I have to admit this here – like a huge chunk of the population, I fell for the hype and got an Instant Pot this past November.  After I got mine, I found out that it fit into my kitchen routine quite nicely.  It paid for itself within weeks of buying, just by allowing me to get food ready quickly on and not having to resort to takeout.   You can cook dried beans in there without having to have remembered to soak them, adding only about 10 minutes of cooking time.  While I prefer to have defrosted and seasoned my meat before cooking, it is possible to cook meats and chicken parts from frozen, also adding just a bit to the total cooking time.

I mainly got it because I have wanted a pressure cooker for a while, but wasn’t too comfortable with fiddling with a stove top version.

I got the Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker

*any purchase made through this link will help support my blog
I don’t think I have yet utilized all it’s functions, but I have used the pressure cooker function too many times to count, and regularly make use of the steamer function for fish, potatoes, or veggies.

Now, on to the recipe at hand. My son requested this several times in the last week, so I made sure to put green beans on the list when I went shopping this week.  Instead of the more tomatoey Beef and Potato Green Bean Stew,  we wanted something lighter and a bit closer to the flavor of a beefy soup.  I used beef broth for the liquid, and 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste.   My eleven year old and 4 year old both polished off their bowls, so it was definitely met with approval. You could always make this recipe in any pressure cooker you own, stove top or electric.

Green Bean Beef Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
½ a large bell pepper, sliced or chopped
1 lb beef cubes for stew
1-2 teaspoons allspice
½  teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½-1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-2″ pieces (you can substitute frozen cut green beans)
1-2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Liquid to cover (beef broth, vegetable broth, or water)
1-2 cardamom pods (optional)
Start the Instant Pot on sauté to heat up.  Add oil, onion, garlic, beef, bell pepper, and spices. Sauté 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of salt.

Add liquid to cover plus about an inch. Add lid and set to High (or the meat/stew setting) for 20 minutes, then Quick Release.

Add  green beans, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, and cardamom pods (if using). Return lid of Instant Pot and set pressure to high or meat/stew for 10 more minutes. Let pressure release naturally.

*Note – we wanted the liquid to be more focused on the beef broth flavor and thus used a light amount of tomato paste as listed in the ingredients. If you prefer a stronger tomato flavor, you can double the tomato paste amount.