Step 1

Rinse the lentils and look them over for any debris or malformed lentils.

Step 2

Put the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped.

Step 3

Choose the sauté button on the Instant Pot. When the oil is hot, sauté the chopped vegetables for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 4

Add the vegetable broth to the pot and scrape any browned bits, if necessary.

Step 5

Add the rinsed lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.

Step 6

Make sure the steam release knob is in the sealing position. Select the pressure cook function, high pressure, and set the timer for 6 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes and then carefully release the remaining pressure.

Step 7

Drain off any excess liquids.

Step 8

Serve the lentils with crusty French bread.