Prepare to be amazed by this incredibly flavorful homemade pressure cooker sausage soup. Crafted with tender dry beans and hearty kale, this robust dish offers a comforting and nutritious meal for your family. Whether you’re using an Instant Pot or a Ninja Foodi, this recipe simplifies the process, delivering rich, deep flavors in a fraction of the time traditional methods require. It’s the ultimate one-pot solution for a satisfying dinner.
As the colder months roll in, there’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of soup to bring comfort and nourishment. This pressure cooker sausage soup, complete with healthy kale, quickly became a family favorite. We’re always on the lookout for easy Instant Pot recipes that are not only simple to prepare but also packed with flavor and contribute to a healthier lifestyle. This recipe perfectly fits the bill, proving that delicious and wholesome meals don’t have to take hours in the kitchen.
Ninja Foodi and Instant Pot Sausage Soup: Versatile and Delicious
The beauty of this sausage and bean soup recipe lies in its adaptability. You can effortlessly prepare it in your Instant Pot, Crockpot Express, or as a Ninja Foodi recipe. These electric pressure cookers function similarly, making the transition between appliances seamless. The choice between dried beans and canned beans offers flexibility: dried beans deliver a superior texture and flavor profile, while canned beans significantly reduce the overall cook time, perfect for those extra busy evenings. Both methods yield a fast and delicious meal, making this a truly versatile addition to your culinary repertoire.
If you’re new to the world of pressure cooking, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. These “magic pots” can transform dry beans into tender perfection in a fraction of the time compared to stovetop methods, often without the need for pre-soaking. Imagine cooking pasta dishes like Instant Pot spaghetti in just 10 minutes! For this soup, using dry Northern beans takes about an hour, resulting in a rich, homemade taste. If you’re pressed for time, swapping them for canned Northern beans can cut your pressure cooking time down to just ten minutes, without sacrificing much of the deliciousness.
For those embarking on their pressure cooking journey, a few foundational tips can make all the difference:
- **Stay Organized:** Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We consistently add new and exciting recipes each week, providing a continuous source of inspiration for your pressure cooker adventures.
- **Master Cook Times:** Printing this essential Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet will empower you. It helps you understand exactly how long various ingredients, from meats to vegetables and different types of beans, take to cook in your pressure cooker, ensuring perfectly done meals every time.
- **Upgrade Your Liner:** I highly recommend investing in this non-stick pot liner. While knowing how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing is an important skill, a non-stick liner significantly reduces sticking issues, making cleanup a breeze and cooking more enjoyable.
For context, the recipes shared here are typically developed using a 6-quart model, which is a versatile size for most families and cooking needs.
For this particular recipe, I opted for dry beans, which were transformed into a wonderfully tender texture in just about an hour of pressure cooking. Combining them with fresh kale from the produce section created a truly satisfying meal. This hearty soup is the epitome of comfort food, destined to be enjoyed repeatedly throughout the seasons.
My recent trip to Albertsons in Boise to gather ingredients for dinner was a delightful experience, especially with their healthy eating event offering numerous samples. It’s always inspiring to find fresh, quality ingredients that elevate simple, home-cooked meals.
Instant Pot Sausage Bean Soup: Flavor in a Flash
One of the most remarkable aspects of preparing Instant Pot soup recipes is the incredible speed at which all the individual flavors meld together. The high-pressure environment works wonders, creating a rich, cohesive taste that would typically require hours of simmering on a stovetop. Even starting with dry beans, which often deter cooks due to lengthy soaking times, becomes an absolute non-issue with a pressure cooker.
If you haven’t yet experienced the magic of transforming hard, dry beans into perfectly tender morsels in about an hour using your pressure cooker, you’re in for a treat! Before owning this “magic pot,” I always assumed dry beans were a time-consuming endeavor. Now, the ease of preparing everything from scratch at home is truly astounding. The days of tedious overnight soaking are a distant memory when you have a multi-cooker at your disposal. This convenience not only saves time but also allows for greater control over the ingredients, leading to fresher, more wholesome meals.
Essential Ingredients for Your Sausage and Bean Soup
Crafting a truly exceptional pressure cooker sausage soup starts with selecting the right ingredients. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is crucial:
- **Beans:** You’ll need either 1 bag of dry Great Northern Beans (16 oz.) for a truly homemade touch, or 16 oz. of canned white beans if you prefer a quicker cooking time. Dry beans offer a superior texture and richer flavor, while canned beans provide unmatched convenience.
- **Chicken Broth:** This is the foundational liquid for your soup. Using high-quality chicken broth or stock is paramount as it infuses the soup with robust flavor. Avoid using plain water, as it will dilute the taste significantly.
- **Olive Oil:** A drizzle of olive oil or avocado oil is essential for sautéing the sausage and onions, laying down the first layer of savory flavor.
- **Sausage:** Ground spicy Italian sausage is highly recommended for its bold flavor profile, which beautifully complements the beans and kale. Alternatively, sliced kielbasa or even venison sausage can be used. For a milder flavor with a hint of spice, a mix of mild and spicy sausage works wonderfully.
- **Crushed Tomatoes:** Canned crushed tomatoes add a delightful texture and a rich, tangy depth to the broth, creating a more substantial soup base.
- **Onions:** Finely diced white or yellow onions provide an aromatic base, caramelizing slightly during the sautéing process to enhance the overall sweetness and complexity of the soup.
- **Fresh Kale:** While optional, fresh kale is a fantastic addition, offering a vibrant color, earthy flavor, and a significant nutritional boost. It softens beautifully in the pressure cooker, adding a lovely texture to the finished dish.
- **Seasonings:** A tablespoon of minced garlic and a teaspoon of dried oregano are key to infusing the soup with classic Italian-inspired aromas and flavors.
- **Parmesan Cheese:** Freshly grated Parmesan cheese serves as an optional but highly recommended garnish, adding a salty, umami-rich finish to each bowl.
- **Salt:** Add salt to taste at the very end. This allows you to adjust the seasoning perfectly, as the broth and sausage already contribute sodium.
- **Red Pepper Flakes:** For those who love an extra kick, a pinch of red pepper flakes can be added to introduce a delightful heat.
Remember, if you opt for canned beans instead of dry, your pressure cooking time for the entire soup will be reduced to about 10 minutes, making it an even faster meal. However, the rich, deep flavors developed when cooking dry beans from scratch in the pressure cooker are truly unparalleled.
Instant Pot Kale Soup: Embracing the Greens
What are your thoughts on adding kale to your soup? If you’ve never ventured into kale soup territory, I strongly encourage you to try incorporating it into this recipe. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamins and minerals, and it adds a wonderful depth and texture to hearty soups. The beauty of pressure cooking is that you can adjust the cooking time to achieve your desired texture—a shorter cook time will leave the kale with a slight “bite,” while a bit longer will result in a super tender, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
Even my children, who can sometimes be picky eaters, enjoy kale when it’s part of a flavorful soup. Beyond this recipe, kale is incredibly versatile; we also love making easy kale chips in the oven! You can even prepare pressure cooker kale as a simple, healthy side dish. While you can certainly omit the kale if it’s not to your preference, it’s always worth trying new ingredients as your palate evolves. You might discover, as I did as an adult, a new favorite green to incorporate into your meals.
How to Make Flavorful Pressure Cooker Sausage Soup
Creating this delicious soup in your Instant Pot or other pressure cooker is straightforward. The primary decision point is whether you’ll use dry or canned beans, as this affects the initial preparation and overall cooking time. Let’s walk through both methods.
Making Sausage Soup with Canned Beans
If time is of the essence and you need a quick meal, opting for canned beans is the way to go. This significantly streamlines the process. If you choose canned beans, you can simply drain and rinse them, then skip ahead to step 4 of the main instructions below, cutting your total cook time for the soup to just 10 minutes under pressure.
Making Sausage Soup with Dry Beans
For the most authentic, rich flavor and tender texture, cooking dry beans from scratch in your pressure cooker is highly recommended. When I developed this recipe, I relied on my printable Instant Pot cooking times for beans to perfectly gauge how long the Northern beans would take to become tender. It’s truly incredible how quickly dry beans can be transformed without any prior soaking. The results are always superior, making the extra step well worth it if you have a little extra time.
When using dry beans, begin by thoroughly rinsing them to remove any debris. Place the rinsed beans into your pressure cooker pot with 6 cups of water. Select the “Bean/Chili” setting and cook for 60 minutes. Once cooking is complete, perform a quick release of the pressure. Carefully drain the now tender beans and set them aside. Next, add a bit of olive oil to the pot and select the “Sauté” function. Once hot, add your ground sausage and diced onions. Cook, breaking up the sausage, until it’s no longer pink and the onions are softened and translucent. Turn the pot OFF or press “Cancel” on your machine.
Now, incorporate all the other ingredients into the pot, reserving the fresh kale for the final stage. If you’re adding kale, gently place it on top of the mixture and submerge it into the liquid. Secure the lid and ensure the steam valve is sealed. Set your pressure cooker to the “High Pressure” function for 10 minutes. For kale with a slightly firmer texture, you can reduce this to 8 minutes. Once the cooking cycle finishes, perform a quick release. Give the soup a good stir, then ladle into bowls and serve immediately, optionally topped with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese.
Pressure Cooker Sausage Soup Recipe
Equipment
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1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausage, roll, spicy variety is great
- 1/2 small onion , diced
- 16 oz Northern beans, dry or canned can be used
- 6 cup water, if using dry beans this is necessary
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, I used canned
- 1 tbsp garlic, I used minced, jarred
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, for topping, optional
- 3 cup kale, fresh, cut into chunks
Instructions
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If using dry Northern beans, place them in your Instant Pot with 6 cups of water and set to the bean setting for 60 minutes. Once done, perform a quick release, drain the beans, and set them aside. If you’re using canned beans, you can skip this initial bean cooking step.
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Set your pressure cooker to “Sauté” mode and add a bit of olive oil. Add the sausage and diced onion, cooking until the sausage is no longer pink and the onions are softened. Then, turn the pot OFF or press “Cancel.”
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Add the garlic, oregano, and salt to the cooked sausage and onions. Mix well to combine, ensuring the spices are fragrant.
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Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes, add the prepared beans (either canned or the dry beans you cooked and drained earlier), and the chicken broth. Stir all the ingredients together thoroughly.
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Prepare the fresh kale by cutting off the thick stems and tearing or chopping the leaves into 2×2-inch chunks.
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Place the kale into the pressure cooker, pushing it down gently into the liquid until mostly submerged. Close the lid and ensure the steam valve is sealed.
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Set your Instant Pot to “High Pressure” for 10 minutes. If you prefer your kale to have a bit more texture and not be super soft, reduce the cooking time to 8 minutes.
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Once the cooking cycle is complete, perform a quick release of the pressure. Open the lid, stir the soup, and serve hot, ideally with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top.
Nutrition
Serving: 3oz, Calories: 431kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 1510mg, Potassium: 1202mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 3775IU, Vitamin C: 65.9mg, Calcium: 237mg, Iron: 5.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
To complete this delightful meal, consider serving a side of warm rolls or our popular pull-apart bread. These are perfect for soaking up every last drop of the rich, savory broth. If you decided to use canned beans in your soup, simply drain them and begin the cooking process at step 3 of the main instructions. For those who love slow-cooked meals, our Crockpot tortellini soup offers a similar comforting experience, perfect for busy days when a slow cooker is a necessity.
Explore More Dry Bean Pressure Cooker Recipes You’ll Love
If you’ve enjoyed the ease and flavor of cooking with dry beans in your pressure cooker, you’re in luck! We have an array of other simple and satisfying Instant Pot dinner recipes that utilize dry beans, proving just how versatile and efficient your pressure cooker can be. Each recipe is designed to be family-friendly and packed with flavor:
- **Pressure Cooker Bean Soup:** A classic, hearty bean soup made from scratch, perfect for a wholesome meal.
- **Instant Pot Split Pea Soup:** A healthy and flavorful option that even the kids will enjoy, boasting a rich, creamy texture.
- **Instant Pot Beans and Franks:** A fun and comforting dish that’s a surefire hit with children and adults alike.
- **Pressure Cooker Ham and Beans:** This recipe uses the same Signature Select beans you might use for your sausage soup, creating another deeply satisfying meal.
- **No-Soak Instant Pot Baked Beans:** Discover the secret to perfectly tender baked beans without any pre-soaking, saving you valuable time.
And if you’re a fan of ground sausage, as featured in this recipe, you’ll also appreciate our extensive roundup of easy Instant Pot sausage recipes, offering diverse ways to incorporate this delicious protein into your meals. For a variation, this soup can easily be adapted into an Instant Pot hamburger soup by simply swapping the sausage for ground beef.
