Zuppa Toscana with Spinach Baby Spinach*

Serves 10 in about 1 hour. The pot starts with strips thick cut, then heavy cream.

Ingredients

• 3 strips thick cut smoky bacon, chopped
• 2 lbs ground hot italian sausage (use ½ hot and ½ mild if you don't like spicy)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
• 4 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 4-6 medium potatoes, halved and sliced ½ inch thick
• 6 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1 bunch of kale** chopped, with rib removed
• 1 - 1 ½ cups heavy cream (or whole milk, half and half, etc.)
• 12-ounce pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed) or fresh baby spinach*

Method

1. Turn the pressure cooker to Sauté mode, and add the chopped bacon. Cook, while stirring now and then, until the bacon renders out most of its fat. Lift out and keep it nearby.
2. Stir in the sausage and brown it, stirring a few times. If you can get a good browning on it the flavor will be even better!
3. Spoon out most of the fat (all but 1 Tablespoon of the fat, enough to cook the onions).
4. Stir in the onions, stir them.
5. Stir in the oregano.
6. When the onions start to turn translucent, add the garlic and stir.
7. Tip in the broth, stirring, and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot to get up any browned bits (deglaze).
8. Tip in the potatoes, and add the bacon back in.
9. Check to make sure the contents don't go over the Max Fill line marked on the inner liner.
10. Cancel Sauté mode.
11. Close the lid, set the steam release knob to Sealing.
12. Set to Manual (or Pressure Cook), and choose 5 minutes* (High Pressure). The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
13. After cooking cycle ends, allow a 10 instant NPR (Natural Pressure Release).
14. Do a Controlled Quick Release for the rest of the steam, and when the pin in the lid drops, open the lid.
15. Tip in the kale, (or thawed spinach, if using) and stir well. Put a lid on and let heat through for 5 minutes or so to soften the kale. If using spinach, just stir it in and proceed to the next step.
16. Mix in the heavy cream.
17. Serve!

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.