If kitchen gadgets are your thing, you've definitely heard of the Instant Pot, which is probably the hottest cooking appliance right now. It's got all the fancy settings and buttons of a slow cooker — and more — but it's fast and that's probably because it's actually a pressure cooker. If you're an Instant Pot newbie, or have one that's been collecting dust, brush it off and get cooking (fast!) with these instant pot recipes your kids will love — tonight! It's the type of gadget that your mother-in-law probably swears by, and soon you will, too.
In theory, a slow cooker is a great idea. Except.. you're a busy parent who only thinks about dinner when the kids start whining or you don't ever remember to take meat out of the freezer until lunchtime, and then forget to come up with a plan for it until it's too late. That leads to a lot of tater tots and stir fry at our house, because planning is not my forte. If you're like me, you need a gadget like an Instant Pot (that can cook everything from chicken to legumes in a fraction of the time) and this set of recipes that are kid friendly-but still pack enough flavor for the adults to enjoy.
The even better news? The instant pot also has a slow cooker option, so you don't have to take up room with two large kitchen gadgets when one can serve both functions — slow cooking when you have time to plan ahead, and fast cooking when you're scrambling to get dinner on the table.
Bon appétit!
1White Bean Chicken Chili
This recipe is perfect for those of us who don't think ahead. At all. This recipe for white bean chicken chili from Allergy Free Alaska, calls for frozen chicken thighs and dry navy beans, which will be ready to eat in just 45 minutes.
2Beef Stroganoff
Comfort food at its finest, beef stroganoff is particularly kid-friendly with the addition of those squiggly egg noodles. Farm and Foodie explains that the recipe involves using the Instant Pot's sauté feature to brown the meat, then lets the pressure cooker feature tenderize the meat in just over half an hour.
3BBQ Pork Chops
Tenderize these bone-in BBQ pork chops from Must Have Mom in 10-20 minutes, and broil them on a baking sheet to caramelize the barbecue sauce. The meat falls off the bone and everyone will appreciate that they don't have to fight with their fork and knife to get a bite.
4Beef Stew
Extreme Couponing Mom pulls no punches with this recipe for hearty beef stew in the instant pot (and she also offers up a great primer on your instant pot if yours is still sitting in the box untouched). With a variety of ingredients, including veggies like peas, carrots and potatoes, it has something for even picky eaters.
5Salsa Verde Chicken
Throw this shredded salsa verde chicken into some tacos shells with a little cheese and guacamole and there's a meal your kids will eat. It couldn't be easier to whip up a batch of this every weekend. Chicken, spices, and a jar of salsa verde is all you need to whip this up for your whole family.
6Cheesy Chili Mac
Chattavore's cheesy chili mac is kid-friendly mac and cheese, but with a whole bunch of healthier ingredients added in for good measure. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream and avocado slices.
7Turkey And Vegetable Lasagna Soup
All the flavor of lasagna but finished in 20 minutes and packed full of veggies? Yes, please. Italian seasoning and a nice jar of tomato sauce are the keys to this crowd-pleasing recipe for turkey and vegetable lasagna soup from Meaningful Eats.
8Chicken And Stuffing
Another comfort food recipe, this chicken and stuffing meal from I Save A to Z relies on some old fashioned favorites like cream of chicken soup and a bag of cornbread stuffing mix, but even using frozen chicken breasts, it comes together in a flash.
9Chipotle Chicken, Black Beans And Rice
A one pot wonder, this chipotle chicken, black beans and rice recipe from Health Starts in the Kitchen couldn't be easier. Throw everything in the Instant Pot and you've got dinner in 6 minutes. If that doesn't make you want to Amazon Prime an Instant Pot to your house RN, I don't know what will.
10Meatloaf
Who knew you could make meatloaf in the instant pot? I Save A to Z did, and then she cooked up some potatoes and carrots in the meatloaf juices in just a few minutes more.
Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:
Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch.
