Print This Post
Bison Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot: Hearty, flavor-filled, meaty, beany soup gets made easily in the Instant Pot. Fling lots of chopped cilantro, cheese and tortilla chips on top for fun!
Did you take your Instant Pot out of its box yet? Are you still afraid of it? Don’t worry, it’s easy. This recipe will take you through its paces. A friend wasn’t using her IP and gave it to me (sans box or booklet), and when I got it home, I just looked at it and said, “You are not that hard! I can conquer you!” Don’t we all talk to our appliances?
Let’s make some Tortilla Soup for dinner tonight, and instead of my usual ground turkey or beef, let’s use ground bison (buffalo meat), so it’s Bison Soup.
We’ll saute the onion and bison in the pot first, then add the beans, tomatoes, herbs and spices, and set it to pressure cook while we go and check email. We’ll come back to a steaming pot of delicious, hearty bison soup.
And for the final flourish, we’ll fling fresh cilantro, shredded cheese and some tortilla chips on top, because it’s the law. Right? Or at least it’s the law in Southern California.
Questions and answers about Bison Soup
What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?
Make this in your soup pot on top of the stove, as usual. (If you want to get an Instant Pot, the 6-quart DUO is what I have and it seems fine!)
What if I can’t get bison?
You may absolutely substitute ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey for the bison, if you can’t find bison.
Why should I use bison?
Bison, aka buffalo meat, is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than beef. It has a slightly lighter flavor, and is more likely to be grass-fed than beef. It’s a great source of lean protein.
All right…let’s make Bison Tortilla Soup for dinner!
Bison Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot: Hearty, flavor-filled, meaty, beany soup gets made easily in the Instant Pot. Fling lots of chopped cilantro, cheese and tortilla chips on top for fun!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pound ground bison (or use lean ground beef or ground turkey)
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, no- or low-salt version preferred
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups broth (chicken, beef or vegetable, low- or no-salt version preferred)
- Garnishes: Fresh chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, shredded cheese
Directions
- Plus the Instant Pot in and push the "saute" button, add the oil, and when it is hot, add the chopped onion. Saute the onion for 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until it is starting to brown a bit. Add the bison and saute, stirring frequently, until it is browned. Add the garlic and saute and stir for another minute or 2.
- Add drained beans, tomatoes in their juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano, broth and a pinch of salt (omit salt if you have used salted ingredients).
- Lock lid on and set to 15 minutes on high. When cooking time has elapsed, allow the pot to slow release naturally, which will take another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve into bowls, and garnish the top with chopped cilantro, some shredded cheese if you like, and stand a few tortilla chips in each bowl.
- Serves 4.
Notes
Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious
Pin the image below to your Pinterest board!
Want to try another super easy soup?
Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Pea Taco Soup
This post was originally published Sept. 20, 2018 and has been refreshed and republished today. This post may contain affiliate/referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees (at no cost to you) by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services that I approve and prefer.
Thanks for visiting…are you hungry for more? Follow Shockingly Delicious on…
FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
…for all the latest recipes, ideas and updates!
Welcome to my kitchen!
At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Next Comments →
I love tortilla soup! I can’t wait to try it with Bison! Sounds SO delicious!
I love a hearty dish like this Dorothy and Bison is relatively easy to find in Colorado too so that’s a plus. So many great recipes, so little time!
And yes I was a chicken at first too…bet the IP sat in a cabinet for a year before I dove in. Have never looked back!
Barb,
It’s funny how we let some appliances intimidate us for awhile. I say reclaim your spot at the top of the food chain!
What a great idea to use bison to make this beautiful tortilla soup Dorothy! I can’t wait to try you version!!
Bison Tortilla Soup This couldn’t look any more perfect!
Nice! Bison’s such a great choice and this soup sounds fabulous!
Yum! I love this soup! It’s so yummy and tasty!
I have never cooked with bison. This is a definite must try. P.S. I have the same IP.
Karen,
I guess we prolly got our IPs at around the same time. There are so many models out there. In general, I am a fan of the simpler, the better.
I was able to find bison meat when we lived in the Bay Area, and need to see if I can get it in Reno! This looks fabulously hearty and delicious.
Susan,
Your carnivore will LOVE this!
This is perfect for those days I haven’t planned anything for dinner! Most of these ingredients are in my kitchen and it’s such a speedy way to make chili!
This will be a sure hit all fall long!
Wow, what an interesting soup. An interesting mix of ingredients. I would like to try it for dinner. THANK YOU!
I have to try this chili! It looks and sounds great!
This looks fantastic! I’m so excited for soup season!
I love this! looks so good!
I love for this kind of soup! Instant Pot makes it easier!
I love bison. It’s available in my local markets but is pretty expensive. I wait for the sales. But I love it for all the reasons you mentioned. It satisfies my red meat craving with less fat.
Michelle,
I did notice that it is more expensive than beef, in general, but you’re right. You can find sales, and stock up.
I want to try this soup immediately! So, so goood! Very well! Looks tasty!
Its so hard to find great recipes for Bison and we are big bison lovers! I have put the rest of the ingredients on the list so I can make this over the weekend… it sounds just heavenly!
We actually have bison farms, here in Wisconsin, and yours is the first recipe I have seen that calls for bison meat! We are Instant Pot fanatics here (made a frozen pork shoulder tonight) and this versatile tortilla soup recipe is completely tempting my taste buds!
Dan,
Wonderful! I do hope you try it. I have been cooking with bison more. It is lean, and generally cleanly raised, and we love the flavor!
Oh man! I am so ready for soup weather and this looks great! Can’t wait to try it!
Sara,
And I cannot wait to see your brand new Instant Pot cookbook! I know I’m gonna like it. 🙂