So glad you liked it!

So glad you liked it!

Thank you, Ms. Elizabeth! Cooking for people helps me feel useful. Yeah, I wasn’t sure what was in that seasoning packet and I so did NOT want to take any chances! It was so large, it looked at bit suspect. As you stated, the salt from the other ingredients was more than enough for the recipe. I’m looking forward to making the dinner rolls on your website for Christmas dinner! I’ll let you know how they turn out.

I’m so sorry to hear about your friend, and I hope she recovers fast. It’s so kind of you to offer to cook for her and her family! This soup is a great choice because it’s so healthy and hearty and makes a ton. The seasoning packet won’t “wreck” it per se, but I prefer being in control of my own seasonings especially so I can control how much salt gets in the soup. If you add ham and use chicken or vegetable stock, which already contains salt, the seasoning packet may be too much for this recipe. So glad your friend and her family liked it!

I recommend soaking them first even with a pressure cooker, even though many recipes claim that no soaking is needed with an instant pot. With an instant pot, it is true that in terms of cooking TIME you don’t really need to soak dry beans, but there are other reasons to soak them. First, soaking them in salted water helps flavor the beans and improve the beans’ texture. Second, soaking them breaks down some of the indigestible fibers of beans (the ones that cause indigestion). Soaking them, then draining and rinsing them before using, will help remove some of that fiber. Hope that helps!

Just because I prefer to control the seasoning myself. The seasoning pack has lots of salt, and may contain some preservatives and stuff depending on brand, so I like to take matters into my own hands. Adding the ham also adds some saltiness, so the seasoning pack might just be way too much salt. Hope that helps!

Good question! I’d add everything to the pot and cook on high manual for 15 minutes, then allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes or so until quick releasing it. If you like, you can use the sauté setting to sauté the veggies in 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter before adding the remaining ingredients. So glad you asked this- I’m going to add a note to the recipe card for this!

Thanks! Glad you liked it :-)

So glad you liked it!

So glad you and your family liked it!

I used this recipe, however I used a smoked turkey leg instead of ham and added diced tomatoes. So delicious, the whole family loves it.

Good question! And I actually need to update my recipe- thanks for bringing this to my attention! There’s a lot of thought that you shouldn’t add salt to beans while they cook because it will “affect the texture” of the beans, but after doing a little more research I’ve learned that this actually isn’t necessary. It’s actually good to add salt to the cooking water, as WELL as the soaking water. I’m going to update the recipe card now. And don’t worry- you can still add it at the end and it will be delicious!

My best estimate would be about 1.5 cups per serving. The whole batch serves 8, and while I didn’t actually measure the amount of soup total at the end, I’m guessing it makes about 12 cups total. I’m not much of a “serving size” kind of person so keep in mind it’s just an estimate, but I hope that helps a little bit! :-)

I’m so happy you and your family like it! It’s such a hearty healthy soup- love the idea of putting it over rice since it’s so thick, almost like a stew.