Instant Pot. Two words that seem so simple, and are just that…SIMPLE! I love to cook, but with two little girls (ages 6 and 3 ½), I don’t have the luxury to chop, sauté, brown, let sit, then chop and sauté some more. I aim for easy AND healthy meals. Those are my goals when I’m searching Pinterest for a recipe that fits whatever I happen to have around the house. I try to follow Beachbody’s 21-day fix meal plan, so most of my recipes do center around fulfilling what’s on my plan for the day, but surely anyone can use the Instant Pot, no matter what meal plan you are following.
To explain further, the Instant Pot is NOT a Crockpot. Although some Instant Pots have a slow cooker mode, the premise behind the Instant Pot is to cook quickly and efficiently. It’s like a pressure cooker, but not scary or possibly dangerous. Anyone go to work for the day and realize that you didn’t pull any meat out of the freezer? Yea, that’s my life story. Well, you can cook from frozen or fresh in 30 minutes or less, depending on the size of your meat. You can also sauté in the same pot, which equals fewer dishes to do. For example, you can sauté some onions and ground beef, and then add in the liquid and whatever seasonings are called for, put the top on and boom! You can be done 20 minutes later, while you sip on some wine and sit down. The Instant Pot works with whatever liquid is added, in order to “come to pressure” and cook the meat thoroughly.
The first recipe I made in my Instant Pot was chicken tortilla soup.
What’s so wonderful about this recipe is that you literally dump everything in, close the top and let it come to pressure and cook. From start to finish this recipe can be done in about 30 min (maybe a little more including the chopping of some onion). The time could also change depending on if your meat is frozen or not, but still… 40 min to cook a soup that tastes like it’s been cooking ALL day! Not too shabby to me. This one was a crowd pleaser for sure.
Other “go-to” recipes for me simply include placing frozen chicken breasts or thighs in the Instant Pot and adding in a cup of liquid per pound, along with any seasoning I want. For example, I like to do shredded buffalo chicken, so all I do is add in buffalo sauce, honey and some apple cider vinegar. After it’s done cooking, you can shred it and put it on salad or a wrap and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and blue cheese.In place of the Frank’s Red Hot, you could use teriyaki sauce, and put it over brown rice. **Below I’ve posted some links to other recipes I’ve enjoyed**
One more thing, there are Facebook groups where there are more “professional” Instant Pot cookers and they answer any and all questions! They also post recipes that have worked well for them. Some even make their own yogurt! I haven’t gotten that far into the realm of what the instant pot is capable of, but I am very satisfied with what I have been able to do with frozen meats. So, if you’re unsure about purchasing the Instant Pot, I say throw away any doubt and go for it! Your sanity will thank you.
Recipes:
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni Hamburger Helper (I used whole wheat elbow pasta and ground turkey to lighten it up)
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken (similar to how I make most of my chicken and substitute different liquids)
10 Chicken Recipes (again, more simple ways to make shredded chicken)
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