Perfect Instant Pot Black Beans for Soup + More

Photo by Kristen Sturdivant on Unsplash.

Black beans are some of the heartiest, most satisfying beans of them all. Also known as black turtle beans, many claim that this legume can maintain and encourage health in any number of ways. Dr. Axe says: “Studies have linked eating black beans with helping to protect against inflammation, heart disease, weight gain, diabetes, certain cancers, and common nutrient deficiencies…”  Medical News Today points out that black beans contain several key minerals and other nutrients to help bone health, healthy digestion, and contribute to weight loss at only 114 kcal/half cup. The Mayo Clinic suggests adding more legumes to one’s diet as an alternative to animal protein, as they have less fat and cholesterol than meat and dairy products.

Also, black beans are delicious.

I make one large pot of beans from which I create a variety of recipes. As I’m on a soup kick, I will take my base cooked bean soup (always from dry) and add additional mild peppers and onion, and garnish with fresh diced pepper, cilantro, and yogurt or cashew cream. I will also add veggie chorizo to beans with less liquid, to make taco or burrito filling. Of course, you can also sprinkle beans on a salad, for a quick and balanced lunch.

The recipe, below, is a basic recipe for the beans. However, there is enough liquid in the recipe that you can simply stop here, and consider this a really delicious black bean soup. As it is, here, there will only be beans and liquid in your pot. However, if you want more of a chew, you can always switch from the Instant Pot or pressure cooker to the stove top, to add more ingredients to the soup. For instance, I will take an additional onion and poblano pepper, quickly sauté them with chili powder until just soft. I’ll add to these veggies my cooked beans and a little more water or stock, adjusting my seasonings to taste. I’ll heat the whole soup on medium until the veggies are just cooked.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz, dry black beans
• 6 c veggie stock
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeño, halved
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thirds
• 2 celery stalks, cut into thirds
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1 t dry or 2 t fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime
• salt, to taste (to be added at the end, if needed)
• Garnish (optional and to taste): cilantro, diced avocado, cashew cream/yogurt/sour cream, diced fresh mild or hot peppers, diced raw red onion

Instructions:

1. Wash black beans in cold water, picking through for rocks and any beans that float.
2. Add to the instant pot: beans, stock, onion, jalapeño, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, oregano, lime juice.
3. Set Instant Pot/pressure cooker for 30 minutes, high pressure (or the “beans” function).
4. Let the Instant Pot/pressure cooker slow release (another 10-15 minutes).
5. Pick out all of the veggies (not the bay leaf) and add to blender. Blend on high, until completely pureed. Add the puree back to the beans.
6. Garnish and serve, or use for other recipes.