We have turned to hearty soups in this cold snap.This soup is a perfect example of a soup that will warm you through to the bones - it is rich and hearty.
Bean soups are perfect for the instant pot because there is no soaking of the beans required and you end up with a delicious soup in 1/4 of the time you normally would with a stove top cooling method. I've included instructions for using canned beans if you don't have dried but I really prefer the texture of dried beans.
While the recipe calls for kale I had a bunch of spinach that needed to be used up so when the soup was cooked I tossed that in and let it soften in the hot soup before serving.
This soup makes a big portion. While the recipe says to use a 6 quart Instant Pot I used my 8 quart as I thought the 6 quart was too full. Now that i am looking at the recipe I think I added too many tomatoes so that may have been the problem.
I had a couple of old parmigiano rinds in the refrigerator so I tossed them in while the soup was cooking. You'll be amazed at what a deep and delicious flavour this adds to the soup.
I served it with a drizzle of really good olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano.
Enjoy!
Tuscan Sausage Bean Soup
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 cups chicken broth
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 pound dried Great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed (or 3 cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
4 large kale leaves, washed and chopped (stems removed)
Parmesan cheese, for topping
Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the Italian sausage and break it up. Add in the onion. Stir every minute or so until sausage is browned. Pour in the broth and deglaze the pot.
Add in the carrots, beans, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and bay leaf.
Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 40 minutes (for beans that have not been soaked) or 20 minutes (for soaked beans) or 5 minutes (for canned beans).
When the time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the tomatoes and kale.
Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with a heaping tablespoon of parmesan cheese.
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