We started unpacking cookbooks that had been in storage for over a year in our new house. I forgot how many I have! Mr. Bookdwarf and I decided to make a recipe from each cookbook, as a way to try new recipes and to test that they’re worthy of keeping. Last night, we cooked this Winter Minestrone from David Tanis’s One Good Dish.

As an aside, you should also know is that I got an Instapot for Christmas this year. Did I (or you) need another kitchen appliance? Honestly, after living in a temporary apartment with not much of my kitchen stuff, I realized there was a lot I didn’t need could get rid of. But this device is many things in one—pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice maker, yogurt, and more. I’ve used it a few times and had fantastic results.

Tanis’s recipe is quite simple. Sauté some aromatics,  add pancetta or bacon and cook for a few minues. Then cook cannellini beans that have been soaked overnight in 6 cups water for 1 1/2-2 hours. Meanwhile, you roast some winter squash to add to the beans at the end. I simply adapted the recipe to use non-soaked white beans with water in the Instapot on the pressure cooker bean setting after sauteing the aromatics and bacon on the sauté setting. It took about 45 minutes until the beans were tender and creamy. And we used acorn squash—a complete pain to peel FYI—roasting it with olive oil, s&p, and a dash of red pepper flakes for 35 minutes. I also threw some bacon to crisp up toward the end of the squash cooking for garnish because I’m fancy like that.

This was both easy and delicious and I would definitely make it again! I can’t wait to pick another cookbook to try.