Making an easy dinner in my instant pot, using ingredients I already have is necessary these days. Most of us are trying to limit the amount of grocery shopping that we do- I know I am. I think they call this shelf cooking using pantry staples? It's kind of like my Italian grandmother's bean soup. It was such a comforting soup that she would make on cold days, I absolutely love this memory from my childhood. The best thing is that this delicious meal she called garbage soup because she would put anything she had on hand into it! It is such a simple soup that you should have enough time even at the end of the day! By reading beyond this point, you are agreeing to my updated privacy policy, and my use of commission based affiliate links.
So So good with my favorite sourdough bread.
Let's start with an instant pot pressure cooker. If you don't have one by now, you are missing out. I can saute, make rice, yogurt, slow cook, and probably 900 other things I haven't even tried yet. It also takes up SO MUCH less space than my crockpot did.
Let's start with ingredients. I'm making a variation of grandmas minestrone! I had some pasta sauce left in the bottom of the jar from making pizzas-so I put that in. In the freezer I had some chopped spinach...perfect. In my fridge I had some onion, a pound of ground turkey, some celery. Bang! Instant soup.
The perfect accompaniment is my beginners sourdough bread recipe. I eat this crusty bread every day!
Prep:5-7 minute
Cooking time: 20 for high pressure cook if you are in a hurry
Ingredients:
1 cup white beans (Or navy beans /cannellini beans. You can use dry beans if you cook them in advance.)
Leftover Pasta sauce
can of diced tomatoes- I use a big one of fire roasted
pound of ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 teaspoon minced garlic, or garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped onion, or a shallot, or leek (whatever you like)
1/2 cup of chopped frozen spinach (or kale. You can also use fresh, but you will need more)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 heaping teaspoon of better than bouillon (or vegetable stock/chicken stock if you have it. I will also use bone broth chicken stock on occasion.)
Cups of Cool Water (depends on the size of your instant pot, but I use about 3 cups of water.)
teaspoon of bacon grease (or if you don't have it use olive oil)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
Directions:
Precook any dried beans, or drain the can (and set aside). On the saute setting, combine the bacon grease with the garlic, throw in the onions, until they turn slightly translucent. Then add the ground turkey. Cook it until it is mostly done, and season it with some salt and pepper. Once it is cooked enough that it is in smaller pieces (because if you don't saute it, the chunks will be huge), add the water, the tomatoes, and the remaining ingredients. Taste the broth, and make sure it is seasoned enough. If you are in a hurry, I would cook it on low pressure for two minutes. You can either natural pressure release, or quick release. If you aren't in a hurry, you can slow cook it in your instant pot. Cook time in that case is several hours. I actually like to do a combination. I like pressure cooking it for two minutes on low pressure, and then let it slow cook for four to develop the flavor. Taste your broth, and adjust the seasonings as needed. That's it!
The best part of this recipe is its flexibility. If you don't want a white bean soup (or you don't want to make another trip to the grocery store), you can use black beans or pinto beans and still have a delicious soup with great flavor! If you have green beans and no kale? No worries, just throw that in there~
You can find more of my favorite instant pot recipes here.
These are the white beans I keep on hand for soups. |
FAQ:
Can I substitute ham hocks or leftover ham bone?
The answer is absolutely. You can use it instead of the stock! This instant pot soup is even better the next day!
Don't be put off by my variations. If you don't have things on hand-leave it out! Or substitute what you do have. That is the whole point of this dinner, just use what you have. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out! I could also use some suggestions for quick meals that your kids love. Leave them in the comments below.
You can print this recipe by clicking on this link.
You can pin this image for later! |
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