15-Bean Soup with Sausage (PCP)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 ounce hot or sweet Italian sausage
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 10 ounces (1 1/2 cups) 15-bean soup mix, flaring packed discarded, picked over, rinsed, and salt-soaked [Soaking overnight is generally recommended for cooking beans though I have never bothered to before.  However, it is very important to do so while using a pressure cooker as this helps reduce foaming that can clog the cooker.]
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
•  1 large tomato, cored and chopped
• Salt and pepper

Mise en place.

Brown sausage in oil over medium-high heat.

Set aside and cook onion and carrot until softened.

Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant.

Stir in broth, soaked beans, and bay leaves, scraping up fond.  Add sausage and any accumulated juices.

Bring to high pressure and cook for 25 minutes.

Transfer sausage to cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch slice.  Meanwhile, bring soup to simmer, stir in chard and tomato, and cook until chard is tender.  Add back sausage and season with salt and pepper.

I'm pretty sure this was my first pressure cooker dish.  Mindblowing how beans can get to such a perfect consistency and the soup is so richly flavored with such a short ingredient list.  I've become officially a believer of pressure cookers.