Tomatillo Poblano White Beans (Instant Pot)
Tomatillo poblano white beans in a tart green salsa with poblano and jalapeño. Vegan, gluten-free, ready in 40 minutes in the Instant Pot.
I made this tonight in the Instant Pot with my Mom and it absolutely blew my mind.
The setup: I’m not vegan. I scroll Facebook a normal amount. A post from Dora’s Table came through my feed — Dora R. featuring a recipe from Kathy Hester’s cookbook The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot — and the photo stopped me mid-scroll. White beans simmering in this almost-glowing green salsa. I read the ingredient list. Tomatillos, poblanos, onion, jalapeño, cumin, oregano, beans. That’s it.
I bought the cookbook on the spot. (Affiliate link above — if you cook Mexican food at home, this book will earn its place on your shelf even if you eat meat.) Then I drove to the mercado, picked up tomatillos and poblanos, and got to work.
If you’ve ever had a chile relleno smothered in salsa verde, that’s the flavor zone we’re in here. Except instead of a stuffed pepper, you get creamy Great Northern beans soaking up all that tart, slightly smoky, herbaceous green sauce. It’s the kind of dish that doesn’t announce itself. You take one bite and pause. Then take another bite to confirm you’re not making it up.
We served it over white rice with kale stirred in at the end. The kale was my Mom’s idea and it was the right call — it adds a little chew and bulks the dish out into a full meal. The rice catches the sauce. You eat it with a spoon.
A few notes from making it tonight:
- Soak the beans. Don’t skip it. The recipe says 8 to 12 hours. I did 10 and they came out creamy with no graininess.
- Pulse the salsa, don’t puree it. You want little flecks of poblano and tomatillo, not a smooth sauce. Texture matters here.
- Let the pressure release naturally. If you quick-release, the beans can split. Patience pays off.
- The sauce thickens as it sits. If you have leftovers, they’re better the next day.
Full credit to Kathy Hester for the recipe and Dora R. for putting it on my radar. The version below is theirs. The kale and rice are how my Mom and I served it tonight. The blown-mind reaction is mine.
If you make this, I’d love to hear about it. Drop a comment below.
Tomatillo Poblano White Beans (Instant Pot)
Tomatillo poblano white beans in a tart green salsa with poblano and jalapeño. Vegan, gluten-free, ready in 40 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
Sauté
Pressure cooker
To serve (how I made it)
Instructions
- Add the tomatillos, poblano, onion, and jalapeño to a blender or food processor. Pulse until the vegetables are in small pieces. You want texture, not a smooth puree.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté on normal or medium. Pour in the blended vegetables, add the cumin, and stir. Cook about 4 minutes to soften the onion and bloom the cumin.
- Add the soaked beans, water, and oregano. Stir to combine. Seal the lid. Make sure the steam release valve is in the sealed position.
- Cook on manual at high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally. Don't rush this part with a quick release.
- If there's more liquid than you want, switch to sauté and simmer to reduce.
- Optional but recommended: stir in chopped kale during the final simmer until it wilts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over white rice.
Notes
Stovetop version: Skip the dried beans and use canned. Pulse the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, and poblano. Simmer the salsa 8 to 10 minutes in a pot. Add canned beans and simmer 5 more minutes. Thin with vegetable stock or water if needed. Season to taste.
Make it spicier: Leave the jalapeño seeds in, or add a second jalapeño. The poblano itself is mild.
Make it richer: A spoonful of crema or a crumble of queso fresco on top is not vegan but it is delicious.
