So cold out there today!!! The wind and the snow chills you so fast! Another great night for soup! My husband loves ham and bean soup, so I decided I would try to make it in the Instant Pot.

Start by rinsing dry pinto beans and then placing them in the Instant Pot with 6 cups of water, put the lid on, close the steam valve. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and cook for 40 minutes. When the time is up, open the pressure cooker by using Quick Release.

Meanwhile, dice up the ham and onion, slice the celery and carrots and mince the garlic. I like my soups to have lots of vegetables, so I usually double the amount called for in the recipe. They add so much flavor, color and nutrition.

At the end of the 40 minute cooking period, do a quick release, drain the beans and set aside.

Put the chicken broth, ham, celery, onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, pepper and the drained beans back into the Instant Pot. Put the lid on, close steam valve. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and cook for 10 minutes. When the time is up, open the pressure cooker by using Quick Release. Taste and add salt and additional pepper, if necessary.

Sprinkle sliced green onion over the top, if desired. Great with cheese and cornbread. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Ham & Beans

Traditional comfort food without the long soaking and cooking times.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Building Pressure in Instant Pot15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Ham, Pinto Beans, Vegetables

Servings: 6 people

Author: Mary Beth

Ingredients

• 16 oz pinto beans, dry
• 6 cups water
• 32 oz chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 1/4 pounds ham, diced ( about 1 1/2 cups)
• 4 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 4 carrots, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional (taste first, may not need)
• 3 green onions, sliced diagonally, optional

Instructions

• Rinse dry pinto beans under water. Put them into your Instant Pot with 6 cups of water.
• Put the lid on, close the steam valve. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and cook for 40 minutes.
• Do a quick release, drain the beans and set aside.
• Add broth, ham, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, pepper and your drained beans back into your pressure cooker.
• Put the lid on, close steam valve. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and cook for 10 minutes.
• Do a quick release, and stir. Taste and add additional pepper and salt, if necessary. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

My daughters introduced me to Ina Garten’s Roasted Tomato Basil Soup. It is amazing! If you love tomatoes and basil, you will be glad that they shared this recipe with me. Perfect for a fall evening dinner!

This is a great time of year to make this – while you still have tomatoes and basil in your garden. This recipe does take 4 cups of packed basil leaves…which is a lot of basil…so make it while you have it fresh. But the flavor it gives to the soup is delicious! Start by roasting the tomatoes.

While the tomatoes are in the oven, gather the rest of your ingredients.

Tear off the basil leaves, chop the onions, mince the garlic and pull the thyme leaves off the stems.

Just look at those roasted tomatoes – YUM!

Saute the onion and garlic and red pepper flakes.

Add canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, chicken stock and roasted tomatoes, simmer about 40 minutes.

Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Season.

Great served with a grilled cheese sandwich! You could also cut your grilled cheese sandwich into cubes and have grilled cheese croutons on top. This is a thin soup, so it would great served in a mug. Enjoy!

For the recipe and directions, go to the link below:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-tomato-basil-soup-recipe-1940376