Instant Pot Bean Soup with Spinach and Pesto

Bean Soup with spinach and pesto from pressure cooker served in a bowl

Instant Pot Bean Soup with Spinach and Pesto

Course: Soup

Cuisine: European

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Pressurizing: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Edyta

This Instant Pot Bean Soup with Spinach and Pesto packs a ton of nutrients from beans, spinach, and other veggies and a ton of flavor from Parmesan rind, lemon juice, and basil pesto for a nice European twist. Making it in the Instant Pot (or other pressure cookers) will allow you to skip canned beans and cook it from scratch with super healthy dry beans.

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Ingredients

1 lb Dry white beans or 2 cans of white beans
1/2 Large Sweet Onion chopped
1 tbsp Olive Oil or other cooking oil1
1/2 teaspoon Marjoram
3 Potatoes medium, chopped
2 Carrots medium, chopped
1 Celery stick
A Piece of Parmesan Rind
6 cups Chicken Stock or vegetable stock
2 cups Spinach fresh
1 tbsp Lemon Juice fresh
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tbsp Pesto to serve 1/2 tablespoon per bowl

Instructions

Soak your beans overnight in a double amount of water than the amount of beans. The next day simply rinse the beans under the running water.
Chop your onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes;
Set up your Instant Pot on saute settings. Once heated up, add oil, chopped onions, and marjoram. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onions are translucent;
Add carrots, celery, and potatoes to the pot and cook for another two minutes;
Add rinsed beans, chicken stock, and Parmesan rind. Make sure that the release valve is in the "Sealing" position. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn and lock the lid. Press the "Manual" button on the Instant Pot, set to "High Pressure" setting. Set the timer to 8 minutes.
Once the pressure cooker is done, let naturally release for 10 minutes;
Using the oven mittens, towel and possibly long spoon (that's what I like to use) switch the release handle to "Venting" position. Be very careful as the steam may splatter initially.
Once all the pressure is released turn off your Instant Pot and carefully open up the lid. Be very careful as some more hot steam may be released when you open it. Then remove Parmesan rind, add spinach and lemon juice. Let the spinach wilt before serving.
Serve in the bowls with a dollop of Basil Pesto. It tastes amazing with a piece of crusty bread.

Notes

Cooking time above does not include soaking the beans overnight.
Total time included pressurizing and pressure release time of about 20 minutes total, however, sometimes it may take longer for the Instant Pot to come to the pressure cooking mode.
If you want to use canned beans, you can still make this soup. Simply cook the vegetables as instructed above and add 2 cans of beans at the same time you would add spinach. They are fully cooked and only need to be warm up.

Stove Top Version of this Bean Soup

Step 1: To make this Bean Soup on a stove top you will have to first boil your beans in unsalted water for about 1,5H or 2 hours (depending on the beans) until they are cooked through but not mushy. You can some salt at the end.

Step 2: Chop all your vegetables. Using a heavy pot, like a dutch oven, heat up olive oil, add onions with marjoram and cook for about 2 minutes, add other vegetables and cook for another 2 minutes;

Step 3: Add chicken stock with Parmesan Rind, cover and cook for 3o minutes until the vegetables are soft. Then remove the rind;

Step 4: Once your beans are cooked, rinse them and add them to the pot (here is an option to use canned beans instead of dry ones);

Step 5: Add spinach and lemon juice. Let the spinach wilt before serving.

Step 6: Serve with a dollop of basil pesto and crusty bread.

Nutrition