Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli is a hearty peasant style soup that has beans, sausage, pasta, and a rich broth. Budget friendly and delicious!
Add water, salt, and oil to the Instant Pot inner liner.
Press the Sauté button and let the water heat up. When the water starts to simmer, add the pasta and stir.
Close the lid and set the steam release Knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and the +/- button or dial to choose 4 minutes. Choose High pressure.
When the cook cycle is done and the pot beeps, do a quick release of the pressure.
After all of the steam is out and the pin in the lid drops, open pot and drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking further, and then set it aside (make sure it is completely cooled).
Press the Sauté button and let the pot start warming up.
Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until done. Remove and set aside. Keep 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease in the pot, discard any remaining.
Add the olive oil to the pot and the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until just starting to turn translucent.
Add sausage and red pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until done.
Add the Italian seasoning, black pepper, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, all of the beans, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, reserved bacon, and chicken broth. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any browned bits.
Press the Cancel button to turn off the Sauté mode. Put the lid on and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and the +/- button or dial to choose 7 minutes. High pressure.
When the cook cycle is done and the pot beeps, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute Natural Release), then do a quick release of the remaining pressure. After all of the steam is out and the pin in the lid drops, open and stir the soup.
Add the reserved pasta, parsley, parmesan cheese, and basil. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Garnish with more parmesan cheese and serve.
*If you don't want to cook your pasta first, you can add it after pressure cooking and use the sauté setting to cook it. Or cook it on the stove while the soup is cooking.
This recipe works best in an 6 or 8 qt pot.