g)

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Spring Minestrone is a lighter and healthier version of the traditional Italian soup, which is made with fresh, seasonal ingredients like asparagus, beans, and tons of green leafy vegetables. This recipe uses chickpeas in place of the traditional white beans.

It’s light and has only 1 Point, but it’s full of flavor and super hearty. Plus, it’s ready in just 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. Enjoy this bean and veggies soup on its own or serve it with some of our popular Weight Watchers side dishes for a family-style meal!

Light yet hearty Spring Minestrone soup with fresh herbs on the side.

Recipe Overview

Serving Size: 500 ml
Number of Servings: 4
Time to Cook: 15 minutes (pressure cooking) + 5 minutes (sautéing)
1 WW Point Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)

Ingredients in Spring Minestrone

1 tablespoon of olive oil (15 ml)
2 green onions, sliced into rounds (30 g)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (10 g)
2 small potatoes, diced into small cubes (200 g)
1 cup of tomato juice (240 ml)
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (960 ml)
1 teaspoon of salt (5 g)
2 cups of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (340 g)
1 cup of peas (fresh or frozen) (150 g)
½ pound of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (225 g)
2 cups of leafy greens (chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc.), thinly sliced (60 g)
A handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (10 g)
1 teaspoon of black pepper (2 g)

Instructions for making Spring Minestrone

Sauté the aromatics: Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function and heat the olive oil. Add the sliced green onions and crushed garlic, and sauté until fragrant and slightly softened.
Add the potatoes: Stir in the diced potatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, allowing them to absorb the flavors.
Incorporate the chickpeas, peas, and asparagus: Add the chickpeas, peas, and asparagus pieces to the pot. Stir well to combine.
Pour in the tomato juice and broth: Add the tomato juice and broth to the Instant Pot. Season with salt and stir everything together.
Pressure cook: Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the Sealing position. Select the Manual or Pressure Cook function and set the timer for 10 minutes at high pressure. Once the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully perform a quick release for any remaining pressure.
Add the leafy greens: Open the Instant Pot and stir in the thinly sliced leafy greens. Let them wilt in the hot soup for a minute or two.
Finish with fresh herbs and pepper: Stir in the roughly chopped basil leaves and season with black pepper, adjusting to taste.
Serve and enjoy: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with extra basil leaves if desired. Serve warm and enjoy this light, flavorful, and nutritious Spring Minestrone!

Aromatics and potatoes sautéing in the pressure cooker pot.

All veggies, tomato paste, and broth added to the sautéed aromatics in the pressure cooker.

Leafy greens added to the soup after pressure cooking.

Tips and Tricks Section for Making Spring Minestrone

Minestrone is one of those dishes that has remained popular for centuries for several reasons: first, its adaptability, as minestrone was designed to make use of whatever ingredients were on hand, and second, how easy it is to prepare. With these ideas in mind, I can only suggest a few small tricks:

Sauté the green onions and vegetables well, including the potatoes. This adds a lot of flavor to the soup, especially since we’re omitting sausage.
Use a good broth, preferably concentrated. If it’s homemade, even better!
The more, the better: Add all the green vegetables you can: artichoke hearts, zucchinis, and even green beans.
Adding meat: I kept this dish completely vegetarian, making it fresher and lighter. If you like, you can add some fat-free turkey sausage.
For a deeper Italian flavor: Add a good spoonful of pesto or, even better, freshly chopped basil (to avoid the oils in pesto), and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese. Though it adds points, just a teaspoon sprinkled on top is enough.
Freezer Friendly: This soup freezes well! Thaw it at room temperature or in a covered pot over low heat with a splash of extra broth to keep it from drying out.
Vegan Version: Swap the broth for vegetable broth and skip the Parmesan.

Spring Minestrone: A Seasonal Twist On The Classic Recipe

Recipe Overview

Ingredients in Spring Minestrone

Instructions for making Spring Minestrone

Tips and Tricks Section for Making Spring Minestrone