Instant Pot Ham and Beans (and the Family Farm)

This Instant Pot Ham and Beans recipe has all the flavor but are much quicker to make with little prep work, including no soaking of beans needed. Ham and beans are one of those classics that brings back those memories of Grandma and days gone by.

Growing up, our grandma would often fix ham and beans and invite our family over for dinner. Well, today Barbara and her family live in our grandparents’ house on our family farm, and she fixes these Instant Pot Ham and Beans in the same kitchen as Grandma.

Our Family Farm

The farm and the land in the photo above has been in our family for close to 90 years. Our grandparents moved into the house when they were married in the mid-1930s. Our dad and his three brothers grew up in that house. Barbara is now raising her three children there.

Growing up, our grandpa and our dad farmed together (with Uncle Sam, our mom’s brother). Today, our dad and Kevin, Barbara’s husband, farm this land, the original farm where our grandpa (and we) grew up, and more acres added over the years. So, Dad is the third generation and Kevin is the fourth generation of our family to farm this land.

And those 10 children above? Hopefully, they will be the fifth generation to care for that same land.

Improving the Land through Technology

Times have changed since our grandpa used horses to plow the fields, sow the seeds and harvest the crops. Technology has helped us implement conservation and other practices to farm better using less – less fuel, less chemicals, less equipment.

It is kind of hard to believe that there were less than 80 years between the top photo and the bottom photo above! In those 80 years, our grandpa, our dad and now Kevin have worked to not only grow crops to support their families, but also adapt and change with the times so that the land stays healthy and productive for another 80-plus years.

It has been 20 years since our dad began using a conservation farming practice called no-till (check out The Farmer’s Life blog post for more details on what no-till is) to plant soybeans. In 2007, he moved to 100 percent no-till for both corn and soybeans. No-till keeps the residue on the top of the ground which improves the soil’s organic matter and keeps the soil intact helping prevent runoff.

Hopefully, you can see how the ground hasn’t been plowed in the photo above. The tracks you see are where the seeds have been planted.

Conserving the Land

A few other practices our family does to conserve the resources used to grow a crop each year include:

• Soil sampling so they know exactly what each field needs to grow a crop each season so they use the right (not too little or too much) fertilizer;
• Precision application of fertilizer so the plants get what they need at the right time, in the right form and at the right place.
• And many others that would make this post way too long and you are just wanting that Instant Pot Ham and Beans recipe!

If you have any questions about how we farm, please ask in the comments below. We may have to go to the “experts” (Dad and Kevin) for the answer but we’ll get them.

At the end of the day, we rely on the same ground as our grandpa to raise a crop each and every year. We try new techniques and equipment to farm better. Some work, some don’t. We adapt and change and hopefully get better so that down the road one, or three, or all 10 of that 5th generation (and their children and grandchildren) will live on the same land.

Instant Pot Ham and Beans

Instead of using dried herbs for flavor, Barbara used refrigerated pesto in this Instant Pot Ham and Beans recipe. It was perfect.

If you don’t have a leftover ham bone in the refrigerator or freezer, you can use a couple ham hocks for this dish.

Also, you do NOT have to soak the dried beans ahead of time. Just give them a rinse, drain and go. Be sure to pick out the broken or shriveled beans, they don’t cook up nicely.

On a side note, there are many factors that can affect the length of time needed to cook beans in a pressure cooker such as the age of the dried beans, salt content, etc.). Follow the instructions in the manual for your electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot for the guidelines, and be prepared to undercook the beans and finish them using the simmer mode.

Serve with OR over cornbread. Our grandma would also serve with her homemade catsup (or ketchup)!

Ingredient List

• Dried Great Northern Beans, Pinto Beans, Dried Cannellini Beans or other white beans
• Leftover ham bone (preferably with a generous amount of meat still on the bone) or smoked ham hock
• Carrots, sliced
• Celery stalks, diced
• Onion, diced
• Chicken broth, chicken stock, or water (or a mixture)
• Prepared pesto
• Minced garlic
• Vegetable oil

How to Make Ham and Bean Soup in the Instant Pot

Step by Step Instructions

1. Rinse and drain dried beans. Pick over and discard any broken or shrivel beans. You do not need to presoak beans.
2. Add all ingredients to the electric pressure cooker cooking pot, and stir.
3. Cover with lid, and seal.
4. Select high pressure, and set timer for 35 minutes. When done cooking, let pressure release naturally.
5. Remove lid and remove ham shank. Pull off any ham that is clinging to the bone and add back to the beans. Also check to see if the beans are fully cooked.
6. If they are not, set cooker to simmer and allow to cook with the lid removed until the desired doneness.
7. Serve with corn bread, if desired.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Don’t have an Instant Pot? Try our easy stovetop version of Ham and Beans using Randall Beans.

Recipe Variations

• Pesto can be omitted, if desired.
• Use your favorite variety of dried beans.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add or subtract any of the veggies.
• For heat, add red pepper flakes.
• Add a bay leaf. Be sure to discard before eating.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Ham and Beans

This Instant Pot Ham and Beans recipe has all the flavor but are much quicker to make with little prep work, including no soaking of beans needed. Ham and beans are one of those classics that brings back those memories of Grandma and days gone by.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: instant pot ham and beans

Servings: 6

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

• 16 oz. dried Great Northern Beans
• 1 leftover ham bone preferably with a generous amount of meat still on the bone or 1 ham hock
• 2 carrots sliced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 8 cups chicken broth or water or a mixture
• 2 Tablespoons prepared pesto
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Instructions

• Rinse and drain dried beans. Pick over and discard any broken or shrivel beans. You do not need to presoak beans.
• Add all ingredients to the electric pressure cooker cooking pot.
• Cover and lock lid.
• Select high pressure, and set timer for 35 minutes.
• When done cooking, let pressure release naturally.
• Remove lid and remove ham bone. Pull off any ham that is clinging to the bone and add back to the beans. Also check to see if the beans are fully cooked.
• If they are not, set cooker to simmer and allow to cook with the lid removed until the desired doneness.
• Serve with corn bread, if desired.

This is a sponsored post written by us on behalf of The Glass Barn which is funded by the Indiana Soybean Alliance. All opinions are 100% our own.

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