Instant Pot Garden Vegetable Soup for Spring & Summer
Home » COOK »If you are always trying to find fresh ideas for leftovers like me, this Garden Vegetable Soup is a great recipe to use up fresh veggies and herbs from the fridge. Your Instant Pot comes into its own here, as you pop in your spare celery, carrots, onion, potatoes, and tomatoes and let it magic up this nutritious, hearty soup. Whilst this is an Instant Pot recipe, it can be prepared on the stovetop too.
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Instant Pot Garden Vegetable Soup
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
This flexible “clean out the refrigerator” vegetable soup recipe can be adapted countless ways to include whatever fresh vegetables and herbs you happen to have on hand.
It’s one of those recipes that is good to make at the end of the week, just before you have to do your next run to the grocery. Don’t throw out the unused veggies – use them up in this soup instead.
We used staple ingredients that most people probably have on hand – potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and celery. Garlic adds instant flavor and the arugula (rocket) adds a peppery touch.
But honestly, there isn’t any right or wrong way to make garden vegetable soup! Have some broccoli florets? Throw them in! Got a few fresh peas in their pods? Shell them and toss them into the pot!
Enjoy a bowl of this soup all the year round using the vegetables and herbs you have at the time. A chunk of bread and some cheese will create a delicious light meal.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Vegetables
The hero ingredients in this dish are the vegetables, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Stew
- Spiced Roasted Autumn Vegetables
- Greek Cypriot Stuffed Vegetables
More Soup Recipes
Looking for more soup to make? Check these recipes out next:
Recipe Tips
- Tip: Tougher herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, can be added prior to cooking, while more tender options, such as basil and parsley, should be stirred in when the arugula is added. (Discard the woody stems for the tougher herbs before serving).
How Do I Make Garden Vegetable Soup?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Instant Pot Garden Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 large stalks celery chopped
- 4 large carrots sliced
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea salt & black pepper to taste
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth/stock
- 1 lb 450g red potatoes, quartered
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 pint 500g cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- Parmesan cheese freshly shaved or grated
Instructions
- Add olive oil to Instant Pot® and select the “Sauté” function. Add garlic, celery, carrots, red onion, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine.
- Sauté, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the vegetables start to develop some color, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add broth and stir to combine, scrapping any brown bits off the bottom of the pot in the process. Turn the unit off.
- Add potatoes, bay leaves, and chopped tomatoes to the pot. Add lid and lock into place. Switch the vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” setting to 3 minutes.
- When cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and discard the bay leaves. Stir in fresh arugula and lime juice, and season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired. Stir to combine.
- Serve immediately topped with freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Full Meal
You’ve made the soup, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: Balsamic Mozzarella Stuffed Grape Tomatoes
- Salad: Fig and Roasted Fennel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Main Dish: Pistachio-Crusted Salmon with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
- Side Dish: Butter Parsley Baby Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Beverage: Raspberry Lime Vodka Cocktail
- Dessert: Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.