Instant Pot Black Bean Soup: My Shortcut Recipe Everyone Loves

Easy Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (Perfect for game night)

Looking for a soup recipe that you can throw together quickly for a last minute weeknight meal or get together?

I love a good bowl of hearty black bean soup, especially when it’s quick, comforting, and easy to make at home. The other night, I had friends over for a fun evening of playing Rummikub, and I thought—why not turn it into a soup and salad dinner before the game.

This easy black bean soup recipe came together in no time, thanks to a few simple shortcuts. I used canned black beans and my Instant Pot, which made the whole process practically effortless. (And honestly, it could easily be made on the stovetop too!)

To keep things even simpler, I used chunky salsa and marinara sauce for the flavoring without needing to clean and chop a million ingredients. The result was a soup that was both simple and delicious—rich, hearty, and full of bold flavor. Everyone loved it, and it was the perfect warm-up before we started playing cards.

We like to eat it with rice too

I made a big batch of soup because I always love having leftover soup for another day. Plus, it’s nice to have enough to share—especially with a single neighbor who doesn’t enjoy cooking only for herself anymore. Homemade soup is one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to share a little comfort.

This makes a big batch of soup (about 7-8 bowls) (-it freezes well). If you want less soup, cut the recipe in half-ish. 

Ingredients for this easy black bean soup: 

4 cans of (organic) black beans

2 cups of marinara sauce - (I use organic and fat free)

1 and 1/2 cups of chunky salsa - (I use organic , no sugar)

2 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed

3 1/2 cups of water 

1 teaspoon of ground cumin 

Cracked pepper and salt to taste

Garnish: chopped cilantro, diced avocado, freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions for this easy soup: 

Add everything to the Instant Pot liner. Secure the lid and set to pressure cook for 4 minutes. When done allow to sit for about 10 minutes and then release the steam according to the manufacturer's instructions. When all steam is released, carefully remove the lid. Taste adjust salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Using an immersion blender, blend to desired consistency and serve with garnish. 

My Notes: 

1. Immersion Blender- I sometimes remove 1/3 of the soup from the IP and blend the remainder. Then I add the unblended soup back in for a mixed consistency of more shoe beans. 

2. Some restaurants serve black bean soup with sour cream or vegan sour cream. 

3. Make this on the stove top by bringing everything to a boil, then turning the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes until the soup begins to thicken a little. 

4. Add boiling water or broth carefully, a half cup only at at time if the soup if too thick-taste and repeat.

5. Don't want to use canned beans?  I've made this soup using dried black beans that I soaked overnight, pressure cooked and then followed the recipe.

Do you play Rummikub? I used to have a set for four players and recently I bought a new one for 6 players so we can play with more friends, 

Yellow Squash Soup Recipe (High Fiber & Delicious)

What To Do With Yellow Squash?

I made this delicious yellow squash soup!

Have you ever picked up one of those big organic zucchini bags at Costco that’s half green zucchini and half yellow squash?

I see them all the time, and honestly… I always grab one. The organic green zucchini is what I’m really after, but the bag always includes yellow squash too. And while yellow squash and yellow zucchini may look similar, they definitely don’t taste the same. The texture is a little different, and personally, I’m just not the biggest fan of yellow squash on its own.

So the question becomes: what do you do with all that yellow squash?

For me, the answer was simple—Make soup !!

The Best Way to Use Up Yellow Squash

Soup is one of my favorite ways to use vegetables that I’m not totally in love with. Once everything softens and blends together, the flavor becomes mild, creamy, and comforting.

I made this yellow squash soup in my Instant Pot, which is pretty much my go-to for soups. (Of course, you can also make it on the stovetop if you prefer.)

The best part? It’s a super simple recipe. I used just a handful of ingredients, and about 30 minutes later—from preheat to fully cooked—we were eating a thick, creamy, cozy bowl of piping hot soup. It turned out to be very flavorful and delicious, and we even had enough leftover for lunch or dinner the next day.

Why This Soup Is a Great Heart-Healthy Choice

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about heart-healthy preventative diets, and one thing that keeps coming up over and over is fiber.

Fiber plays such an important role in overall health because it can help support digestion and stabilize blood sugar spikes. Many sources also suggest that eating a high-fiber diet—especially when paired with fewer refined carbs—may help support healthier triglyceride levels.

According to general nutrition guidelines, the recommended daily fiber intake is about:

• 25 grams per day for women

• 38 grams per day for men

(And of course, always check with your doctor before making any dietary changes.)

How Much Fiber Is in This Humble Soup?

This soup provides about 9.5 grams of fiber per bowl ( much of the fiber comes from the red lentils, but potato, squash, carrot and chunky salsa provide more)

And here’s something that really surprised me when I first learned it: meat, chicken, eggs, and fish contain zero fiber. None at all!

So if you want to reach that recommended at least 25 grams per day, it’s important to include plenty of vegetables and legumes in your cooking. 

Which is another reason I love soups like this—they’re an easy and delicious way to add more fiber into your day.

And honestly? For me, it’s a pretty great way to use up that extra yellow squash sitting in the fridge that I don't want to eat.

I went online and got the following calculation for fiber in my soup. 

• 1½ cups dry red lentils: ~45–48 g fiber

• 1 medium yellow squash: ~2 g fibers

• 1 medium potato (with skin): ~4 g fiber

• ½ jar chunky salsa (assuming ~1 cup): ~3–4 g fiber

  1 large carrot - about 2.5 grams fiber

Total fiber in whole pot

✅ About 54–58 grams fiber total

Per bowl (6 bowls)

54–58 ÷ 6 = ~9–10 grams fiber per bowl

⭐ Final estimate:

~9.5 grams fiber per bowl 

Yellow Squash Soup Ingredients: 

2 medium yellow squash, cleaned and sliced 
1 1/2 cups of red lentils, washed

1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped (about 2  cups)

1 large organic carrot, sliced (about a cup)

1 and 1/2 cups of chunky salsa (I use organic (mild) from Aldi)

1/2 cup of marinara sauce ( I used organic and fat free)

6-8 cups of water 

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

Squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice in each bowl.* don't leave this out.

Directions: 

Add all ingredients to the liner of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set to pressure cook for 12 minutes. When done, release the steam according to the manufacturer's instructions. When all steam is released, open the lid and serve the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste with cracked pepper and salt if desired.

My Notes: 

1. The yellow squash really added a lot of flavor to this soup- so much so that I reconsidered using yellow squash in some other cooking.

2. My recipes are gluten-free, oil-free, plant-based. 

3. I'm looking into heart healthy because my triglycerides were higher than the cut -off, so I'm trying to bring them down. I'm learning that triglycerides are mostly due to carbs.

In My Kitchen Feb 2026

It's time for February issue of In My Kitchen. I'm joining Sherry of Sherry's Pickings where anyone can join in and share what's happening in their kitchen.  

Last month I bought a few more bowls and matching dishes. There is a company called Potters Studio and I just love their dishes. Whenever Homegoods gets a few pieces, I grab them. These are so cheerful. I've been using them all month.

I've seen other food bloggers share recipes using jackfruit. I saw this bag at Whole Foods and decided to give it a try. I have not tried it yet. Not sure what I will do with it. When I know I'll be posting the recipe.

I like to keep a few butternut squashes on hand. I enjoy roasting them. We usually eat one each week. 

I love this canister . I store tea bags in it and it's so pretty. 

I bought a bag of organic frozen strawberries to make strawberry sherbet which is very easy to make in the food processor. I use frozen bananas and frozen strawberries. You can see a similar sherbet recipe that I made using just tangerines. 

I made the sherbet using the bag of frozen fruit and my food processor. It came out smooth and creamy and is best eaten immediately especially with a few chocolate shavings on top. I did freeze some leftovers in a plastic cup. It was a little hard when I took it out of the freezer the next day, but it thawed somewhat quickly and was able to be enjoyed too. 

This water bottle was a gift from my SIL Danielle. She purchased a water bottle from LULU Lemon and had my Url realfoodblogger.com and my name etched on it. 

This is the strawberry sherbet that I made using the frozen strawberries. It was really delicious, and I topped it with a little coconut granola for my husband. We were eating sherbet before the temps started dropping significantly. Now we are drinking hot tea and eating hot soup. 

We had company one night and a friend brought this vegetable tray for the table. It contained cucumber, tomato, broccoli, olives, chickpeas, beats, hearts of palm, and avocado. I loved her presentation.

The municipal building in Sunny Isles Beach gives out calendars every year to the residents. Each month displays a photo of the area taken by a local resident. It's a fun calendar to have and useful as well. I look forward to getting one each year. 

31 Degree Cold Spell in Miami- Rediculous

This has to be one of the coldest Januaries I can remember in South Florida. It's been in the 50's and 60's most of the month but this coming Sunday morning, temperatures are expected to dip down to 31 degrees—yes, 31! The photo above  is of my friend feeding the sea gulls on our morning walk about 7:30 AM when the temperatures were around 50 degrees.