Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli
An Italian recipe by origin, this soup embodies what I adore about Italian cuisine. The ingredients are startlingly, almost insolently, straightforward, yet the results are spectacular. The Instant Pot cooks the soup in a jiffy, and the leftovers only improve as the week goes on.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound uncooked Italian turkey or chicken sausage either ground sausage or sausage links in casings
- 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into ¼- inch dice (about 3 cups or 6 medium)
- 1 small yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth divided
- 1 15- ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 15- ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
- 1 15- ounce can reduced sodium light or dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15- ounce can reduced sodium great Northern, cannellini, or navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup about 4 ounces, dry whole wheat miniature pasta, such as ditalini, small shells, or elbow macaroni (I use gluten-free elbow pasta)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 3- inch Parmesan rind (optional; see headnote)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley for serving
Instructions
- Add the oil to a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot and select sauté. Once the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the sausage (if the sausage is in casings, you can squeeze the meat from the casings directly into the Instant Pot, then discard the casings). Cook, breaking apart the meat into small pieces, until no pink remains, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the carrots, onion, and salt. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Carefully splash in about ½ cup of the broth. Scrape a spoon or spatula along the bottom of the pot and remove any stuck- on bits.
- Add the remaining broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, great Northern beans, pasta, Italian seasoning, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan rind (if using). Stir to combine.
- Close and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on high (manual) pressure for 3 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then immediately vent to remove any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid. Remove the Parmesan rind. Stir in the red wine vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Serve hot, sprinkled with the Parmesan and fresh basil.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Rewarm on stove top or in the microwave.
Notes
- Freeze your Parmesan rinds in a ziptop bag whenever you have them, then add one to your soup as it cooks.
- Reprinted from The Well Plated Cookbook by Erin Clarke in arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2020, Erin Clarke