Pressure Cooker Red Beans

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb smoked sausage, like andouille
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 3 stalks celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 lb dry uncooked red beans
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 6 cups cooked rice

Directions

1. Cut the smoked sausage into rounds. Pour the olive oil into the multi-function pressure cooker or a skillet, add the sausage, and sauté until the pieces are browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. When the sausage has good color, lift it out with a slotted spoon. As it cooks, finely chop the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and mince the garlic.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot after the sausage comes out. Sauté for another 5 minutes, until the onion has softened and turned translucent. The liquid released by the vegetables should loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
3. Rinse the beans and pick through them, discarding any debris or bad beans. Put the beans in the pot with the cooked sausage, thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne, freshly cracked pepper, about 20 cranks from a pepper mill, chicken broth, and water. Stir everything together.
4. Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and seal the vent. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, using either the manual setting or the bean/chili setting on the Instant Pot and adjusting the time to 35 minutes. Allow the pressure to come down naturally as the pot cools. Check the beans; they should be extremely soft. If they need more time, lock the lid again, seal the vent, and cook on high power for an additional 20 minutes.
5. When the beans are very soft, stir them and press some against the side of the pot with the back of a large spoon until the liquid becomes thicker. Taste, then season with salt as needed, starting with a teaspoon and adding more until the flavors come alive.
6. Spoon about 1.5 cups of red beans into a bowl, add 1 cup rice on top, and finish with a sprinkle of sliced green onions.