If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to make a meal but microwave cooking is not your thing, you may be ready for an Instant Pot. A multifunctional pressure cooker, an Instant Pot can cook everything from oatmeal to roasts to soups to desserts, and everything in between, and in far less time than just about any other cooking appliance.
Different from a slow cooker, which cooks food at lower heat for longer periods of time, an Instant Pot has multiple cooking functions, including pressure cooking, which is used to cook food at a higher heat for a shorter period of time.
A few facts about Instant Pots
There are many benefits to cooking in an Instant Pot:
- Minimal effort: You toss in the ingredients and your Instant Pot does all the work.
- Fewer dirty dishes: No prep dishes required; everything goes directly into the Instant Pot.
- Time management: Complete meals are ready in a matter of minutes.
- Healthy cooking: The Instant Pot’s shorter cooking times may contribute to greater preservation of food’s vitamins and minerals compared with other cooking methods.
- Great for meal prep, too: Instant Pots can make many meal prep staples quickly and easily, making your cooking for the week that much easier. You can safely cook meat, even if it’s frozen. Use it to make a week’s worth of shredded chicken for tacos, wraps, salads, and rice bowls, to make hard-boiled eggs for salads or snacking, and to make steel-cut oats or cooked beans from dry to ready!
Ingredients to avoid using in the Instant Pot
- Breaded foods and bread: Even if you use a rack, the steam cooking method used in Instant Pots will make the breading soggy.
- Delicate cuts of meat
- Cookies
- Thickeners
8 easy and healthy Instant Pot recipes
Turkey Chili
Few things are as satisfying and comforting as chili. Swapping out ground beef for ground turkey makes a healthier version of chili that you can enjoy guilt-free. One of the best parts about this recipe is that leftovers can freeze for up to three months, allowing you to have a bowl of chili whenever the craving strikes you.
Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce
The trick with this recipe is to place the salmon on a rack above a cup of water inside your Instant Pot without letting the salmon touch the water. Add a few slices of lemon for added flavor, and cook on high pressure for just three minutes. Once ready, add the lemon-dill sauce and a side salad, and dinner is ready.
Chicken Tikka Masala with Cauliflower and Peas
Boneless chicken thighs are richer in flavor than chicken breasts, and they blend beautifully into the mild tomato-based curry, which has coconut milk and layers of spice. Serve with garlic naan and a side of basmati rice (or cauliflower rice if you’re trying to lower your carbs).
Instant Pot Chicken Marsala Soup
If you like mushrooms, you’ll love this soup-ified version of chicken marsala. Pro tip: Warm up some crusty bread and use it to sop up all the broth.
Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup
A super quick and easy vegan soup, this goes from prep to table in about 20 minutes flat. Not only is this soup low in calories, but the lentils are jam-packed with nutrients, including calcium, iron, and potassium. They’re a great source of protein too. What’s even better is that the turmeric in the recipe can help boost your immune system, along with having a host of other health benefits.
Shrimp and Broccoli
This could very well be the absolute fastest meal you could ever make in your Instant Pot. It actually cooks for zero minutes, meaning that it merely needs to come to pressure and it’s done! Healthy, tasty, and super fast, this recipe will be your go-to for even the busiest weeknight dinner.
Vegan Tacos with Smoky Lentils and Rice
Looking for a new idea for Meat-Free Monday? The meat-free filling — brown rice, lentils, and spices — is great in tacos and rice bowls. You’ll love the smoky taste of the lentils mixed with the crispy crunch of the vegetable topping.
Cashew Chicken
Make a healthier, fresher take on a classic Asian recipe! Great for weeknight dinners, this cashew chicken dish is ready to serve in under 45 minutes. Soy sauce, garlic, and ginger create a simple sauce that packs a wallop of flavor. It’s so much better than takeout.
Have no time to cook but still want to give your family a healthy, home-cooked meal? It’s your Instant Pot to the rescue. With a few fresh ingredients and a new recipe or two, you’ll have dinner on the table in a matter of minutes.
