White Bean Carrot and Kale Soup

I was gifted an Instant Pot last Christmas by my in-laws.  I had high hopes of using it right away, but getting pregnant took away my desire to cook for a while.  For the last 2 months I have been using it constantly!  I actually have a freezer with tons of soups and stews in it now for when baby arrives soon and I won't want to cook again.  I made this in the instant pot, but I'm including a stove top version as well.

Tomatoes unfortunately give me heartburn, so it is hard to find soup recipes that don't call for tomatoes.  If anyone has a soup or stew recipe without tomatoes let me know!

White Bean Carrot and Kale Soup

1.5 pounds fresh navy beans or 1 pound dried white beans (rinsed and soaked according to bag instructions)*
1 TBS olive oil
2 slices of bacon chopped (or some ham or sausage chopped up) *
1 large onion chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
4-6 large carrots chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
6 cups chicken broth for fresh beans or 8 cups for dried beans*
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
As much cleaned and chopped Kale as you want!  I used about one bunch (Can also use fresh or frozen spinach here)

Instant Pot instructions:

Set pot to "Saute" function.  Add oil to pan and saute bacon or other meat until browned and cooked.  Add onions, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes stirring every once in a while.  Add beans, broth and spices to pot and stir to combine.  Seal lid and set to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes for fresh beans and 25 minutes for dried beans.  Force release after 5 minutes.  Set to "saute" setting again and add Kale, cook until Kale is tender.  Add more salt to taste depending upon your taste.

Stove Top Instructions:

Add oil to large stockpot and saute bacon or other meat over medium/high heat until browned and cooked.  Add onions, celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes stirring every once in a while.  Add beans, broth and spices to pot and stir to combine.  Cook over medium/high heat for 30 minutes for fresh beans and 40-50 minutes for dried beans.  Add more liquid if getting too thick and beans aren't cooked yet. 
Cook until beans are tender.  Add Kale to pot and cook until Kale is tender - about 5-10 minutes.  Add more salt to taste depending upon your taste.

*Our local grocery store sells frozen fresh beans - I prefer these to dried beans - taste better to me :)

*  Depending upon the temperature you cook this soup at you may need to add more broth or water if soup is too thick for your liking.

*  You can also make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.