Instant Pot Amish Friendship Soup

Instant Pot Amish Friendship Soup–a delicious soup mix that you can make and eat now or layer in glass jars and give as gifts! With ground beef, whole grains and legumes it is hearty and will keep you full.

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Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below

Instant Pot Amish Friendship Soup

This is a fun recipe! You can make it ahead of time as a soup mix (for yourself or to gift) or just make it immediately to consume. I was unsure how good it would taste because it doesn’t have a lot of “exciting” ingredients but it was really yummy! It was hearty and homey and tasted amazing with Reagan’s biscuits. It’s a perfect soup to eat for lunch leftovers the next couple of days too.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Ground beef–or ground turkey
• Garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper and Italian seasoning–you can make your own Italian seasoning
• Water and Better than Bouillon Beef Base–or beef broth
• Dried onions–I buy the big container from Costco. You can also use 1 cup of fresh diced onion…just add them in when you brown the ground beef.
• Brown lentils–these will cook at the same rate as the split peas and farro. The other types of lentils cook too quickly.
• Split peas–I like to buy these in the bulk section at Winco or you can find them at Smiths by the other dried grains and beans
• Farro–I found mine at Smiths by the other dried grains and beans
• Diced tomatoes–I prefer petite diced tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Optional: small pasta–like orzo or ditalini

Instructions

You can make this recipe in your Instant Pot or in the slow cooker. Both work great!

How to make in the Instant Pot:

1. Brown the ground beef using the sauté (MORE) setting. If there is excess grease drain it off before adding in the seasonings.
2. Deglaze the pot with the water.
3. Add in beef base, onions, lentils, split peas, farro, tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. I just dumped everything into the pot and did not stir.
4. Set the SOUP button to 6 minutes (if you don’t have a soup button use the pressure cook button). When time is up move valve to venting. If foam comes out then move valve back to sealing for 20 seconds and then try again to move to venting.
5. If you want to add in pasta you can cook it one of two ways. The first way is to cook the pasta on the stove as per the package directions. The second way is to add the pasta into the soup and use the sauté setting. (I didn’t add pasta into my soup at all…it’s a matter of preference.)
6. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. 

I used a 6 quart Instant Pot but you can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.

How to make in the slow cooker:

1. Brown the ground beef and season it. Add the beef into the slow cooker.
2. Add in the water, beef base, onions, lentils, split peas, farro, tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until grain and legumes are cooked. Remember all slow cookers cook differently so you slow cooker might take more or less time.
4. If you want to add in pasta you can cook it one of two ways. The first way is to cook the pasta on the stove as per the package directions. The second way is to add the pasta into the soup at about 5 hours and let it cook on low for an hour.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. 

This can be made in any size crockpot from 3 to 8 quarts.

How to make as a dry soup mix in a jar

If you’d like to share this Amish friendship soup in a dry soup form you’ll need a mason jar. Follow the instructions below to make and share your jar:

1. In a 1 ½ pint jar, layer the split peas, lentils, 2 ½ Tbsp of bouillon granules, farro, dried onion, Italian seasoning and finally the pasta (if using). Seal the jar.
2. Attach a label to the jar that has the remaining instructions on how to make the soup. It should read: Remove pasta from the top of jar to be used later. Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. If there is excess grease, drain it off. Stir in 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp pepper. Add in 8 cups of water. Add in contents of jar (not the pasta). Add in a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and an 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 6 minutes. When time is up move the valve to venting. If foam comes out then move valve back to sealing for 20 seconds and then try again to move to venting. Once all pressure has released, remove the lid. You can cook pasta one of two ways. The first way is to boil the pasta on the stove, drain and then add it into the Instant Pot. The second way is to add the pasta into the soup and use the sauté setting to boil until it is tender. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

(If you’d rather leave out the bouillon granules and use Better Than Bouillon for the jarred version you can do that too. Just make sure to include the 3 tablespoons of Better than Bouillon in the instructions. You’ll add it in when you add in the water.)

Here is a printable document…

What is farro?

Farro is an ancient whole grain that has protein, fiber, nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. Farro is similar in nutrient profile to quinoa. It’s chewy, sort of like barley and has a nutty flavor. Find farro next to other grains at the grocery store.

Can I use something other than farro? The original recipe for Amish friendship soup has barley instead of farro. The reason I switched to farro was because it cooks at the same rate as the lentils and split peas in the pressure cooker. Barley takes quite a bit longer to cook. If you’d like to use something other than farro I suggest using white rice and then using a 5 minute pressure cooking time. You can also add in cooked quinoa, barley, wheat berries or brown rice instead. But you’ll need to add these in after the pressure cooking time is over.

Can I add vegetables?

Feel free to add other vegetables such as carrots and celery into the soup. Add them in with the other ingredients. If you have more tender vegetables, like peas, you will want to add them after the pressure cooking time is over.

How to store leftovers?

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

More Whole Grain Soup Recipes…

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

Instant Pot Lentil Lemon Soup

Instant Pot Sausage Barley Soup

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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