Instant Pot Sausage Soup with Pesto

Directions

Chop the onion and green bell pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM, and cook the onion and bell pepper 2-3 minutes or until barely starting to brown. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer. While those aromatic ingredients cook, drain garbanzos into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water. if you'd like smaller chunks of beans in the soup, but we didn't do that this time. ) Push onions and peppers to the side, add the other teaspoon of olive oil, and crumble the Italian Sausage into the Instant Pot. Cook sausage, breaking apart with the turner, until sausage is nicely browned. Add the chicken broth, petite diced tomatoes, drained garbanzo beans , Italian Herb Seasoning , and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the Instant Pot. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 5 minutes. When cooking time is up, let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure. Add the basil pesto and set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, LOW and cook about 5-1o minutes more to blend flavors. Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and saute the onion and green bell pepper.   Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Add the vegetables to soup pot with the chicken broth, petite diced tomatoes, Italian Herb Seasoning , and red pepper flakes start to simmer the soup over medium heat. Heat the other teaspoon of oil in the frying pan, squeeze the sausage out of the links, and brown the sausage, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks. While the sausage browns, rinse garbanzo beans as above, and mash if desired. Add the browned Italian sausage and drained beans to the soup, turn heat to low, and simmer about 30 minutes. After the soup has simmered enough to blend flavors. stir in the basil pesto and cook about 10 minutes more. Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.