Instant Pot Black-Eyed Pea and Ham Soup
279kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
- 1 medium-size smoked ham hock (about 10-12 oz)
- 4 oz thick-cut bacon (cut into small chunks)
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see notes)
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (or kale, swiss chard, collard greens) - see notes
- 1 cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Method
Preparation:
- Rinse the black-eyed peas under cold water. Sort through the beans and remove debris.
Cook the Bacon:
- Program an instant pot or pressure cooker to sauté and adjust key for “Normal. Let it preheats until it reads "Hot."
- Cook the bacon in the pot until crispy for about 5-6 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent burning. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool but keep the grease to cook the soup base.
Cook the Soup Base:
- Add onion, celery, and carrots into the pot. Cook and keep stirring for about 3 minutes, then add garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Keep cooking and stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the broth, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all the brown bits stuck to it.
Pressure Cooking:
- Add black-eyed peas, cooked bacon, smoked ham hock, and apple cider vinegar into the pot. Stir to combine.
- Lock the lid. Select"manual" and 15 minutes (or 17 minutes for softer beans).
- When the cooking cycle is done and beeps, let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes.
Add Spinach:
- Open the lid, add spinach to the instant pot, stir. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Close the lid, press "Keep Warm" and keep it closed for at least 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
Serving:
- Discard the bay leaves and ham hock. The ham hock won't be tender, but you can still get some meat of it and put them back into the soup.
- Serve and Enjoy.
Nutrition
Calories279kcalCarbohydrates24gProtein19gFat12gSaturated Fat4gCholesterol33mgSodium239mgPotassium765mgFiber4gSugar4gVitamin A3240IUVitamin C8mgCalcium73mgIron4mg
Notes
#1 If you don't have any low sodium chicken broth/stock in your pantry, feel free to use about 3 cups of regular chicken broth/stock with 2 cups of water and highly recommend using a low-sodium bacon instead of the regular bacon.
#2 If you are planning to use collard greens, you may want to add this ingredient at the beginning and cook it with the other ingredients at high pressure for 15 minutes. For kale or swiss chard, follow the same direction as above.