On a January Sunday afternoon, nobody really wants to spend two hours in the kitchen. This is exactly where this soup finds its place. It makes a great impression without complicating your life, and the Instant Pot does most of the work while you enjoy yourself.
Ingredients :
- Smoked turkey ham — This is the soul of the soup. Get a thick slice that you cut yourself into cubes of about 2 cm — pre-packaged dice are often too small and fall apart during pressure cooking. The smoked version brings that depth of flavor the broth needs to not taste thin.
- Canned cannellini beans — Two 425g cans, rinsed under cold water until the water runs clear. Dried beans give the same result but take hours — here it’s really not necessary. Avoid cans in a thick, very salty juice.
- Low-sodium chicken broth — The liquid base decides if the soup is good or not. Use a quality broth, homemade if you have some, otherwise store-bought with few ingredients. ‘Low sodium’ is important: it lets you adjust the salt yourself at the end, rather than inheriting a soup already too salty before you’ve even tasted it.
- Carrots, celery, and orange bell pepper — The orange bell pepper is a real game-changer compared to a green one. It melts slightly and brings a natural sweetness that balances the smoky-salty side of the ham. Cut all vegetables into regular pieces — not too small or they will disappear completely into the broth.
