It’s summer!! since yesterday, right? A good old hearty instant pot bean soup is always welcome, do you agree? Besides, this soup is actually my favorite served cold and on a hot day even served straight from the fridge. As a kid, I enjoyed this a lot and always found it as a refreshing meal during summer days.
This year I was lucky enough to get some nice fresh nettles picked by my very good friend Otilia, she was so kind and sweet to even make an extra journey coming from work in truly miserable weather, just to drop those freshly picked and beautiful nettles.
Thank you so much, my lovely sweet dear friend. 
Of course, I had to make the best use of that healthy-looking and so precious young nettles.
It’s not an easy task to find fresh nettles, especially in or around London as those have to be picked from pretty pristine places, you know what I mean, no dogs, not many cars or humans around except those that pick the nettles. I used to pick them from the forest where no one would ever get to when I was young - I used to love my forest walks soo much and always used to find an excuse for a good trip to my surrounding forest to pick nettles, wild strawberries, flowers all depending on the season. What wonderful times...
My friend Otilia is lucky enough to live nearby the humongous and utmost gorgeous Richmond Park which is my absolute favorite park ever, well, apart from my local heavenly Hampstead Heath which I hugely adore.
I should be going to my local park here and trying and find some nice nettles but bad timing, bad weather, or the lack of time altogether it’s the real issue.
However, every time I fancy nettles I’m just opening my cupboard and use my nice organic dry ones that I can sprinkle into my food. The reality is that they are nowhere near the same and cannot be compared with fresh ones. The taste of the new baby nettles is so unique and reminds me so badly of my mum’s nettle and olive pilaf which she used to make as a side dish or alternative to meat. Gorgeous! Oh, all those times... again.
Alternatives
- If you do not find lovage use fresh parsley or any herbs you may like.
- nettles can also be replaced by spinach or lambs lettuce
Tips:
* This recipe asks for 350 g of black-eyed beans dry weight or 600 g of canned beans
* Fresh nettles are a very seasonal ingredient but you can replace these with spinach, chard, or dry nettles that can be found in wholefood shops.
* I mentioned de-pressurizing the cooker manually. This operation can be tricky so unless you know exactly what you do be very careful as this can be quite dangerous and you can burn yourself. Always read carefully the instructions before using a pressure cooker as there are some rules that come with it in terms of liquid levels and so on. I grew up with one so I’m quite confident when working with it especially when I don’t have the time to wait for it to settle. Always a rush, hey?! Well, that definitely almost always the case with me. Always something to do, somewhere to go, someone waiting for something to be done. Haha. Life is beautiful.
* This soup can be served hot or cold with a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper or some freshly chopped red chili and of course some rustic homemade crusty bread.
But let me tell you about this bean soup here and how this was made, so let’s get cooking!
Instant Pot Bean Soup
Equipment
- pressure cooker
- knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 350 g Black-eyed beans *
- 100 g nettles fresh
- 1 med onion
- 1 small leek
- 1 small red pointed pepper
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 parsnip
- 1-2 celery stick
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can chopped tomato
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1-2 stems of lovage fresh or frozen
- 1 red chilli optional to garnish
Instructions
- No need to do all the overnight soaking business when using a pressure cooker. Oh, can’t tell you when it comes to dishes like this - I so cannot do without my pressure cooker- it makes my life 1 million times easier reducing the cooking time to ⅓. Seriously.
- Cook the beans according to the package instructions. Canned beans can also be used. I cook them in pressure cooker for at a 15 min setting. No whistle.
- When finished with cooking the beans carefully release the pressure or allow 15-20 min for pressure to go down so you can remove the lid.
- Meanwhile, peel, wash and chop the onions and the carrot, wash and chop the leek, pepper and the parsnip.
- Add all the vegetables nicely chopped to the cooked beans. Add some vegetable stock or water if there isn’t sufficient liquid. You should have approximately 1 litre of liquid.
- Put the bay leaves and the thyme in, the tomato paste and the chopped tomato can, salt and pepper.
- Place the lid back on and cook for a further 10min under pressure.
- Release the pressure * or allow it to rest until the lid can be safely removed. Remove the lead and set back on cooking for another 15 minutes. Add the turmeric and cook uncovered so that the soup juice reduces slightly. This also helps with the soup getting a nice colour.
- In the last five minutes of cooking add the washed and slightly chopped nettles along with the fresh herbs such as lovage, parsley or even some fresh basil what ever you may fancy, like or have handy. Any herb will be nice. Delicious.
Mina Joshi says
This looks amazing. I have no idea what nettles look like - let alone cook with them. I am going to do some research and try and find some on my walks.
Ramona says
Thank you so much Mina,
Nettles have to be consumed only when they first appear - really young. I sometimes freeze some for later but also use the dry ones too. They are good for us 😉
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
I need to get on the pressure cooker bandwagon! This looks so tasty and delicious. I can't wait to try.
Ramona says
Hi Julie, thank you so much for stopping by. Oh, I cannot express how helpful a pressure cooker can be. I did get mine about 5-6 years ago and have used it like mad. It cuts cooking time tremendously. For me it’s my right hand - a life saviour.
Indispensable. ??
Katie Crenshaw | A Fork's Tale says
I am always looking for great Instant Pot recipes and I have just found another one to add to my list! This soup looks so flavorful and delicious. I love that it is colorful, filling, and healthy. It is the perfect recipe to add to my meal rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Ramona says
Thank you Katie,
I’m so happy this recipe is inspirational. It is a delicious soup indeed. I hope you’ll get to make it and let me know how you found it. ??
Nikole says
I'm always looking for new recipes for my insta-pot! This looks delicious.
Ramona says
Thank you Nikole,
I’m super happy this recipe inspires you. Have a lovely week ahead ??
Brian Jones says
You know me, soup all year round is absolutely fine by me! I've never cooked nettles, and always mean to but it is something I never get round to, I love the sound of the flavours in the, hopefully it will be the kick up the butt I need!
Ramona says
Ha ha, thanks Brian. You over there in rural Hungary must be able to get the best nettles ever. You must give them a try. They’re amazing ??
Jacqueline Debono says
Ramona this soup looks wonderful and tasty! I also love cold soup in summer, so refreshing! I've never cooked with nettles. I'd love to try it!
Ramona says
Hi Jacqui,
Thanks you so much for your lovely comment. I really hope you will try nettles, I am sure you would have where to pick them over there in Italy nice and super fresh first thing in the spring when the nettles are just about 2-3 inches high - they are so delish and very good for us. Healthier than spinach and broccoli. Enjoy my lovely! I am sure you will be able to put some nettles as an addition to any of your delicious pasta dishes.
Loyola says
Hi Ramona thank you for sharing such a delicious soup. I will make it soon.
Ramona says
Thank you Loyola, I really hope you will enoy it as much as we do. Cold or hot 😉