Instapot Lentil and Sausage Soup

As you know I received an Instapot for Christmas and am enjoying trying out new recipes.  Prior to getting one I had not used a pressure cooker before, and have found an awesome appliance that makes weeknight cooking sooooooo much easier. We also got dumped on by snow earlier this week, and if you are like us soup is a perfect meal on a chilly day (it feels like January...what gives?????).

I love lentil soup and fund this recipe: Instapot Lentil and Sausage Soup  and decided to give it a try. I made a few adjustments to the recipe to fit my tastes. I added a cup of dry red wine to the soup because red wine in lentil soup is the bread to my butter. I think the flavors without the wine are not as rich and delicious. I also omitted the mushrooms because Ron is not a fan. I also added a little cheese on top because the Parmesan gives a nice layered nutty flavor with the wine. 

My family loved this recipe and I was pleasantly surprised to see the boys gobble it up. The flavors were perfect, and reminded me of a slow cooked stop top version. I already have this on our meal plan for next week. The recipe is easy to adapt to vegetarian by omitting the sausage and using vegetable broth. 

We are working diligently to get out house ready to put on the market! It is a disaster right now, but we are making a lot of progress. The market in our area is really hot right now, and homes are getting sold so quick! We looked at one that sold in the same day! It makes me nervous that we will have so little control, but we are ready and are working to get prepared to make sure that we end up with a home we are happy with. We are sad to leave our house, but we need more space for the boys and an extra bathroom! Anyone have tips on moving with kids I am all ears! 

Ingredients

1 Tbl olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 large stalk of celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

4 cups beef broth

1 cup dry red wine 

3/4 lb Italian sausage, ground 

1 cup lentils, dry green or brown

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 (15 oz can) of diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup spinach, fresh chopped

Grated Parmesan for topping (optional)

Instructions

Press saute button on the Instant Pot and add the oil to the pot. Next, add the onion, carrots and celery and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the sausage and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Put on the lid and lock . Adjust setting to manual pressure cook for 25 minutes.

After cook time is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes and finish with quick release. Ladle into bowls, top with cheese, and serve.