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This High Protein Minestrone Soup is packed with veggies, lean ground meat, and chickpea pasta. It's simple, healthy, delicious and nutritious! Even better you can make this amazing tasting soup recipe in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, on the stove, and it's Gluten Free + Low Calorie.
Growing up in Wisconsin, I have a fond love for hearty soups and casseroles. How else are you supposed to stay warm in the winter in the midwest? With food of course! And, I have to admit there's nothing more comforting than pulling up to a hot bowl of nourishing goodness.
If you love vegetables, meat and pasta, but not the carbs, you're gonna love this high protein chickpea minestrone soup recipe! The best part is you can literally throw the ingredients in an Instant Pot and have dinner done in under 30 minutes. Yep! That's as say as it gets folks!
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Why I Love This High Protein Soup Recipe
- Versatile Cooking Method: This low calorie high protein soups can easily be made with in a variety of ways. But the Instant Pot just makes it so very easy!
- Customizable Recipe: For the veggies and meat, you can substitute anything you like. Even better if you're in a rush you do NOT need to cook the meat before adding it to the pot.
- Higher In Protein Than Traditional Minestrone: Chickpea pasta makes the ideal replacement for flour based pastas. Not only are they higher in protein, chickpeas are high in fiber and naturally gluten free.
Ingredients You Need
Here's everything you need to make this easy soup recipe. You should easily be to pick them up at any well-stocked grocery store.
- Ground Meat: You can make this high protein soup with ground turkey, chicken, or beef. They are all good sources of protein. If using ground beef with higher fat content it's a good idea to drain off the extra fat after browning it.
- Olive oil: For cooking the onion and garlic enhancing their flavors before cooking under pressure.
- Chickpea pasta: This gluten-free pasta is made using chickpeas so it contains more protein than traditional pasta. Try to find an organic chickpeas pasta as chickpeas are heavily sprayed with pesticides so organic is a better option!
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables: A simple healthy processed ingredient that makes this soup so easy to prepare. I suggest one without corn but if you do buy mixed veggies with corn, I recommend you buy an organic, non-GMO brand as corn is the most genetically modified crop which contributes to inflammatory problems.
- Tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes and tomato juice adds flavor to the sauce.
- Broth: You can use any type of broth you prefer for cooking soups including vegetable, chicken, or beef. You may want to use one that works best with the meat you are using.
- Aromatics and Seasonings: Onions and garlic lay down the flavor foundation for your soup while Italian seasoning and bay leaves makes it more flavorful.
How to Make High Protein Soup
- Place the olive oil, onions and garlic in the Instant Pot and set it to sauté. Cook 1-2 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the uncooked ground turkey and cook for another 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula as the meat cooks.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover, set to pressure cook and set the release valve to seal.
- Cook for three minutes and then release the pressure valve, uncover and serve!
How to Store
Storing: Allow the soup to cool fully and then transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to five days. I don't recommend freezing it as the texture of the pasta may change when thawed.
Reheat: Return the desired amount to a saucepan and heat over medium heat or you can heat an individual serving in the microwave. It may thicken up during storage so you may want to add a bit more broth when reheating.
How to Serve
This high protein soup is basically an entire meal in a bowl. Here are some serving ideas to round out your meal when serving it.
- Enjoy it with a slice of this healthy cauliflower bread or some almond flour pumpkin cornbread.
- If you're craving more vegetables serve it up with a this healthy Olive Garden salad or this butternut squash salad.
- Savor the classic soup and sandwich combination with this high protein egg salad on toast or a low carb bell pepper sandwich.
Expert Tips
- Release the Pressure Immediately. The soup will continue to cook if you use natural release the veggies will be overcooked.
If you don't have an Instant Pot (I highly recommend you invest in one or put it on your birthday wish list because they are life changing!), then you can make this recipe on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
Recipe FAQs
It's very simple place all the ingredients except the pasta in a crockpot and set it to cook on high for 3-4 hours. Add the pasta during the last 30 minutes and then serve!
Sure! You can swap the ground meat for 1-2 cans of drained beans. Light red kidney beans or pinto beans would work great. Make sure to use your favorite vegetable broth for the soup.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
If you tried this high protein minestrone soup or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
High Protein Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey or meat of choice
- 1 ½ cups chickpea pasta
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 2 cups mixed veggies frozen
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Place the olive oil, onions and garlic in the Instant Pot and set to sauté. Cook 1-2 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add the uncooked ground turkey and cook another 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula as the meat cooks.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover, set to pressure cook and set the release valve to seal. Note, it will take the Instant Pot 15-20 minutes to build up pressure before it cooks so plan accordingly!
- Cook 3 minutes then release the pressure valve, uncover and serve!
Stove Top
- Follow step 1 and 2 of the instructions only using a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook 10 minutes until pasta is al dente then serve!
Slow Cooker
- Place all the ingredients except the pasta in a crockpot and set to high for 3-4 hours. Add the pasta during the last 30 minutes then serve!
Notes
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my weight loss clients.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, check out my cookbook for more delicious recipes!
Nutrition
This post was originally published March 2019 and has been updated for you!
What is a serving size? one cup? 1.5 cups? I love that you use the chickpea pasta. Thank you.
The recipe makes 6 servings (this is in the recipe card) so 1/6th of the recipe equals one serving. If you want the exact amount, you would weigh the entire cooked dish on a food scale in grams, divide that number by 6 to get the number of grams per serving. Measuring with cups is always inaccurate way to get the serving size as the vegetables sizes vary greatly.