15 Bean Soup in the Pressure Cooker

Serves 8 in about 1 hour. A pressure cooker recipe built around bay leaves and tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 20-oz package hurst's hambeans 15 bean soup mix (with seasoning packet, ham flavored)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lg onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 med carrots, chopped
• 8 cups low sodium chicken (or ham broth)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1-3 ham hocks (or a ham bone)
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

Method

1. Tip in the beans into a strainer. Set the seasoning packet aside. Rinse the beans and discard any debris. keep it nearby.
2. Turn on the sauté setting on your pressure cooker. When it is hot, add the olive oil, onion, bay leaves, and celery. Cook, while stirring now and then, until onion starts to turn translucent.
3. Tip in the garlic and cook about a instant, while stirring often.
4. Stir in the beans, carrots, and broth. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot with the spoon to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom.
5. Stir in the pepper, thyme, and ham hocks (or ham bone).
6. Turn off the sauté setting and close the lid, making sure the vent is sealed. Then set the pressure cook time to 60 minutes, High pressure. It will take several minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
7. When the cook time has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. Watch it as it is releasing to see if any soup will spew out of the vent with the steam.
8. Use tongs to remove the ham hocks/ham bone to a plate, and discard the bay leaves and thyme stem.
9. Tip in the seasoning packet and diced tomatoes to the soup and stir.
10. Use a fork to carefully remove the meat from the ham hocks/ham bone. Discard the bone and any extra fat & gristle. Stir in the meat to the soup. Stir.
11. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
12. Plate hot.

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.