5 Must-Try Instant Pot Recipes
As we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, I can’t help but think about all the fantastic food we enjoy during this time of year. There’s just nothing like a beautiful table full of your favorite foods and your favorite humans sitting around it, enjoying the meal together. My Thanksgiving was absolutely lovely, and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it enough, but my husband is an INCREDIBLE cook. I love his food. And him. DUH. But seriously, anything he makes is Just. So. Good. And I love to eat, so it works out.
Side note: For those of you who don’t know, when I met Elliot, I had no interest in dating him because he wasn’t “my type”. LOLZ. He asked me out a few times and I dodged it flawlessly (hehe I’m very smooth). At some point, we were chatting and he mentioned that he loved to cook and had gone to culinary school and I was like “yes okay hm I’m available Friday”.
And now we’re happily married with two pups. Dreams come true, y’all.
Let me be clear, there is one major downside to being married to a wonderful man who makes the yummiest food. Sounds ridiculous, but bear with me. The problem is, he’s not around 24/7 to make food all the time, and my food is just not as good. I am not a great cook, and I usually go for the “quick and easy” recipes, which tend to be less delicious. Half the time, I’m spoiled with wonderful food and the other half of the time, my food is just okay. I know, it’s a catastrophe of epic proportions. ANYWAY, as a result, I have been trying to amp up my skills in the kitchen in an attempt to enjoy the recipes I make.
Enter: The Instant Pot.
I don’t know about you, but it seems like EVERYONE has been talking about the Instant Pot lately. I’m not sure if its the busyness of the season that has everyone strapped for time or the convenience of being able to cook a bunch of things in one pot, but it’s been a hot topic.
Before we get too deep into this discussion, I have to get this out in the open. At first, I was not in favor of the Instant Pot.
GASP.
I know, I know. Forgive me.
The first time I heard of it was two years ago when Elliot was convinced he needed one. Plot twist: He didn’t. We had a crock pot, and slow cookers rock. Everything that you can cook in an Instant Pot, you can make on the stove or in a crock pot, so I was firmly against getting one more appliance that we wouldn’t use. There was LITERALLY no reason we would need one, and I knew for CERTAIN that I would never use something like that to cook.
But after a year and a half of him not dropping it, I agreed to let him put it on the wedding registry and we got one. I opened it this fall for one reason and one reason only: to warm some apple cider. Well, since then, we have used it more than our oven, and I may be hooked.
A lot of the people I’ve talked to about it are hesitant because they don’t know what to make in it. It’s hard to start using a new tool to make the same meals you’ve always made. I get that. But I had to start somewhere, so I am sharing the top 5 recipes we’ve tried that are total hits and made me a believer. Trust me, they’re winners.
This recipe rocks. I prefer rice to noodles, so I was super stoked to find this. I used brown rice, so it took a total of 12 minutes to cook, and maybe 20 minutes of prep. It uses the saute setting to cook the chicken and veggies a little before adding the broth, so it’s nice to only have to wash the pot and the cutting board. Plus, it’s really yummy! Everyone loved it.
Elliot just made this a few days ago and it is DELICIOUS. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, and almost all of it is probably already in your pantry. It cooks for less than 30 minutes total, and the meat is so tender, its really unbelievable.
Okay, so technically this is a slow cooker recipe, but the Instant Pot has a slow cooker setting, so you could use it, and I’m counting it. This is a tried and true favorite, and everyone loves it. It’s creamy and cozy and SO easy. I like to bake some biscuits to use as the “crust”, and layer them on top.
This right here is something you would order at an Italian restaurant and everyone would be jealous of your meal. It is SO good!! We made it for my grandmother’s birthday dinner and it was a huge hit! It’s so creamy and filling; your whole family will love it. One word of advice: the Instant Pot is only so big, so maybe think twice before you decide to triple the recipe for a big family dinner. LOL.
For an Asian twist on dinner, this recipe is a great choice! Super flavorful and done in about 30 minutes, what’s better than that?? Serve it over a bed of rice with some broccoli and you have a delicious meal that probably took the same amount of time as ordering Chinese. WINNING.
Now you have absolutely no excuse for not pulling your Instant Pot out of the box and really figuring out how helpful it is on busy nights. It’s been a lifesaver for us, since we’re constantly on the go right now. Try one of these recipes and let me know how it went! Better yet, find one on your own and try it, then come back and leave the link in the comments so we can all try something new!