Instant Pot Cuban Black Bean Soup
sandravalvassori.com
A hearty and comforting Instant Pot Cuban Black Bean Soup that will not disappoint! This is a richly flavored, brothy soup with whole beans, unlike many thicker versions that are puréed. No Instant Pot? No problem, this post includes stovetop instructions so everyone can enjoy this nourishing and satisfying vegan meal!
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound ( about 2 cups) dried black beans
- 1 medium-large yellow onion
- 1 large green bell pepper, cored and seeded
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red pepper
- Optional for serving: white rice, diced avocado, chopped green olives, white or red onion, chopped parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the beans and pick out any little stones or broken beans. Set aside.
- Chop off a chunk from the onion (about 1/3) and set aside. Finely dice the rest of the onion. Chop off a chunk from the green pepper (about 1/3) and set aside. Finely dice the rest of the green pepper.
- Using the Sauté function on medium, heat the oil. Stir in the diced onion, diced green pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and oregano, and cook until the spices are very fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the bay leaves, rinsed beans, water, chunk of onion, and chunk of green pepper. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.
- Cancel the Sauté function, cover the pot and set the steam release handle to the Sealing position. Cook on HIGH pressure for 35 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, pick out and discard the bay leaves and large chunks of onion and green pepper. Scoop out a cup or so of the beans into a small bowl and mash with a wooden spoon or fork into a coarse purée. Stir back into soup.
- Add the vinegar, sugar, chopped roasted peppers, if using, 1 more teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Once again set pot to medium Sauté mode. Simmer the soup for another 8-10 minutes or until soup looks nice and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Keep warm until ready to serve or shut off pot and ladle soup into bowls topped with desired garnishes.
Notes
Cooking time may vary: I have tested this recipe a lot and the cooking time, and water amount, I suggest seems to always work for me. However, the age and quality of the beans could make a difference in the cooking time as well as in the thickness of the broth.
If the beans seem hard and undercooked: Reseal the pot, set to Pressure Cook/Manual setting and set the cooking time to 5-7 minutes. Release the pressure manually and proceed with the recipe from here.
If the bean broth seems too thick: Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup water to pot. Set to high Sauté and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste after adding water. STOVETOP METHOD I no longer soak black beans before cooking them on the stovetop. Black beans have a thinner skin and will cook much faster than other beans. To make the soup on the stovetop, you will need an additional 1/2 of one onion and 1/2 of one green pepper.
If the beans seem hard and undercooked: Reseal the pot, set to Pressure Cook/Manual setting and set the cooking time to 5-7 minutes. Release the pressure manually and proceed with the recipe from here.
If the bean broth seems too thick: Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup water to pot. Set to high Sauté and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste after adding water. STOVETOP METHOD I no longer soak black beans before cooking them on the stovetop. Black beans have a thinner skin and will cook much faster than other beans. To make the soup on the stovetop, you will need an additional 1/2 of one onion and 1/2 of one green pepper.
- Rinse the black beans and place them in a large pot with 2 1/2 quarts of water. Add the chunk of onion, the chunk of green pepper, and 1 bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Lower the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. If at any time the liquid seems low, add 1 cup of water or a bit more as needed.
- Meanwhile make the sofrito. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, diced green pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, oregano and remaining bay leaf and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat.
- When beans are ready, ladle out about 1/2 cup of the beans and add them to the sofrito in the skillet. Use a fork or wooden spoon to mash the beans into a coarse puree, then add this mixture to the pot of beans and stir to combine. Alternatively, you can add the sofrito to the beans and use an immersion blender to puree just a few of the beans; don't pulse more than twice.
- To finish the soup, add the vinegar, sugar, 1 more teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Add the chopped roasted peppers, if using, and simmer the soup over medium-low heat for another 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and serve with toppings of your choice.