Recipe: Southwest Quinoa and Black Bean Stew (Instant Pot)

I don't know what I was going for when I created this, but somehow it came together!

I was thinking about a vegetable soup, then I was thinking a minestrone which led to some black beans...anyway, it turned into some type of southwest inspired soup/stew thing and I'm not mad about it!

Instant Pot Black Beans

1 C Dried Black Beans (no need to soak)
1 3/4 C Vegetable Broth (I've been using this one recently)
1 piece of Kombu (this helps us digest the beans)

Rinse the beans and pull out any icky ones (technical terms only around here) and add to your Instant Pot.

Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook on High for 25 minutes, allow the natural steam release to happen for another 20-25ish minutes.

This timeline keeps the beans relatively firm (which I like and works for then adding to a soup), but if you want them to be softer, add a little time to the pressure cycle. I found there was still some liquid when they were done so I drained them and gave them a rinse.

Instant Pot Quinoa

1 C Quinoa
1 C Water

Rinse the quinoa. Add quinoa and water to your Instant Pot.

Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook on High for 1 minute (that is not a typo), allow the natural steam release to happen for another 12 minutes.

*Note: it takes about 10 minutes to reach pressure so this is a 23 minute recipe.

Soup/Stew

1 Shallot
2-3 cloves Garlic
3 medium Mushrooms
2 Carrots
1/3 Butternut Squash
1 small Zucchini
(Other root vegetables you like)
2/3 can Tomato Paste
3 C Vegetable Broth
Black Beans
Quinoa
Kale
Pepper to taste
2 tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 tsp Chili Powder
1-2 tsp Oregano

Sauté shallot, mushrooms, garlic until fragrant and soft.

Add the rest of the root vegetables and liquid. I softened my tomato paste in some boiling water. Add spices and allow to cook just below simmer.

As the vegetables become tender, add the black beans, quinoa, and kale.