Black Bean Soup with Corn Tortillas

Serves 7 in about 1 hour. The pressure cooker brings bacon - omit and rice together.

Ingredients

• ½ lb bacon, chopped - omit for vegetarian
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 poblano chile peppers (they are mild) 1 inch dice (or 1 - 7 oz can of diced green chiles)
• 6 garlic cloves (pressed or finely minced)
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon mexican oregano (or regular)
• ½ teaspoon thyme, dried
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (¼ tsp for less spicy)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ tsp table salt)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
• 1 ½ cups dry black beans** rinsed (or canned 3 - 15 oz cans)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Fresh cilantro
• Sour cream
• Avocado
• Hot sauce
• Cooked rice (pour soup over rice)
• Corn tortillas

Method

1. Turn on pot to Sauté setting and cook the bacon until done, but not crisp.
2. Tip in the olive oil and the onion. Cook, while stirring now and then, until softened.
3. Stir in celery, carrots, chile peppers, and garlic. Stir, cooking for a instant.
4. Stir in the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper. Stir.
5. Stir in broth, black beans. Stir, then put the lid on the pressure cooker. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
6. Cancel the Sauté mode.
7. Press the pressure Cook/Manual button (or Pressure Cook) and then the +/- button to select 40 minutes* High Pressure.**If you use canned beans, rinse them first, and reduce the cook time to 6 minutes, with a 15 instant natural release.
8. When the cook cycle has ended, let the pot naturally release the steam for 20 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam. Open the lid after the pin in the lid drops.
9. Mix the soup, and test the beans for doneness.
10. Taste and adjust salt if needed. The bacon adds a bit of salt, plus the 1/2 tsp you put in, but you might like more.
11. Mix in the lime juice.
12. Garnish as desired and serve.

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.