This is a controversial take, but I have no desire to own an Instant Pot anytime soon. I know, shocking, right–especially since its such a meal prep helper!
Here’s why:
- My kitchen is tiny and I barely have room for a toaster, let alone extranneous appliances.
- I’m kind of a “purist” when it comes to cooking. I prefer to use the basic tools that everyone would have available: regular pots, pans, skillets and bakeware. This makes my recipes more accessible to a larger audience, too. Sometimes simple is best! It’s often the most approachable. And anything that gets more people cooking on a regular basis is good by me.
- Confession: If something gets a lot of hype, I’m immediately turned off by it. I can’t explain it. (Is anyone else like this?)
That being said, I get asked about Instant Pot/pressure cooker recipes very regularly, and I know lots of you use them. I won’t pretend they don’t exist. I can help you all out!.
So today, I’m sharing recipes and ideas I would make if I had an Instant Pot. I hope these inspire you!
Oh and before we get into it, I chose recipes that can ALSO easily be made on the stove or include stovetop instructions, so if you’re Instant Pot-less like me, you can still make them!
Instant Pot Creole Chicken And Sausage
This 10-ingredient recipe looks so easy, satisfying and perfect for meal prep! It’s also freezer-friendly (always a win). I think I could definitely recreate this on the stove, but it would most likely take more than 8 minutes (which is apparently how long this meal needs in an Instant Pot). But probably only double–and that is still pretty quick!
Instant Pot Cauliflower Curry
Here’s an example of a meal you can 100% make on the stove, but it simply cooks faster (with tons of flavor) in an Instant Pot. Curries are one of my top meal prep-friendly meal templates, and this cauliflower, squash and lentil curry is right up my alley. Conversely you can also make this in the slow cooker, which has its own benefits, too.
Instant Pot Sticky Korean Chicken
If you’ve been hanging out online with me for a while, you know I have a soft spot for all kinds of Asian food. This Sticky Korean Chicken looks incredible and it’s made with a few simple ingredients (plus lots of delicious toppings like kimchi). In order to make this on the stove, you’d do a lot of the same things. The directions would be really similar, but you’d cook (or at least sear) the chicken first, then add the sauce ingredients to thicken up to avoid essentially boiling the chicken. Then simmer, cook the rice separately, and top with those fun toppings.
Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili from Well Plated
This list would NOT be complete without a chili recipe. It’s a bit counterintuitive, because we think of chili as a low and slow kind of dish, like a slow cooker. But chili is definitely something that you can make in the Instant Pot. I love the ingredients in this plant-forward chili and it comes together in an Instant Pot in 20 minutes. Good stuff!
Instant Pot Roasted Red Pepper Soup
I’m very into this twist on a classic tomato soup! Roasted red peppers are delicious and you really can’t go wrong with this tomato and pepper combo. This soup looks so easy to make in an Instant Pot, but also easy to adapt to the stove because it’s just soup! Grilled cheese croutons, which are definitely NOT made in the pressure cooker, are a comforting and cozy touch, but a hunk of crusty bread or some crackers are also welcome here. (You can also just eat a grilled cheese on the side if you prefer.) This soup would take well to a dash of hot sauce before serving, if you’re so inclined.
Instant Pot Pasta With Sausage, Spinach And Tomatoes
All you need here? Gather 11 ingredients and in 15 minutes your Instant Pot will transform those ingredients into a simple pasta dish that’s great for meal prep. Of course, it can easily be done in one pot on the stove, too, but you’d have to get a little crafty (empty the pasta out in the colander, cook the other ingredients together quickly, and then add the pasta back in.. stir, and serve!). If there’s one type of meal prep I could make every week, it would be this.
5-Ingredient Instant Pot Rice And Beans
Rice and beans are always a classic and certainly easy to do on the stovetop or even in a Dutch oven. But you gotta love a good, easy and cheap vegan meal like this! It seems to be made for the pressure cooker. This rice and beans bowl is great to have on hand throughout the week as a foundation for other ingredients/proteins. But it’s also great on its own alongside a salad with, hmm, let’s say, a lot of avocado.
Instant Pot Beef Stew from The Salty Marshmallow
Stews are another Instant Pot staple, without a doubt. (Just as they are a great slow cooker essential dish)! Cooking beef in an IP is an easy and fast way to get that irresistible tender texture, but it can absolutely be done on the stove. This recipe is freezer friendly and perfect for the upcoming fall/winter season.
Instant Pot Ground Beef Pasta from Damn Delicious
I have a similar recipe to this in the WWL Program, but it uses simpler ingredients. I love, however, that you can make this delicious ground beef pasta in under 15 minutes in the Instant Pot. If you haven’t meal prepped pasta yet, this is a great type of meal to start with. Approachable and adaptable! Score!
Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Gumbo from Cotter Crunch
If you’ve never made gumbo before, this lentil gumbo is easy and delicious. This recipe includes stovetop instructions, too, and I bet with some experimentation with the amount of liquid in this recipe you could do it in the slow cooker, too. Hint: If you swap out the lentils for red ones, it’ll cook faster on the stovetop.
Which one of these looks best to you? Do you have an Instant Pot? Do you USE IT? Leave a comment! And if you found this post helpful, go ahead and save it for next time!
The great thing about IP recipes is they can pretty much all work for meal prep and many of these are freezer-friendly. Of course, the IP makes cooking go by a lot faster too.
Again, all of these meals can be made on the stove, but if you’re interested in an Instant Pot, here’s the size I’d recommend. Whether you have an IP or not, I hope these recipes inspire you to meal prep this week/weekend!
If you want tested meal prep recipes you can make with all the basic equipment, check out the WWL Program. For $7.99/mo, you can access all of my meal prep recipes, meal plans, pre-made grocery lists and more.
