Please Marry Me Soup–a creamy, flavorful chicken soup made with tender chicken, sun-dried tomato pesto, ditalini pasta, spinach, Parmesan cheese and a rich tomato cream broth. Make it in the Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
Please Marry Me Soup (A 30-Minute Dinner)
Greg and I loved this soup so much that we practically slurped our bowls clean and then both went back for seconds! The flavor is out of this world good with the sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. I especially loved the little ditalini pasta because you get some in every spoonful and it makes the soup feel extra satisfying. There’s hardly any chopping or prep work involved, so you can have this delicious soup on the table in about 30 minutes. Make this one soon (and expect a marriage proposal).
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil–or butter
- Onion
- Tomato paste
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Dried thyme–or Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
- Bay leaf–I buy mine in the bulk section at Winco for super cheap
- Cooked chicken–rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- Sun-dried tomato pesto–or finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes with a little extra olive oil
- Ditalini pasta–or orzo
- Heavy cream–or half-and-half for a lighter soup
- Spinach–or fresh kale (pressure cook the kale with everything else)
- Balsamic vinegar
- Parmesan cheese–I used freshly grated and it made a world of difference in flavor!
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the onions. Saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and salt and saute for 1 minute.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
Add in the bay leaf, chicken, pesto and bring to a simmer. Then add in the ditalini.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set SOUP button or LOW pressure to 1 minute. When time is up let pot sit for 3-5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Discard the bay leaf.
Ladle a cup of hot broth into the cream to temper it. Stir it into the pot. Stir in the spinach and vinegar.
Take the Instant Pot liner out of the pot and then stir in the parmesan (this helps the parmesan not stick to the bottom)
Ladle into bowls and serve. Top with extra parmesan if you’d like.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with garlic bread sticks or crusty bread.
- This is a perfect recipe for using a Costco rotisserie chicken! Shred or chop the chicken and add it directly to the pot.
- Sun-dried tomato pesto is the ingredient that gives the soup a lot of its signature flavor. You can usually find it near the regular basil pesto or pasta sauces at the grocery store.
- I recommend grating your own Parmesan from a block. It melts more smoothly than the pre-shredded varieties and is less likely to clump.
- The vinegar brightens up the creamy broth and balances the richness of the cream and cheese. Don’t skip it!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for 4 days.
- Other recipes you can make with
- Tools:
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- Wooden saute paddle*
- Knife*
- Cutting board*
- Magnetic measuring cups*
- Magnetic measuring spoons*
- Glass measuring cup*
- Ladle*
- Cheese grater*
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Please Marry Me Soup (A 30-Minute Dinner)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
Description
A creamy, flavorful chicken soup made with tender chicken, sun-dried tomato pesto, ditalini pasta, spinach, Parmesan cheese and a rich tomato cream broth. Make it in the Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 6 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chopped, cooked chicken
- 1/4 cup sundried tomato pesto
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the onions. Saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and salt and saute for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Add in the bay leaf, chicken, pesto and bring to a simmer. Then add in the ditalini.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set SOUP button or LOW pressure to 1 minute. When time is up let pot sit for 3-5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Discard the bay leaf.
- Ladle a cup of hot broth into the cream to temper it. Stir it into the pot. Stir in the spinach and vinegar.
- Take the Instant Pot liner out of the pot and then stir in the parmesan (this helps the parmesan not stick to the bottom)
- Ladle into bowls and serve. Top with extra parmesan if you’d like.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3–4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, black pepper, garlic powder, thyme and salt and cook for another minute. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, cooked chicken and sun-dried tomato pesto. Stir well.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3–4 hours or HIGH for 1–2 hours.
- Turn the slow cooker to HIGH and stir in the dry ditalini pasta during the last 20–30 minutes of cooking, or until tender.
- Remove the bay leaf. Ladle about 1 cup of hot broth into the heavy cream, whisking to temper it, then stir the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Stir in the spinach, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook for another 5–10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and everything is heated through.
- Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot, Slow Cooking
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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