Learn how to make a delightful and nutritious 15-Bean Instant Pot soup, brimming with vegetables, ripe tomatoes, aromatic spices, and a luxurious touch of creamy coconut. This vegetarian and vegan-friendly soup can be effortlessly crafted using a store-bought 15-bean blend or by utilizing the legumes and grains hiding in your own pantry.
6cupsvegetable stockor 6 cups water + 2 vegetable stock cubes
After Cooking
1zucchinimedium, diced (1 cup)
1tablespoonolive oil
14ozcoconut milk1 can (use the thickened cream part only)
½cupcilantroleaves
Instructions
Prepare all the ingredients you need for the cooking stage recipe. No need to soak the beans ahead of time.
Set the Instant Pot to Saute on Normal mode. Add a splash of olive oil, chopped onions, celery and carrots, season with salt and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften and caramelize slightly.
Add garlic, ginger, paprika, turmeric, curry and pepper. Stir through briefly to release their aromas.
Add the bean mix, diced potatoes, and stock cubes (if using water rather than ready-made stock). Follow with a can of diced tomatoes and all the juices and water (or stock). Stir through well.
Secure and lock the lid. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual setting on HIGH for 30 minutes with natural pressure release at the end. If the mixture has lots of larger beans, set it to 35 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, saute diced zucchini in a splash of olive oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Set aside. The reason we're not adding zucchini to cook in the soup is that it would soften too much and disintegrate, and we wanted to add some green color and a little crunch to the finished soup.
Once the pressure is released, open the lid and stir the soup. Add the sauteed zucchini, and coconut cream (the thickened part of coconut milk) and stir. Taste for salt. Finish with fresh cilantro leaves and you're ready to serve.
Notes
If using homemade bean mix, make sure it has some lentils or split peas in the mix as they are needed to get the right texture of the soup (which is a bit like thin Indian dal).
The soup has a little heat from spices but it's quite mild. The flavor is more 'spiced' than 'spicy'. Don't skimp on those spices, they really make this soup what it is! The only one that can potentially be removed is turmeric.
You can add a variety of vegetables to this soup. Mushrooms and hardy veggies like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, kale and pumpkin can be added during the cooking stage. Green vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, and baby spinach should be added after cooking so they retain some color and crunch. Frozen peas and corn can also be added to the soup.
Store for up to 5 days in the fridge and up to 3-4 months in the freezer.