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This easy Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto can be made with chickpeas, or switch them out for frozen cauliflower rice if you’d prefer less carbs! 

PIN Instant Pot Italian Sausage Soup with Pesto to make it later!

Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto close-up shot of soup in two bowls

Are you ready to get right back on track with healthy January eating, or are you still holding on to comfort food for a few more days? No matter how you’re feeling, this super easy Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto will have an option that works for you! If you still need a few more carbs in your life, make the soup as shown with one can of garbanzo beans. If you’re being stricter on carbs (or ready to cut back!) switch out the garbanzo beans for a package of frozen cauliflower rice.

And there are stovetop directions included for this tasty sausage soup as well if you’re not an Instant Pot fan. No matter what version of this versatile sausage soup you end up with, I promise it’s going to be delicious; I hope you will try it!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

What kind of Italian Sausage did I use?

I used my favorite Turkey Italian Sausage for this soup that’s an updated version of a soup that was back in the archives of the blog, and I like the hot version of Italian Sausage that’s a bit spicy. But use pork Italian Sausage if you prefer, and you might want to switch it out for Sweet Italian Sausage without the added spiciness if you’re making the soup for kids.

How can you make Instant Pot Sausage Soup into a lower-carb soup recipe?

For a version of this soup that’s much lower in carb, just switch out the chickpeas for a 10 oz. or 12 0z. package of frozen cauliflower rice.

What Size Instant Pot Did I Use?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes! Or find more Instant Pot Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

recipe steps collage for Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto

How to Make Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe, including nutritional information.)

  1. Chop onion and green bell pepper. Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM, and cook the onion and bell pepper 2-3 minutes; add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
  2. While those ingredients cook, drain garbanzos into a colander and rinse with cold water. (You can mash them slightly with a potato masher (affiliate link) if you’d like smaller chunks of beans in the soup.)
  3. Add the other teaspoon of olive oil, and crumble the Italian Sausage into the Instant Pot. Cook sausage, breaking apart with the turner, until sausage is browned.
  4. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, garbanzo beans (or frozen cauliflower rice), Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), and red pepper flakes (optional) to the Instant Pot.
  5. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 5 minutes.
  6. When cooking time is up, let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
  7. Add the basil pesto and set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, LOW and cook about 5-10 minutes more to blend flavors.
  8. Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto in bowls with two spoons and dish of Parmesan

More Soups with Italian Sausage:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto close-up photo
Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

This easy Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto can also cook on the stove in less than an hour and it's delicious! Use garbanzo beans, or replace them with frozen cauliflower rice if you want less carbs.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, chopped small
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped small
  • 1 T olive oil, divided
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1 15 oz. can chickpeas (see notes)
  • 1 19.5 oz. pkg. Italian sausage (see notes)
  • 3 14 oz. cans chicken broth (see notes)
  • 1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
  • 2 tsp. Italian Herb Blend
  • pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/4 cup basil pesto (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Chop the onion and green bell pepper.
  2. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM, and cook the onion and bell pepper 2-3 minutes or until barely starting to brown. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
  3. While those aromatic ingredients cook, drain garbanzos into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water. (You can mash them slightly with a potato masher (affiliate link) if you'd like smaller chunks of beans in the soup, but we didn't do that this time.)
  4. Push onions and peppers to the side, add the other teaspoon of olive oil, and crumble the Italian Sausage into the Instant Pot. Cook sausage, breaking apart with the turner, until sausage is nicely browned.
  5. Add the chicken broth, petite diced tomatoes, drained garbanzo beans (or frozen cauliflower rice), Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) to the Instant Pot.
  6. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 5 minutes.
  7. When cooking time is up, let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
  8. Add the basil pesto and set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, LOW and cook about 5-1o minutes more to blend flavors.
  9. Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

STOVETOP DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and saute the onion and green bell pepper.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more.
  2. Add the vegetables to soup pot with the chicken broth, petite diced tomatoes, Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), and red pepper flakes (if using) start to simmer the soup over medium heat. (Use one more cup chicken stock for stovetop cooking.)
  3. Heat the other teaspoon of oil in the frying pan, squeeze the sausage out of the links, and brown the sausage, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks.
  4. While the sausage browns, rinse garbanzo beans as above, and mash if desired.
  5. Add the browned Italian sausage and drained beans (or frozen cauliflower rice) to the soup, turn heat to low, and simmer about 30 minutes. (Longer cooking time won’t hurt, even as long as a couple of hours.)
  6. After the soup has simmered enough to blend flavors. stir in the basil pesto and cook about 10 minutes more.
  7. Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Notes

For a version of this soup with a lot less carbs, switch out the can of garbanzo beans for one 12 oz. package frozen cauliflower rice. Using cauliflower rice will lower the carbs to about 15 carbs per serving (and calories, fiber, sugar, and protein will also be slightly less.)

I used my favorite turkey Italian sausage, but use pork sausage if you prefer. You can use 5 cups homemade chicken stock if you prefer. Use one more cup chicken stock for stovetop cooking. I love using my frozen Basil Pesto with Lemon for this recipe, but I use my favorite purchased pesto when I don't have any in the freezer.

Recipe created by Kalyn and updated for the Instant Pot December 2019.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 545Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 1841mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 7gSugar: 9gProtein: 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny
Category: Instant Pot
Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto in two bowls with spoons and Parmesan

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
I use lean turkey Italian Sausage and use a generous amount of sausage in proportion to the amount of beans to make this Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto a low-glycemic soup that’s suitable for all phases of the original South Beach Diet. If you’d like a soup that’s lower in carbs, replace the garbanzo beans with a package of frozen cauliflower rice.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2014. It was updated in 2019 with better photos and the option to make it a lower-carb soup. It was last updated with more information in 2022.

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