Instant Pot (no soak) White Bean and Ham soup
Hi there from snowy CT! We have about three feet of snow on the ground and it is still snowing…dreaming of summer days around here. Last weekend we headed up to NH to ski at Gunstock Mountain Resort which has the most lovely views of Lake Winnipisaukee. Yours truly was taken out a by a teen skiing out of control. Fortunately just a few bumps and bruises…I was worried about my knee but it seems fine a few days later (phew). Sunday, I decided not to ski (but still enjoyed my favorite apres ski recipe for buffalo dip) and instead made this perfect, easy, no-soaking the beans instant pot ham and bean soup. Trust me on this one – it comes out perfectly every time and not having to soak the beans saves time and allows this soup to be a last minute dish. So here is to snowy days and hot soup.
Tips to making no soak instant pot white bean and ham soup
I recommend Northern white beans for this recipe. You can use Cannellini or other white beans too but Northern beans really hold up well to pressure cooking. Also, this soup is very versatile. With my French husband, I tend to use a generous tablespoon of herbs de Provence. If you prefer though you could Italian seasoning or any mix of herbs that you like. I also recommend chopping the onion, celery and carrot roughly (mirepoix) for some texture against the creaminess of the beans. Lastly, if you want a vegetarian option, skip the ham, add more salt to taste and use vegetable broth instead of water. Serve the soup with some crusty bread and a salad and your winter day will be that much warmer!
Instant pot no soak white bean and ham soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried Great Northern White Beans picked over and rinsed. Cannellini beans would work here too but reduce the cooking time by five minutes.
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil olive or I like avocado oil
- 1 white or yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks of celery roughly chopped
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon of herbs de Provence or another seasoning mix you like such as Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ pound of ham or a ham hock bone (with some meat on it). If going for the vegetarian option then leave out the ham.
- 4 cups of chicken stock or vegetable and 4 cups of water (if using a very meaty ham bone you may want 2 cups of stock and 6 cups of water as the ham will be salty).
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on sauté setting and heat olive oil in the insert.
- Add onion, celery and carrots and sauté until starting to soften, a few minutes (keep an eye on it as they can burn if you are not careful…stir occasionally).
- Add garlic, stir a few seconds until you can smell the garlic.
- Then add herbs and bay leaf, stir and turn off the sauté function.
- Add the dried beans to the pot along with the ham shanks.
- Pour in the stock and water and combine gently.
- Close lid and seal pressure cooker.
- Cook on high pressure and set timer for 35 minutes. It will take about 25 minutes to reach pressure and then the timer will start. When finished cooking, let pressure naturally release for 20 minutes.
- Manually release any remaining pressure, carefully open pot (only after all pressure is released).
- If using a ham bone or shank, then remove ham shanks to cutting board and shred/cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Add back to soup and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve with a salad and some crusty bread for a delicious lunch or supper.
