easy recipes for instant pot?

Ed1937

I got an instant pot for Christmas, but I'm not much of a cook. Since these things are so popular now, I thought some of you might have recipes that take little hands on time, and is full of flavor. Any suggestions are appreciated. We can all use something like that.

Mint

Ed hope people drop by with a lot of recipes for you.  Cook a lot but don’t have an instapot.

Ed1937

Sayra, here is a thread we had a couple of years ago. There are several recipes, and links to other threads like that. You have a post or two on there. https://www.alzconnected.org/discussion.aspx?g=posts&t=2147542076  

Mint

Thank you

M1

Ed hate to say it--my family gave me one last year, and although they use theirs a lot, I have used mine once.  I bought a couple of books of Instant Pot recipes--but I guess I'm just an old dog on this one.  It's sitting on the pantry shelf taking up space.

Rick4407

Ed, I had to go to google to find out what an instant pot was.  I've got no help for you.  Rick

Lorita

MI  - same here.  I bought one from QVC thinking it would be just the thing to use.  I tried cooking beans in it one time and they didn't come out too good.  A friend even gave me a cookbook for the instant pot.  I will try again - people who have and use them think they're the best thing since sliced bread.  Guess I'm just old fashioned.

Beachfan

Ed,

For awhile, every time I turned around, my daughter was creating meals out of the “insta pot” and raving about them.  (Somehow, a 1/2 hour roast that should take 4-5 hours slow cooked in the oven baffled me).  The pot has disappeared, replaced by the “air fryer” and magical meals produced in a flash.  I’ll ask her about her phantom insta pot  recipes.

I’m a dinosaur, I guess.  The kids fire up an air fryer down the shore; I don’t touch it and it takes up too much room.  For Christmas, DS and daughter-in-law gave me a Keurig coffee maker.  It’s OK, but takes up too much room.  Some things are better left “old school”.  

Rescue mom

This made me smile, and (like other matters) not feel so alone….I also had an insta-pot.

Apparently there are some things an instapot does, like make rice or yogurt, that are great. You just program it for whatever function you want. But the only things I wanted/used the instapot for, were the same things I did in my crockpot, easier. 

I think it did cook some root veggies, like beets and yams, faster with the “pressure cooker” function. But it was only about 15 minutes faster, and it took me that long to set up the instapot for that.

Ed, and most people are more tech-savvy than I.. Plus, everybody eats different. If I ate more rice and yogurt, for example, it would be more useful.

But for me, the best way to describe instapot, is not that it cooks different, but  that it combines several gadgets—rice cooker, yogurt maker, pressure cooker, crockpot—into one gadget that does all the above.

billS

Ed I recently got an instant pot and absolutely love it. Leftovers are my best friend, and the instant pot makes it simple to make a large amount while only dirtying a single pot. I highly recommend the spaghetti recipe in the link below. It could not be simpler and is delicious. Since the pasta cooks in the tomato sauce it has loads of flavor. 

Basically you just use the "saute" mode to brown 1 lb. of ground beef with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp salt. Press cancel, then add 1/2 cup water and a 24 oz jar of marinara sauce - I use a tomato basil sauce from my local grocery. Then break 1/2 lb. of spaghetti in half and lay it on top of the sauce. Do not stir. Then rinse the sauce jar with 1-1/2 cups water and pour it in. Put on the lid, press the pressure cook button and set to high pressure for 8 minutes. Total cooking time including waiting for the pot to come up to pressure is about 20 minutes. When the 8 minutes are up do a quick pressure release and viola, you have a big batch of the best spaghetti you've ever had. Top with some grated parmesan and grab a piece of sourdough bread

https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot-spaghetti-264230

I make all kinds of other meals like stews, chicken & broccoli w/peanut sauce, pork chile verde, Chicken tikka masala, Spanish rice w/chicken, risotto and more. If any of these sound interesting I can post links or write them out. Oh the instant pot also makes the most fool proof hard boiled eggs.

billS

If you like spicy beans here is a great recipe:

https://www.lemonblossoms.com/blog/charro-beans/

Ed1937

BillS to the rescue! Thank you!! I'll try both of those.

Marie58

billS, both those sound good. I have an instapot but don't use it a lot. But I love the advantage of one pot cooking because you can use saute to brown the meat. Be careful with veggies. They cook very quickly. The thing I use it the most for though, is boiled eggs. Perfect every time and easy to peel!

billS

Marie58 yes, instant pot hard boiled eggs are the best! Instructions here:

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_peel_hard_boiled_eggs_in_the_pressure_cooker/

And here is a great black bean chile with sausage and chicken. Read the comments below the recipe whhere most people prefer to reduce the liquid, and to remove the chicken after 20 minutes so it does not over cook before the beans get soft. To make it even easier I just use boneless/skinless chicken thighs instead of drum sticks.

https://www.seriouseats.com/quick-and-easy-pressure-cooker-chicken-black-bean-stew-recipe

Ed1937

Thanks for the additions. Keep 'em coming. Here's one I got from one of our daughters. I tried it. Pretty good!

Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
 2 cups uncooked brown rice  3 chicken breasts, cut up 1/2 yellow onion, chopped small 1 can cream of mushroom 1 can cream of chicken 1 soup can full of milk 2 bags frozen broccoli, steamed or cooked (about 2 lbs.) Salt and pepper 1-2 Cups Mexican cheese for topping, or as much as you prefer

Preheat oven to 375°
Rinse brown rice in a strainer with water to get rid of excess starch.  Cook brown rice with 2 cups of water on “rice setting” in Instant Pot for 15 minutes, then natural release for five minutes.  Turn off Instant Pot.
On stove top, Sauté onion in separate pan until soft then add to pot.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Saute on stove top in a little hot oil on medium for a few minutes until cooked through but not browned.
In Instant Pot, stir together Brown rice, Onion, chicken, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, milk and steamed broccoli until combined.
Add contents to ungreased 9x13 baking dish and top with Mexican cheese.
Bake at 375° for 30 minutes
Broil on high until browned.

billS

Here's a super simple and fast chicken noodle soup recipe-

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/instant-pot-chicken-noodle-soup/

Ed1937

BillS, I make spaghetti about once a week. I made some in the instant pot today. Unless something changes my mind, that's the way I'll make it from now on. One pot to make everything in, same pot to serve it in, and same pot to put the leftovers in the fridge. And it has a good taste. Thanks again.

billS

Ed1937 wrote:

BillS, I make spaghetti about once a week. I made some in the instant pot today. Unless something changes my mind, that's the way I'll make it from now on. One pot to make everything in, same pot to serve it in, and same pot to put the leftovers in the fridge. And it has a good taste. Thanks again.

Yep, spaghetti doesn't get any easier than that. You might want to experiment with different tomato sauces. My local grocery has several brands, all nicely flavored with garlic and spices. I really like the way the pasta tastes, since it is cooked in tomato sauce instead of plain water it ends up highly flavored.

Emily 123

I  got one last year. I feel like Ishould use it more than I do, but it is great when you've forgotten to defrost the meat for dinner.  I make jam in the summer, so it was good for that.  And it does make cleanup easy.  

When I got mine, I went to Youtube and searched for 'insta-pot' and then found a few channels that I liked.

I like this jambalaya:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbqD4h9vC4k

2 minute corn on the cob--this was great this summer:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOJ6LxgfQNE&list=PLGEEMAjhRm2gZPusCl1OBpEdOwb6BC7ib&index=5

I've made the beef stroganoff and it was good.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7M6R18zg-Y

billS

Here is one of my favorites: Chicken, Broccoli & Carrots with Curry Peanut Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped green onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 2-inch piece ginger peeled and minced (or 1 Tbsp ginger paste)

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1/2" pieces

1 tsp salt

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup smooth peanut better

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste

3 cups broccoli florets

1 cup diced carrots

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp cold water

Hot cooked rice

Chopped fresh cilantro

Prep:

Select Saute on the instant pot and adjust to Normal. Add 1 Tbs olive oil. When hot add scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute, the Cancel. Add broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, and curry paste. Stir to combine, then secure lid and open the pressure release valve.

Cook:

Select Slow Cook and adjust to More. Cook for 2 hours until chicken is cooked through. Stir in the broccoli and carrots, replace the cover and cook (with pressure relief valve open) for 25 minutes. until vegetables are tender. Press Cancel.

Combine cornstarth and cold water in a small bowl and stir into pot. Select Saute, Normal and cook and stir until sauce is slightly thickened. Press Cancel

Serve over hot rice and top with cilantro , more green onions, and roasted peanuts.

Rozieglow

My favorite easy "recipe": 

a jar of salsa - whatever is your favorite

chicken (boneless breasts or thighs - if using thighs, trim fat off)

put in pot for 20 minutes 

Done!

Adjust amount of salsa to amount of chicken. I just estimate.  I like to serve it on brown rice with guacamole and cilantro.  

I haven't tried it yet, but I read that if you use frozen chicken, just add 2 more minutes to cook time.

JJAz

Baby Back Ribs with salt and pepper any any other spices you like, cooked in 2 cups of Orange soda (not diet), 23 minutes on high (manual) pressure, vent naturally for 5 minutes, then vent completely to release the remaining pressure.  Serve with BBQ sauce or whatever.

macamaw61

There is an app for the Instant Pot recipes just download it

Stuck in the middle

I think I need one of those. Those recipes sound terrific!

When I saw this topic, I thought "Just add water.  Let dry, light it up." 

OrganizerBecky

Mine's Fagor brand electric pressure cooker, so it doesn't have the same settings as an Instant Pot. 

Easy Spaghetti

Brown a pound of ground beef using the saute/brown function. Drain grease. add 4 servings of spaghetti - you'll have to break it in half. Dump in a jar of spaghetti sauce. Fill the jar about 3/4 full of water and add the water. Put on high pressure for about 10 minutes and let it natural pressure release for about 5-8 minutes. Stir up and serve with parmesan cheese.

You can use premade frozen meatballs instead of the ground beef if you prefer. 

Shevie

Thanks for the instapot recipes. Time is everything

sophirolr

I never liked to cook and I usually don't get anything at all

emmamom

The same with me  . One time I came across https://nicelocal.com/nearme/trainings/type/cooking_classes/ and I think that I will soon go to cooking courses. I don't know how to cook, but I would like to learn. It will be a good experience for me. I would really like to learn how to cook different types of soups, as this is my favorite food.

Ed1937

Thanks for bringing this thread back up. I see chicken noodle soup in the near future.

ImMaggieMae

We use ours so much that it lives out on the kitchen counter and has for years. Lots of what we do with it are just simple things like making hard boiled eggs. Put as many eggs as you’ll use on the rack, add a cup and a half of water, seal it up and hit the “Egg” button. 

I also use it to cook potatoes and sweet potatoes. Same thing, put a bunch on the rack inside the pot, add a cup and a half of water, and cook for about 20 minutes for regular potatoes and 15 for sweet potatoes. The skins practically fall off when they’re cooked. Then I use the potatoes for other dishes, like mashed, potato salad or mash the sweet potatoes and add some crushed pineapple to taste.

Boneless skinless Chicken thighs go right in the pot with some rosemary, salt, pepper, lemon juice or other herbs and a cup or more of water. 

“Refried” beans are pinto beans that I try to soak for a few hours ahead of time or sometimes I just rinse them and make them without soaking. I add water, salt, lime juice, a little chili powder and maybe some sliced jalapeño and cook them on the “Beans/chili” setting. If they aren’t mashable enough after cooking I cook them for another 5-10 minutes. Any kind of bean can be cooked without soaking although the skins can sometimes be a little tougher. Even a couple of hours soaking helps.

It works better than my rice cooker for both brown and white rices or whole grains like quinoa and barley. They don’t stick to the bottom. I had to experiment with the amount of water though because it takes less than a rice cooker or on the stove.

I bought it when DH was cooking the dog’s food boneless chicken thighs or breasts, barley and quinoa and a few veggies. It was some years ago, before diagnosis, when he was a little more forgetful. The Instant pot shuts off on its own.