I remember asking my parents for an Instant Pot 
Then, not even 24 hours after meeting Mr. Crock Pot Instant Pot did someone tell me how incredibly dangerous they can be. “My friend burnt her hand” and “Did you know that the Boston bombers used a pressure cooker to kill people?”
So, Instant Pot sat in its box because I was afraid of it. Fast forward to Fourth of July weekend (yes, six months later), and I’m visiting a friend in NYC who has her Instant Pot out on her counter. I’ll refrain from telling you exactly how she phrased it, but she did say that once I allow myself the learning curve of the Instant Pot, I’ll never go back.
And guess what?
She was so right. It’s a game changer.
And the person who allegedly burnt her hand is clearly an idiot because that’s not easy to do. As far as the Boston bombers go, that was a pressure cooker, not an Instant Pot. Big difference. Even though the Instant Pot uses pressure, it has a lock feature that doesn’t allow you to open it if it’s dangerous.
As a busy professional woman who travels for work and has two high maintenance dogs, I know I’m nowhere near as busy as my professional friends who have human children. So, I’m very glad I have discovered the wonderful little kitchen appliance now. I’ve already started to convert recipes to Instant Pot recipes and love that they take a fraction of the time that my trusty Crock Pot takes…. We’re talking 30 minutes versus 5-6 hours.
One of my favorite things to make is super boring. Wait for it.. A frozen chicken breast with some salsa dumped on top of it. Why is this such a gem? Well, friends. You don’t have to wait for it to thaw. And it’s delicious. Like, fall apart delicious. I would think that frozen chicken would come out rubbery and it doesn’t! It’s as good as if it had been slow cooked all day. Seriously. And this fact is perfect for busy girls like myself who always ALWAYS forget to take chicken out of the freezer in the morning so it’s thawed by dinner time.
See? Told ya. Game changer.
Even though I still love my traditional Crock Pot slow cooker, this puppy is practical for every day stuff AND is has a slow cooker feature too. So, in theory, I could get rid of my slow cooker, but I like having them both in the very off chance I’ll need to be slow cooking and pressure cooking at the same time. Another great feature of the Instant Pot is that it has a “sauté” feature, so no more using pans to brown meat or sauté onions. Just do it right in there! Cleanup is super easy.
So, without further adieu, I just wanted to share three of my favorite recipes for the Instant Pot. These all take around 30 minutes and, if you chop everything ahead of time, is a perfect, quick weeknight meal. Beneath these recipes, I’ll also link some recipes that I haven’t tried, but have been recommended to me by people who have tried them and love them!
Enjoy!
Recipes I’ve Tried
1. Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Belle of the Kitchen (linked)
- This is insanely delicious and not at all good for you. It’s the perfect for a cold winter night when you’re not counting calories. It’s so good and worth every dress size you lose.
2. Jambalaya
- I modified this from my “Texas Mama’s” recipe and it’s delicious. I love how fluffy the rice comes out in the Instant Pot and I adore how fast it’s done!
– 2 cups basmati rice
– 2.5 cups beef broth (or 2 cans)
– 1.5 cups french onion soup (or 1 can) (if you’re feeling ambitious make THIS)
– 3-4 links of Trader Joe’s andouille sausage chopped
– 2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
– 1.5-2 cups chopped tomatoes
– 1-1.5 cups chopped chile peppers (I used Italian hots)
Put everything in your Instant Pot, and hit the “rice” button. Can be served with cheese and chopped green onions.
3. Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Warning: this is a hearty, spicy soup that is also perfect for winter. It’s not terribly awful for you, though, so soup away!
- I modified this from another recipe, but it’s so tweaked that it’s practically lost all original identity.
- I love that you can use dry beans in this. It saves a lot of money!
- This recipe makes a TON but freezes well! Just portion it in to mason jars, cool and freeze.
- Make sure you read the entire recipe for ingredients because I wrote this in kind of a weird way.
4 tomatoes
Recipes I Want to Try Soon
1. Southwestern Chicken and Rice
- Do you see a small theme here? I do love anything “Southern or Southwestern”
- I got this recipe from Jim’s sister and she said it was amazing
- It does look amazing
- I’m likely eating this this week
- This looks a liiiiitle more complicated
- But not terribly complicated
- It does look delicious
Welp, there ya have it friends! If you’re looking for a super predictable gift for any and all kitchen lovers in your life, look no further.
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