Pressure Cooker Lentil Mushroom Soup

I made this soup in my Instant Pot last night and it came out delicious, so I naturally wanted to share it with all of you. My family has decided to try (and stick to) a one night a week Meatless night, so this was our first week. The soup is not vegan, but I suppose if you use Vegetable Stock instead of Chicken Stock, it would be! It always amazes me how quick dried beans cook up in the pressure cooker! It’s fast, simple, very economical to make, and I fed 4 of us and still have plenty of leftovers for lunches.

Equipment Necessary

• 6 Qt or Larger Electronic Pressure Cooker
• Handheld Immersion Blender (Optional)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. bag of dried Lentils (I used green, but there are yellow if you prefer those!)
• 1 Pkg fresh whole Mushrooms, washed well and quartered
• 1 lb. bag of frozen Carrots (or fresh, washed and sliced)
• 1 large Onion, diced
• 2 stalks Celery, washed and cut into chunks
• 28 Oz can of crushed Tomatoes (or fresh chunked)
• 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or 1/2 Teaspoon each of Dried Basil and Oregano)
• 3 Tablespoons minced Garlic
• 4 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• Black Pepper

1. Fill Pressure Cooker with Lentils, Mushrooms, Carrots, Onion, Celery, Garlic, and Seasonings.
2. Add Stock and Tomatoes, and stir gently. Just make sure everything in the pot is mixed into the liquids. (Essential for pressure cooking!!)
3. Cook on High Pressure for 18 minutes with Quick Release.
4. (OPTIONAL) Use an immersion blender to Puree finished soup. (My son doesn’t like the texture of Lentils, so I do this to make it more palatable for him.)
5. If desired, serve with Parmesan (or your favorite cheese) and bread (French, Sourdough, etc) YUM!

NOTE: This recipe is very similar to my Pressure Cooker Pea Soup

As I mentioned, this makes a whole pot (6 quarts) of soup, which is great for leftovers or freezing. If you don’t need so much, you can easily half it for a more manageable size. Please leave your comments below if you have any questions. Enjoy!!

Suzy

 

Pressure Cooker Tuna Bacon Casserole

With everyone coming in at all times in the evening, this is a great way to still provide a hearty meal without using the microwave! Pasta is cooked dry, and then all the other ingredients go in and cook a little more. Super easy and quick, and all in one pot!  Leave it on the ‘warm’ setting, so everyone can get their meal whenever they happen to get home that night. If you don’t have the bacon, just add whatever leftover veggie or protein that you think would add a nice flavor. Makes a great busy weeknight meal!!

Equipment Necessary

• 6 to 8 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

• 2 Cans Tuna, drained
• 1 Can Cream-of-Mushroom Soup
• 3 Cups Water
• 2 1/2 Cups Pasta (Elbows, Ziti or similar), UNCOOKED
• 1/2 LB Bacon, Cooked and broken up into pieces
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese OR Parmesan (Optional)

1. Put water and pasta in cooker, COOK on HIGH for 5 minutes. QUICK release. DON’T drain!
2. Stir in Tuna, Soup, Bacon and Peas. Replace lid and COOK on HIGH 3 minutes. Quick Release carefully.
3. Stir well, and add cheese(s). Replace lid and let sit 5 minutes.
4. Stir and serve. ENJOY!

Pressure Cooker Pea Soup

I’ve been making Pea Soup for my family for many years, but when I received my Pressure Cooker it opened up a whole new world for me! I used to have to slow cook (on the stove) most of the day to get those split peas to cook, but no more of that. This is a one-pot fool-proof way to make a yummy thick pea soup in less than 20 minutes! YUM! You can make it with store-bought chicken broth, or boil up that leftover ham bone and use the broth from that! If you don’t have a ham bone, no biggie. Just use some leftover chicken!

Equipment Needed

• 6 to 8 Quart Pressure Cooker
• Hand Held Blender (this is necessary to get the right consistency!)

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Chicken or Ham broth
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Large Onion, Diced
• 2 Cups (or as little as you have) Cooked Chicken OR Ham, cut into chunks (Optional)
• 1 Pkg (1lb) Green or Yellow Split Peas, rinsed well and soaked for about an hour
• 1 Pkg (1lb) Frozen Carrots OR 1lb baby carrots OR 2cans sliced carrots
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I just sprinkle it over the top!)
• 2 TBSP Adobe Seasoning OR 2 TBSP Garlic Powder

1. Put all your ingredients in your cooker and stir. When your soup is done, you can add more seasonings if you prefer. The amounts in the Ingredients List are just suggestions!
2. Pressure Cook on HIGH for 12 minutes, then do a Natural Release (NR) for 10mins to help reduce all that liquid spitting out the top! LOL
3. Blend with hand blender until smooth and creamy. Serve with Sourdough Bread for a delicious, hearty meal YUM!!

You’ll get ALOT of servings out of this. Yields about 5 quarts of soup. Freezes well!