Carol's Favorite Winter Soup

"Soup is always a good idea."

I bought myself an Instant Pot sometime last year and I've been experimenting with recipes ever since. My favorite thing to make in the Pot is soup. It's my kind of cooking because it's a matter of dumping everything in, turning the pot on, and letting it do its thing.  It's very convenient because I make up a batch and divide it into individual serving bowls and put them in the freezer for a quick and easy meal on demand. 

The following recipe isn't really a recipe because It's more of a list of ingredients and I mostly wing it. It is a little different each time. I change it up depending on what I have on hand and whether I'm going for the low carb version, which is fairly often.



1  bottle of light beer
2  cut-up salmon patty burgers (I get them at Costco)
1  7 oz can Albacore tuna (with juice)

1  28 oz can of Rotel (I use the Original version but they also have a Mild version)
2  10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup
1  chopped onion
2  12 oz pkgs mixed frozen vegetables
Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Spices per personal preference:
Herb and garlic spice (I use about 1/3 cup)
Johnny seasoning (several shakes)
Other spices of choice. My step-daughter likes to ad cumin

Optional ingredients
1 - 2  cups sliced mushrooms
1  large potato (more if you want)
1 15.5 oz can of kidney beans 

I include mushrooms if I have them on hand but rarely use the potatoes or beans because I like to keep the soup low carb AND I have limited space in the Pot. If I include potatoes I don't include beans and vice versa. I have a 6-quart size. I need to get the 8-quart version for all ingredients. 

You can choose any kind of meat you want. I've used chicken and steak too. One of my favorites was when I was able to buy some cheap steaks. That hasn't happened since, so I haven't done steak lately. However, I did try some Montreal steak seasoning with the salmon and tuna and it was a nice addition.  

Also: If you don't want to use beer you can substitute chicken or beef broth depending on your meat selection. The beer just gives it a little bit of extra zip.

When you have all your ingredients in the Pot put the lid on, be sure the release valve is closed.
* Set for 10 minutes at high pressure
It takes about 20 - 25 minutes to come up to pressure
* When the 10 minutes is up, let it do a natural release for 10 minutes then do a quick release. Your soup is done! 

With the prep time, getting up to pressure time, cook time, and release time it takes just over an hour from start to finish. 

Enjoy!