Low Sodium No Soak Beans (Instant Pot)-Guest Blog

Beans are one of the best things you can eat when managing diabetes. Even though they contain carbs, they are also loaded with fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic, fiber slows the absorption of sugar and helps improve blood glucose levels.

Why dried beans?
Beans you cook yourself taste so much better than beans from a can. You can cook them without salt, which especially important if you’re following a low sodium diet. And they are cheaper than their canned cousins.

You can cook dried beans in a slow cooker or on top of the stove, but pressure cooking is by far my favorite way to do it. I don’t have to remember to soak the beans ahead of time and I don’t have to keep an eye on the pot. Also, pressure cooking may preserve more nutrients by reducing cook times.

Recipes for No Soak Beans
Make yourself a pot of beans on the weekend and then plan to use them during the week in dishes like:

Sweet Potato Bean Dip
Barley Salad with Black Beans, Avocado, and Corn
Black Bean Soup with Cilantro-Lime Cream
Tex-Mex Burrito Bowl with Lime Avocado Sauce
Black Bean Burger with Sriracha and Egg
White Beans with Kale
White Beans with Tomatoes
Queen Creek Pasta Fagiole
Tortellini Soup with Cannellini Beans and Spinach
Spicy Black and White Bean Brownies

You can also add cooked beans to salads and soups. If you can’t possibly eat that many beans in a week (a 1-pound bag makes 6 cups of cooked beans), freeze them in portion sizes of 1-1/2 cups. That’s roughly equivalent to a 15-ounce can of beans. Just pull out and thaw a serving whenever you have a recipe that calls for a can of beans.

Low Sodium No Soak Beans (Instant Pot)

An easy way to cook dried beans that requires no soaking or planning ahead

Ingredients 

• 1 pound dried beans (unsoaked) rinsed
• 5 cups vegetable broth, chicken stock, or water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Combine the beans and broth in the electric pressure cooker. Drizzle the oil on top. (The oil will help control the foam produced by the cooking beans.)
2. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Set the valve to “Sealing.”
3. For black beans, cook on HIGH pressure for 25 minutes.
4. For pinto beans, navy beans, or Great Northern beans, cook on HIGH pressure for 30 minutes.
5. For cannellini beans, cook on HIGH pressure for 40 minutes.
6. When the cooking is complete, hit CANCEL and do a NATURAL release for 20 minutes. Turn the pressure valve to “Venting” to release any remaining pressure.
7. Once the pin drops, unlock and remove the lid.
8. Let the beans cool, then refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Recipe Notes
You can freeze cooked beans in 1-1/2 cup portions and use them whenever a recipe calls for a 15-ounce can of beans.

Nutritional Information
Serving Size: 1/2 cup. Calories: 141. Fat: 2g; Sodium 5mg; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 24g; Fiber 6g; Sugar 1g.

Guest Blog Bio

Shelby Kinnaird is the Founder and Publisher of Diabetic Foodie, a website featuring recipes and tips for people with diabetes. Her motto is “a diabetes diagnosis is not a dietary death sentence.” Shelby is also the author of The Pocket Carbohydrate Counter Guide for Diabetes: Simple Nutritional Strategies to Lower Your Blood Sugar. A passionate diabetes advocate, Shelby runs two support groups in Richmond, VA.

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