This week at work we had an ‘Instant Pot Potluck’ and I think I need one now! Lots of people brought recipes to share and they even did demos on how they use their Instant Pot. Pressure cookers have been around for years, but Instant Pots sure are having a moment. It’s the convenience of a crock pot but so so fast! The fact that you can put raw chicken in an Instant Pot and cook it in like 15 minutes is a dang miracle to me. The crock pot takes ALL DAY. Below are five Instant Pot recipes that my co-workers shared that are super easy!
I’m thinking about adding an Instant Pot to my Christmas list. This condo doesn’t really have the storage space, but maybe we could make it work! I think an Instant Pot would make a great Christmas gift this year – think mom, mother-in-law, etc. Everyone I know that has one raves about it! I linked a few pressure cookers below. ‘Instant Pot‘ is just a brand of pressure cooker, but there are other great options as well!
and now for the recipes…
Barbeque Meatballs
- 28-32 oz. frozen meatballs
- 18 oz. grape jelly
- 12 oz. chili sauce
Whisk together grape jell and chili sauce. Add mixture and frozen meatballs to instant pot. Make sure all meatballs are covered with sauce. Set instant pot to manual, high, 5 minutes. Quick release when time is up. Then it is ready to serve!
Shredded Beef Burritos
- Rump/chuck roast (or whatever beef cut you like)
- Can of tomato sauce
- Packet of taco/burrito seasoning
Toss it all in and fire up your Instant Pot! With the Insignia Instant Pot, hit the Meat/Stew Button which takes about 35 minutes after it warms up.
Sausage Gnocchi
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb Italian ground sausage
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 1 or 2 packages potato gnocchi
- 2 cups pasta sauce
Turn on the sauté setting of your pressure cooker. When it’s hot, add olive oil and onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooded spoon, and stirring until mixed in with the onion. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and stir. It’s fine if the sausage isn’t cooked all the way through as it will finish cooking under pressure. Stir in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any browned bits so the sensor doesn’t think it is burning. Add the gnocchi in an even layer over the sausage mixture, but don’t stir. Pour the sauce over the gnocchi covering it as much as you can. Do not stir. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Cancel the Sauté function.
Press the pressure cook/manual button, then the +/- button to select 3 minutes high pressure. It will take several minutes to come to pressure. When the cook cycle has finished, let the pot sit for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of the remaining pressure. When the pin drops down, open the pot and give the gnocchi a stir. It will be pretty saucy, but will thicken up as it cools. Use pot holders and carefully take out the inner liner to sit on a cooling rack to cool. Garnish as desired and serve.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Frozen meatballs
- 3 Cups broth
- 16 oz Spaghetti
- 24-36 oz Pasta Sauce
Break 16 oz spaghetti in half and fan it over the meatballs – try to keep from having clumps or it sticks together. Cover with 24-36 ounces of jarred sauce – try to cover all the pasta. Pressure cook for ½ the time called for in the pasta instructions. Allow a natural release, and stir and cover again for a few minutes.
Pesto Risotto
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups rice
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 8oz jar pesto sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 4 ounces Marscapone cheese
On Brown or Sauté function, heat oil and butter until melted and sizzling. Stir in onion and sauté until translucent – about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and sauté for one minute. Add broth, lemon juice and sugar. Pressure cook on High pressure for 6 minutes. When cooker is finished, release the pressure and stir in pesto – season with salt and pepper as needed. Top servings with Marscapone cheese.