17 bean Soup Instant Pot Edition
You’ve seen that random pack of beans that’s like the suicide of fountain drinks. I stumbled upon a pack at Grocery Outlet while picking up some milk last week and it brought me back to college. My roommate Alissa and I grabbed a bag at trader joes and at first we followed the recipe on the back but then loved it so much we would make chili with it. No bean left behind. I couldn’t let go of the memory so I threw one in the cart. The best thing about the instant pot other than steaming artichokes and corn on the cob is beans. No soak dry beans.
So what are the 17 beans? Well actually I had never looked before but it said: Pinto Beans, Small Red Beans, Pink Beans, Red Kidney Beans. Great Northern Beans. Red Kidney Beans, Great Northern Beans, Blackeye Peas. Navy Beans, Black Beans, Whole Green Peas, Yellow Split Peas, Green Split Peas, Lentils, Chick Peas, Pearl Barley. If I didn’t lose you and you counted then that’s only 16 which might be why I found this pack at Grocery Outlet. Anyway even though I had this pack, reading the list made me think that I could throw the last little bit of legumes from different packs in my pantry and make my own mix to use up what I’ve got. This is also a great recipe for any of the above dried beans you’ve got lying around too.
Well there’s not much else to say except I made this soup with a traditional mirepoix and a similar spicing to my chicken tortilla soup. It has what I would call a secret ingredient except no secrets here only surprises: Dried Chipotle Chile. It’s my go to soup spice because just 1/4 teaspoon gives a smokey sensual kick that leaves people asking what was in it. And you could easily add ground meat to this soup just brown before the veggies. I chose to keep it vegetarian and then added turkey broth so not really. Again I work with what’s in the pantry.
17 Bean Soup Instant Pot Edition
Prep time: 30 min Cook Time: 40 min plus natural release (30 min) Servings: 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 stalks of celery finely chopped
2 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb bag of 17 mixed beans (or any dried beans) ~ discard seasoning pack if there is one
7 1/2 cups of broth
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle chili ~ like red chili flakes only smokey
1 avocado ~ slice for garnish on top
lime squeeze
tortilla chips ~ for serving
I use my food processor to chop everything finely and then set the instant pot to saute and add olive oil. Add onion and saute 5 minutes until opaque. Add garlic and celery and saute a few minutes more. Add carrot and cook another few minutes until soft. Add tomato paste and stir for one minute until absorbed and turn off.
Add dried beans, broth and spices. Set Instant pot to high pressure and cook for 40 minutes. Let the air release naturally which took about 30 minutes longer for me. Soup was perfect with the texture being soft not mushy and the spice feeling like it had simmered for hours. I was out of lime but a little squeeze would’ve been the icing on top. I served it with tortilla chips and the kids lapped it up. Adults too.
