This Easy and Quick Italian Sausage & Pepper Soup is a low carb, gluten free, grain free, comforting soup made in an Instant Pot with an option to also make in a slow cooker.
It doesn't take a lot to make me happy.
It doesn't take much to make my hubby happy either.
A hot bowl of soup on a cold winter's day is all we need and want.
The Instant Pot has been getting lots of exposure these days. You've heard of it right?
It's a fool proof way to learn to use a pressure cooker without worry of it on the stove and having to make sure the heat is just right when cooking.
This one has all the settings to make life a lot easier making traditionally longer meals in half the time. It's electric too, you plug it in like a crock pot!
I have been a pressure cooker lover since I was a young girl.
Hearing that little jingle in the kitchen on many days of the week and especially on Sundays in my Italian home, brought happy thoughts of some good food we were about to eat.
I even made a video showing how to use one:
See? EASY!
Never in all my childhood did a pressure cooker every explode so I never had that fear that many do have with the thought of using one.
But I realize that many people don't want to bother with learning how to use a traditional pressure cooker so for Christmas I asked the hubby to buy me the Instant Pot so I could bring you more glorious quick recipes using it.
This is my first recipe using this awesome kitchen appliance, but I have others for the traditional pressure cooker I will be converting into directions for the Instant Pot as well.
If you don't have an Instant Pot I have directions below to make the recipe in the slow cooker. If you don't have a slow cooker you can follow the same directions and just make it on the stove top and cook the soup for 30 minutes on a low simmer. But both the Instant Pot and the Crock Pot are well worth the money for saving time as a busy mom!
Italian Sausage & Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds Italian sausage sweet or hot, cut into bite size pieces
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bell peppers or 2 cups chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 cups water
- 28 ounce diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or ¼ cup freshly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or ¼ cup fresh chopped
- 4 ounces spinach
- optional" ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Press Saute to preheat cooker.
- When "Hot" appears on display, add oil and sausage.
- Keep lid open and cook until sausage is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Remove the sausage and add the garlic, peppers and onions.
- Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in vinegar, broth, water and tomatoes.
- Add sausage back to pot and add seasonings.
- *If using fresh herbs do not add in yet.
- Close and lock lid.
- Press "Soup" button.
- After 10 minutes hit Cancel.
- Open with Quick Release.
- Add in fresh herbs if using, fresh spinach and optional grated cheese.
Crock Pot Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet and cook sausage until browned.
- Add this and the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker, except fresh herbs and spinach.
- Cook on low 6 hours.
- In the last 15 minutes, add in fresh herbs and spinach.
- Top with grated cheese to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
KIM
I did it on MFP and got 479 calories- but I use Better than Boullion instead of chicken stock
Michael
Unlike many soup recipes for the Instant Pot, this one is delicious immediately! Often flavors have to meld, but not with this recipe. Carb eaters could easily turn this into something like Italian Wedding. I suspect the vinegar is key. Outstanding!
Amanda
I dont see how the calorie count adds up- I put it into fitness pal and used low fat sausages and i still cant make it work to that low calorie
Isabelle
This soup was delicious!! I added green beans, shiitake mushrooms, a little bit of ginger and tumeric to the mix. I cooked it on the stove top and it was delicious. Will definitely make this again. thank you for the recipe
SJ
Two questions: 1) this is probably a silly question, but I haven't cooked with sausage much. Do you remove the casing before cutting into pieces or does the casing stay on. 2) I'm not sure understand the instruction to cancel after 10 minutes. Do you mean ten minutes from the time you hit the soup button (I.e. Counting the time it's coming up to pressure) or do you mean 10 minutes after it's come up to pressure? I haven't seen the timing directions written quite like that before.
The recipe looks yummy! Thanks!!
SJ
Brenda
After you hit the soup button and it come to pressure then time for 10 minutes.
Julia
I also own a instant pot but need recipes to use it for
Tracey
I have had the Instant Pot for a little over a year and love it but have wished I had more recipes. Thanks so much for that!
Frank weir
...also struggled with pressure cooker cooking! I own one and have tried.
Frank weir
Did not know about this appliance. As a guy, I've struggled with slow cooker cooking. I'll have to view the video. Do you have an Instant Pot recipe section?
Lynn Thomas
Sausage and pepper soup was wonderful I add mushroom, carrots more chicken broth.,would make again.
Brenda
Thank you! So happy you liked it!