Instant Pot Creole Red Bean Soup

with andouille sausage, chicken and mushrooms

Creole red beans and rice (sans rice!) in a fraction of the time, this easy soup is the perfect way for us Northerners (who are still chilled to the bone in the cold, snowy, windy winter weather) to warm up and celebrate Mardi Gras, New Orleans style. Add rice if you want it, but I honestly didn’t even miss it. Not only does this soup taste like authentic Creole Red Beans & Rice, it is loaded with fiber, protein and awesome nutrients for your body.

I’ve had an Instant Pot for over a year now and have to be honest: I don’t use it all that much. I know some people find the Instant Pot life changing and they use it ALL the time, but for me, it feels like most things take about the same amount of time in the Instant Pot as on the stove. And when I use my stove, I don’t have to drag out this huge appliance (maybe I should have opted for the smaller version?), clutter up my counter top and listen to the loud noises of pressure cooking as it seals and then releases the steam. It was kind of scary at first, hearing these hissing sounds as it came up to pressure and then again even more forcefully on quick release … after a while (once I realized they weren’t dangerous and my kitchen wasn’t going to explode) the sounds were kind of entertaining and fun  … but now that hissing sound has transitioned to slightly annoying. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I’m amazed at how long it can hiss.

But no, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from getting an Instant Pot! I really do love my Instant Pot for certain things. It is great for cooking frozen food without thawing (only for times when I’m sure I’ve got the ratios right … because I personally like being able to tweak a dish as it cooks, and the Instant Pot strictly forbids you from doing any tweaking or touching while it is cooking), and it does work really well for roasts too, but what I really love my Instant Pot for is:

1. Cooking hard boiled (or soft boiled) eggs. The huge benefit to hard boiling eggs in the Instant Pot is they peel beautifully. I always had issues with peeling hard boiled eggs until I made them in the Instant Pot. I pressure cook eggs on the rack with 1 cup of water on bottom: 5 minutes for hard boiled, 3 minutes for soft boiled. Quick release, plunge the eggs immediately in ice water after the release is done. Results are PERFECT every time.
2. Cooking dry beans in a fraction of the time, with no need for soaking! This is another instance where the Instant Pot really shines, and also totally why I used my Instant Pot for this recipe. Because I wanted to use dried beans and I knew my Instant Pot could rock that. (Nutrition fact: dried beans contain nearly double the folate that canned beans contain, so it is better to cook them from their dried form.)

What is your favorite use for your Instant Pot? I’d love if you’d leave a comment and let me know your favorite way to use your Instant Pot.

So let’s talk about this soup … I really did originally set out to make Creole Red Beans & Rice except I thought I would do it with cauliflower rice, adding the cauli-rice after the beans cooked. For cooking the creole red beans, I added extra water because I was worried that the beans wouldn’t have enough liquid to soak up while the Instant Pot cooked (because, you know, that “no tweaking” rule) … the result came out with extra liquid, more like a soup. I could have drained off some of the excess liquid, but you know, it’s freaking cold outside and it’s totally soup weather … why not leave it as soup? So I did.

I did try adding (sauteed) cauliflower rice to this soup after the fact and yeah, I’m not really a fan. This is not a great place to substitute cauliflower rice for regular. If you really gotta have rice, just add real rice, don’t try to fool your brain. Use brown rice if you’re concerned about carbs, diabetes or heart health.

A note about nutrition: I’ve seen some people freak out about beans because they “add carbs”. My advice: stop freaking out about carbs, you guys … just make sure when you’re adding carbs, it’s the GOOD kind of carbs. Yes, beans do add some carbs to your diet, but beans give you the good kind of carbs because beans also add LOTS of fiber, protein and nutrients. Most of us don’t get enough fiber, and beans can really help with that. Plus beans provide folate and antioxidants, they’re good for your heart, for controlling diabetes, they help control your appetite and beans improve the health of your gut by increasing the good bacteria in your body. Our bodies need carbs for energy and since beans provide a high-fiber source of both carbs and protein, your body absorbs them slowly and evenly, providing an even source of energy that your body can use for hours.

Instant Pot Creole Red Bean Soup

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: About 10 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 Tablespoon grass fed butter (such as Kerrygold) or olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled & chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped fine
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 cups chopped baby portabella mushrooms
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, peeled, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 2 andouille (or smoked) sausages (pre-cooked), chopped
• 1 cup pork juice (the juice left after cooking a pork or ham, fat skimmed off) – or substitute broth
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 lb. red beans
• 2 teaspoons salt-free creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• To finish: salt, pepper, hot sauce and/or creole seasoning, to taste

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Instructions

1. To saute the veggies and the sausage, you can do it directly in the Instant Pot (on the saute setting) or do it on the stovetop in a deep saute pan. Melt the butter, then add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, then add the garlic, celery, mushrooms and peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms and peppers are tender. Stir in the sausage and cook a little longer.
2. Add the pork juice, broth, beans and seasonings. Put the Instant Pot on the Pressure Cooker setting for 50 minutes, make sure the dial is turned to the Sealing setting, cover and let cook.
3. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally. (Releasing the pressure will take 20 – 30 minutes.)
4. Taste the bean soup and add salt, pepper, hot sauce and/or creole seasoning to taste.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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