Instant Pot White Bean Soup with Garlic, Mushrooms and Farro

I'm writing this post in early May and although spring is here and the weather is turning warmer, I still find that soup is a super way to enjoy a whole food plant-based diet. In addition, I love that you can make this White Bean Soup with Garlic, Mushrooms, and Farro in the Instant Pot which makes getting dinner on the table faster.

And, it also really cool that most of Dr. Joel Fuhrman's G-BOMBS are in this soup. He considers them to be the healthies anti-cancer foods and recommends eating them every day. Add a crunchy spinach salad topped with a few nuts and have a few berries for dessert and you'll have all six of them - greens, beans, onions, mushroom, berries, and nuts or seeds. Oh, and don't forget berries, which you could have with dessert.

You've probably heard about the Instant Pot by now, but if you haven't I'll just tell you that it's really a time saver, especially for beans which are such an important part of our diets that Dr. Fuhrman says you should have 1/2 cup of them every day.

So for this recipe, you could use either dry cannellini beans or white navy beans, either will work. And, you don't need to soak them, either.

The addition of red Thai curry paste adds a subtle flavor so don't worry about the heat. Just throw everything but the canned tomatoes into the post, turn it on manual and high and cook for about 22-25 minutes. And, remember that if for some reason your beans aren't as soft as you like, you can always put the Instant Pot on for another 5-7 minutes. Beans can vary a lot depending on their age so you might need to make adjustments.

I also want to talk a little about mushrooms because they have been shown to be anti-cancer. For this recipe, you can even make it easier on yourself by buying mushrooms that are already sliced. And, you can mix up the types of mushrooms you use. Some are more expensive than others, but they are all very healthful - even the regular ol' white button mushrooms.

And, I'll also mention that farro is a grain much like rice (without the arsenic). I love its chewy texture and whole grains are associated with living longer according to Harvard researchers.

Soups are great to have as leftovers and I find them handy when I'm craving a snack. This keeps me from snacking on higher fat choices like toast and peanut butter or crackers and store-bought hummus. Let's celebrate soup for its yummy whole food plant-based goodness and make this soup for yourself and your loved ones, soon.

Stove-Top Versions

For a stove-top version, you could use store-bought canned beans. I like the no-salt Eden brand. Then throw everything into a large soup pot or saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms first and cook about 30 minutes so the flavors have a chance to meld.

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Instant Pot White Bean Soup with Garlic, Mushrooms and Farro recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Instagram page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!