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    Home » Recipes » Pressure cooker

    Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup

    Published: Jun 14, 2016 · Modified: Dec 15, 2022 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 23 Comments

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    Two bowls of Tuscan bean soup on colorful plates
    Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup

    Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup. A hearty vegetarian soup thanks to beans and my pressure cooker.

    Tuscan Bean soup was one of the first times I thought, “you know, with enough beans, I could probably be a vegetarian.”2That didn’t last. As you can probably tell. Or, at least it was one of the first vegetarian recipes that didn’t leave me saying “that was good. But I’m still hungry - can we stop on the way home and get something to eat?”

    This is also the recipe that introduced me to kale, back before kale was cool. I know kale is overdone - it has gone from “cool new healthy ingredient” to “New Yorker piece complaining about hipsters and their kale” in the space of a couple of years. That’s OK, because kale is in this recipe for old school reasons. This soup gets Tuscany through Italian winters. It’s a collection of odds and ends - dried beans, root vegetables, a Parmesan rind tossed in the pot to add flavor - and kale, a winter crop that loves growing in the snow.

    Ingredients, ready to go

    Cannellini beans are the traditional Tuscan white bean, but if you can’t find them, great northern beans make a good substitute.

    Looking for a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs soup? Try Tuscan beans.

    Recipe: Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup

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    A bowl of Tuscan bean soup on a colorful plate

    Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup


    ★★★★★

    5 from 7 reviews

    • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup recipe. A hearty vegetarian soup from the heart of Italy, done in no time thanks to the pressure cooker.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Soaked beans

    • 1 pound dried cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
    • 1 tablespoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
    • 2 quarts water

    Soup ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 2 large carrots, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt, or Kosher salt)
    • Pinch ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 6 cups water
    • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
    • 1 parmesan rind (optional - roughly 3 inches by 1 ½ inches)
    • 1 (2-inch long) sprig fresh rosemary
    • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
    • 4 ounces kale, stems removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
    • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • Salt to taste
    • Grated parmesan for garnish
    • Minced parsley for garnish

    Instructions

    1. Soak the beans: Sort the cannellini beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt clods. Rinse the beans put them in a large container with the fine sea salt, and cover with 2 quarts water. Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans.
    2. Sauté the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat (sauté mode in an electric pressure cooker) until the oil starts shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
    3. Pressure cook the beans: Add the drained cannellini beans to the pressure cooker and stir them to mix with the aromatics. Stir in in the water and diced tomatoes. Add the parmesan rind, rosemary, and thyme sprigs. Lock the lid, bring the cooker up to high pressure, and pressure cook at high pressure for 20 minutes in an electric PC, or 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. Quick release the pressure. (Or, cook for 15/12 minutes at high pressure, then natural pressure release for about 20 minutes. ) Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it’s not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.
    4. Simmer the kale, then serve: Fish out the parmesan rind and discard. Turn the heat under the pressure cooker to medium-high (sauté mode on an electric PC) and stir in the kale. Simmer, uncovered, until the kale is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir the fresh ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar into the pot, then taste. Add more salt as needed - the soup will taste bland without enough salt. (I add 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt to the beans). Serve, sprinkling each bowl of soup with fresh grated parmesan and minced parsley.

    Equipment

    6-Quart Pressure Cooker

    Buy Now →
    • Category: Pressure Cooker
    • Cuisine: Italian

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    A bowl of Tuscan bean soup on a colorful plate
    Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup

    What do you think?

    Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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    Looking for other pressure cooker recipes? Check out My Pressure Cooker Recipe Index

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:19 am

      So simple and good! I used cranberry beans.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Janet Goff says

      August 17, 2021 at 7:14 pm

      Hi Mike,
      Delicious recipe, as usual! I didn't have any beans soaked so I used flageolet beans instead, it was superb! I used the same cooking time that you used for your Flageolet Beans and Lamb recipe. Thanks again for another great recipe. Leaving a tip!

      Janet

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Gail says

      February 19, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      This was great in the Instant Pot! Easily veganized. We used a mushroom bouillon cube for umami taste, and some Instant pot veggie broth for part of the water. Beans were done to perfection following your directions. Used the immersion blender to make it a wee bit thicker. This is a keeper!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Erica says

      April 15, 2018 at 5:37 pm

      This is a go to soup recipe for my family. I add celery to the aromatics and I also use my homemade chicken stock, since we aren't vegetarians and I always have a big supply in my freezer.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Zinsu says

      February 20, 2018 at 8:59 pm

      This is my favorite Instant Pot recipe so far. Thank you! I find I have to pressure cook for 22 minutes to get the right bean consistency.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Christine Roberts says

      January 31, 2018 at 3:31 pm

      This was really good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Christi says

      January 15, 2018 at 12:39 pm

      This soup exceeded my expectations. Surprisingly rich and delicious. The carnivores in my family loved it too and didn't miss the meat. I didn't soak my beans long enough so they were a little sturdy, but didn't take away from the tasty soup. I'll up my time a little bit next time. I'll definitely make again.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Deborah says

      January 07, 2018 at 6:43 pm

      what purpose is the Parmesan rind for?

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        January 08, 2018 at 6:57 am

        It adds flavor to the soup. (And uses up an old parmesan rind.)

        Reply
    9. dana says

      November 30, 2016 at 8:59 am

      what about if the beans are NOT SOAKED ?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        November 30, 2016 at 1:45 pm

        Cannelini beans take a while - I'd go 40 minutes at high pressure with a natural pressure release...and then check them. Give them another 5 minutes under pressure (with a quick pressure release) if they still need it.

        Reply
    10. Jasmine says

      September 13, 2016 at 3:42 pm

      How would this delicious recipe be cooked in a slow cooker?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        September 13, 2016 at 7:55 pm

        I would not recommend it: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2010/09/slow-cookers-and-red-kidney-bean-poisoning.html/

        Reply
    11. Aaron Friedman says

      June 18, 2016 at 11:15 am

      I will try this...with bacon...and possibly some celery.

      Instant Pot 8 quart rules.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        June 18, 2016 at 1:51 pm

        Can I suggest diced pancetta instead of the bacon, if you can find it? More "traditional Italian" that way.

        Reply
        • Steve Skubinna says

          July 02, 2016 at 7:51 pm

          Cotechino would be a terrific addition if you wanted meat... if you can find it. Generally the sausage is simmered whole in legumes, then removed, sliced into coins, and pan fried before topping each serving.

          Also, in many Italian "meatless" dishes an anchovy fillet is added to the sauteing vegetables. It breaks down and disappears and adds no fishy flavor, but the Italians like the "umami" it adds, even if they never invented the word or the concept.

          Reply
        • Aaron Friedman says

          March 01, 2019 at 9:34 am

          I doubt that you'd be able to tell much difference between pancetta and quality bacon chopped into 1/4 inch dice in a soup. Plus it costs at least 4 to 5 times as much.

          Reply
    12. TDL says

      June 14, 2016 at 5:26 pm

      I was surprised about the use of the Parmesan rind. I take it that it is removed prior to serving?

      Have enjoyed your blog for many years.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        June 14, 2016 at 5:52 pm

        Yes, it is. (Forgot to add that to the recipe - fixed. )

        Reply
    13. Chris says

      June 14, 2016 at 3:42 pm

      Any thoughts on cooking time/approach if you used canned beans?

      I don't always plan ahead to buy and soak dried, but I usually have a couple of cans on hand for a last minute cook.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        June 14, 2016 at 5:59 pm

        Sorry, that's such a different recipe that I can't do it justice in a comment. Cook it on the stove, but be aware that the dried beans are the backbone of the soup - they give up starch and thicken the soup - it will come out thin without the dried beans.

        Reply
    14. Amy @ Pressure Cook Recipes says

      June 14, 2016 at 9:03 am

      Hi Mike,

      Thanks so much for this Tuscan Bean Soup Recipe!
      I love hearty soups like this one, especially on a cold day. Gotta try it sometime. 🙂

      You gave me a good chuckle about hipsters and kale. Hehe~

      Pinning this right now! 😀

      Amy

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        June 14, 2016 at 9:12 am

        Thanks, Amy - Love your site!

        Reply

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    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner! I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

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