Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Cajun 15 Bean Soup with Rice and Sausage

This Instant Pot Cajun 15 Bean Soup with Rice and Sausage is a hearty meal that’s spiced up with Cajun seasoning and andouille sausage. You cook the white rice at the same time you’re pressure cooking the Cajun 15 Bean soup!

Today’s post is sponsored by Hurst Beans. The N.K. Hurst Company is a four-generation family-owned business that began selling beans in 1947. Hurst’s HamBeen brand was the first brand to include a seasoning packet with their 15 Bean Soup mix, and it became an immediate success.

Now you can find their 15 Bean Soup Mix in every state in the nation. I’m sure many of you are already familiar with Hurst’s HamBeens.

The high-quality 15 bean soup mix is a blend of fifteen bean varieties: northern, pinto, large lima, yelloweye, garbanzo, baby lima, green split, kidney, cranberry, small white, pink, small red, yellow split, lentil, navy, white kidney, black bean. The blend is great for soup because some of the beans breakdown while they’re cooking, easily creating a thick, delicious soup.

They also sell a Cajun 15 Bean Soup with a Cajun seasoning packet included with the bean mix.

Today I’m sharing my recipe using the Cajun 15 Bean Soup mix. Next month, I’ll share a more traditional recipe for 15 Bean Soup mix that uses your leftover ham bone from the holidays.

How to Cook Cajun 15 Bean Soup in the Instant Pot / Electric Pressure Cooker

This Instant Pot Cajun 15 Bean Soup with Rice and Sausage recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Mealthy MultiPot. 

I served the soup over white rice. One of the best things about this recipe is you cook the white rice at the same time you’re pressure cooking the Cajun 15 Bean soup!

Do I Have to Soak the Beans?

My recipe uses a Quick Soak method that eliminates the overnight soak. I like the Quick Soak method because I get fewer split beans than if I pressure cook the beans without soaking.

Using the Quick Soak pressure cooker method, you cook the beans for 1 minute at High Pressure and then let the beans soak for 1 hour without removing the pressure cooking lid. 

After the 1 hour soak, no need to drain the beans. Just remove the lid and add the tomatoes, okra, chili powder, and seasoning packet. Then pressure cook the soup for an additional 4 minutes.

Once the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. This method will help you open the pressure cooker without liquid coming up through the steam release valve.

No Soak 15 Bean Soup Method: If you don’t have an hour to quick soak your beans, you can pressure cook the beans at High Pressure for 35 minutes, with a 10-minute natural pressure release. Then add the tomatoes, okra, chili powder, seasoning packet, and simmer for 10 minutes using the Saute setting.

Does Soaking Beans Reduce Gas?

I often hear people say that soaking and discarding the soaking water lessens gas problems from eating beans. So I asked my contact at Hurst’s Beans and I really loved their response: 

Some people swear by this (and other) methods for lessening gas. In reality, the tried and true best way to reduce gas from eating beans is to actually eat MORE beans regularly. Your digestive system gets more accustomed to processing the natural components in beans, peas, and lentils—thus reducing gas.

Beans are high in protein and fiber but low in calories. The American Cancer Society recommends eating beans as part of a heart-healthy diet and says adding beans to your diet may help keep you feeling full longer.

Should I Add Salt When Soaking Beans?

You do not want to add salt while you are soaking the beans because it will prolong the soaking process. Add salt and pepper at the end of the cook time. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and about 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. 

Cooking Beans at Altitude

Beans are one of the things that you will need to add more pressure cooking time if you are cooking at altitude.

The technical rule is to add 5 percent more pressure cook time at 3,000 feet above sea level, 10 percent for 4,000 feet above sea level, and so on, increasing by 5 percent every additional 1,000 feet. 

If you live at altitude, increase the quick soak pressure cook time to 2 minutes and increase the second pressure cook time by a minute or more depending on your altitude. 

Why Don’t You Add All the Ingredients At Once?

Since they are dry beans, adding acid (the tomatoes) initially will increase your cook time on the beans. Hurst recommends adding acids after the beans are tender.

Also, I added frozen sliced okra to the soup for some color and an additional Louisiana twist, but they can get a little slimy if you add them too soon. 

Adding the lemon juice at the very end enhances the flavor of the beans and adds a little brightness to the soup. 

Still Have Questions about Beans?

Hurst Beans has a FAQ page on its site that is a great resource for all your questions about cooking with beans and their other products.

Hurst has a great store locator on their site to help find HamBeens products near you: www.hurstbeans.com/wheretobuy; Or, you can use their online store if the product isn’t available in your area. 

How To Serve Instant Pot Cajun 15 Bean Soup

Place a scoop of white rice in a bowl and spoon the Cajun 15 Bean Soup over the top. My husband likes to stir his rice into his soup, but I prefer to eat them without mixing in the rice.

My husband topped his soup with several dashes of hot sauce. However, I thought there was plenty of heat from the chili powder and Cajun seasoning packet included in the Hurst’s Cajun 15 Bean Soup package. (You could omit the chili powder if you want the soup even milder.)

I hope you’ll give this soup a try. It’s a hearty one-bowl meal that’s perfect for the colder days ahead.

Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Cajun 15 Bean Soup with Rice and Sausage

Servings: 8 - 10 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 34 minutes minutes

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Instant Pot Cajun 15 Bean Soup is a hearty meal that’s spiced up with and andouille sausage, served over rice that cooks pot-in-pot!

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Equipment

• Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Trivet (2.7" Tall)
• Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pan, 7-Inch x 3-Inch
• Instant Pot 6QT Duo Evo Plus Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 quart

Ingredients

• 1 package 20 ounce Hurst’s HamBeens Cajun 15 Bean Soup with seasoning packet
• 6 ounces 170 g andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch -thick (0.6 cm) slices
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 6 cups water
• 1 can 10 ounces diced tomatoes & green chilies
• 2 cups frozen sliced okra optional
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

White Rice

• 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Set aside seasoning packet. Rinse beans in a colander and remove any debris. 
• Select Browning/Sauté and melt the butter in the pressure cooking pot. Add the sausage. Sauté for about 3 minutes until it starts to brown. Remove to a plate and cover with foil. 
• Add onion, and celery to the pressure cooking pot. Sauté for about 3 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the rinsed beans and 6 cups water.
• Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 1 minute cook time.
• When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Let the beans soak for 1 hour without opening the lid. After the hour, remove the lid and check several of your beans—especially the kidney beans—to make sure they're tender.* Stir in tomatoes, okra, chili powder, and Cajun seasoning packet.
• If cooking White Rice: Place a tall trivet in the bottom of the cooking pot over the soup. In a 7×3-inch cake pan or oven-safe dish, add the rinsed rice, 1 1/4 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and ensure all rice is covered with water. Use a sling to carefully lower the pan in place on top of the trivet.
• Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time.
• When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. Carefully remove the cake pan from the pressure cooker. Fluff rice with a fork.
• Stir in the lemon juice and browned sausage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve soup Cajun style over a scoop of white rice with a splash or two of hot sauce. 

Notes

No Soak 15 Bean Soup Method: If you don't have an hour to quick soak your beans, you can pressure cook the beans at High Pressure for 35 minutes, with a 10-minute natural pressure release. Then add the tomatoes, okra, chili powder, seasoning packet, and simmer for 10 minutes using the Saute setting.

High Altitude: If you live at altitude, increase the quick soak pressure cook time to 2 minutes and increase the second pressure cook time by a minute or more depending on your altitude. 

*If the beans aren't as tender as you'd like and you're not cooking rice on top of the beans in step 6, add an additional five minutes to the cook time in step 7. If you are cooking rice at the same time, pressure cooker the beans for 5 minutes with a 10-minute natural release, and then and the tomatoes, okra, etc. and proceed with the recipe as directed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 8g

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