A hearty soup with tender beans, lots of vegetables, ham and herbs. Grab a ham steak at the store and the rest is probably in your pantry. Add a tossed green salad with a light vinaigrette.
6 quart Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
Sieve or strainer to rinse and drain beans
Ingredients
1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
315-ouncecans navy beans or small white beansrinsed and drained
½largeonionbrown, yellow or sweet
2largecelery ribschopped into ¼" pieces
1smallfennel bulbchopped into ¼" pieces
3clovesgarlicfinely chopped
17-8 ounceham steakchopped into ¼" pieces
2largecarrotschopped into ¼" pieces
1bay leaf
1tablespoonfresh chopped thyme leavesor 1 teaspoon dried thyme or Italian blend
3cupslow sodium chicken brothpreferably homemade
Optional Garnishes
1-2tablespoonsfresh chopped parsley
4-6tablespoonsgrated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting. When hot, add the olive oil, then the onion, celery and fennel. Set the Saute time for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the timer ends, stir in the thyme, bay leaf and garlic.
Next, add the ham, carrots, beans and broth to the pot. Lock the lid on, turn the valve to the back (locking position). Set the soup button for 10 minutes.
When the soup is done and the timer beeps, use the quick release method to finish the soup. With a utensil or oven mitt, turn the valve to the open position (to the left). The steam is extremely hot to be careful to keep your hands and face away from the steam. When the pressure is gone, the soup is ready to serve. Alternatively refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze for 1 month.
Notes
Salt note: As ham is salty and purchased chicken broth can be too (even if low sodium), I don't add salt during cooking. Taste it before serving and add a little if needed.
Stove Top Instructions
To make this without a pressure cooker, simply saute all vegetables and garlic in olive oil until soft in a heavy pot like a Dutch oven. Add the beans, broth, ham, thyme and bay leaf and simmer with a lid on (medium-low heat) until flavors are blended and the soup it hot.