20+ Ridiculously Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Busy School Nights - Mama Cheaps® (2024)

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Raise your hand if you have ever fallen victim to the drive-thru window or some other form of take-out food on a busy school night. C’mon, raise those hands! I won’t judge you. I have most definitely done the same thing. Because it can be so hard to juggle all of the kids’ activities AND get a home-cooked meal on the table for dinner. (Some of us don’t even get the chance to sit down as a family to eat dinner at least one night during the week because we are en route from one activity to another over the dinner hour.)

Easy Instant Pot Recipes

A couple of years ago, I finally gave in to Pinterest pressure (haha is that really a real thing?) and bought myself an Instant Pot. I figured I would use it here and there to speed up meals when I had forgotten to defrost meat in time for dinner. I can tell you with confidence that my Instant Pot has quickly risen to the rank of Kitchen All-Star and gets used at least 2 times a week, bare minimum. We have taken our IP camping and I use it for weekly lunch prep. It’s a really convenient time saving tool (pressure cooker) and cooks up savory meals in a fraction of the time that my slow cooker is capable of. Between the Instant Pot and our air fryer, I am finding it so much easier to get delicious dinner on the table, even when our nights are super busy.

Besides cooking meals, you can even use this multi-function cooker for things like cooking hardboiled eggs and making yogurt!

Did you just get an Instant Pot? Here’s a great starter post:You Just Got An Instant Pot. Now What? Tips for Using Your New Instant Pot.

Did you know you canaccessorize your Instant Pot?

In addition to the dinner ideas you will find below, I now have several other Instant Pot recipe roundups on the blog. Check them out:

  • 37 Easy Easter Instant Pot Recipes (Entrees, Apps, Sides, Dessert Ideas)
  • Easiest Way to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
  • 20 of the Best Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
  • 21 Must-Try Weight Watchers Instant Pot Recipes
  • 21 Delicious Paleo Instant Pot Recipes
  • 45 of the Greatest Game Day and Tailgating Instant Pot Recipes
  • 21 Decadent Desserts You Can Make in Your Instant Pot
  • 21 Easy Instant Pot Recipes to Make in Your RV
  • Easy Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
  • 13 Perfectly PUMPKIN Instant Pot Recipes
  • 12 Totally APPLE Instant Pot Recipes
  • 20 Savory Instant Pot Sides for Your Next BBQ
  • How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in the Instant Pot
  • Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
  • Perfect Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
  • Easy Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Legs
  • Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

I scoured the interwebs for some really super easy Instant Pot recipes using common ingredients so that you can join me in trying to cut out some of the fast food dinner purchases this year!

Instant Pot Dinner Recipes

1. Instant Pot Pot Roast

2. Instant Pot Buttery Lemon Chicken from Mama Instincts

3. Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes from You Wash I’ll Dry

4. Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas

5. Easy Pulled Pork Instant Pot Recipe from Slick Housewives

6. Instant Pot Buttery Ranch Pork Chops from Eating on a Dime

7. Beef and Broccoli Pressure Cooker Recipe from I Save A to Z

8. Instant Pot Spaghetti

OR! Make spaghetti on the stove and use your IP to make thisEasy Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce Recipe!

9. Instant Pot Cajun Chicken and Rice from Leelalicious

10. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese from Six Sisters Stuff

11. Instant Pot Goulash from I Don’t Have Time for That

12. Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetables

13. Instant Pot Honey Glazed Ham from Dana Vento

14. Instant Pot Lasagna from My Crazy Good Life

15. Instant Pot Orange Chicken from A Fork’s Tale

16. Coca Cola BBQ Ribs Instant Pot Recipe

17. Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella from My Forking Life

18. Instant Pot Butter Chicken from The Typical Mom

19. Instant Pot Cheesy Ranch Chicken from Passion for Savings

20. Instant Pot Italian Sausage Penne from One Hangry Mama

21. Easy Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Legs

22. How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in the Instant Pot

23. 30 Minute Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

24. Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

Make sure you PIN Easy Instant Pot Recipes!!

20+ Ridiculously Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Busy School Nights - Mama Cheaps® (14)
20+ Ridiculously Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Busy School Nights - Mama Cheaps® (2024)

FAQs

Is Instant Pot worth it for students? ›

Either type of appliance is going to be perfect if you're a student heading back to school. Both are compact, offer a great way of cooking hot food without the need for an oven or hob and are invariably quite efficient.

What is a one pot wonder? ›

One-pot wonders are a culinary revelation. They are meals that can be made using just a single pot, pan, or skillet. Whether it's a hearty stew, a comforting pasta dish, or a flavorful stir-fry, one-pot wonders allow you to cook an entire meal in one go, maximizing the flavors and minimizing the mess.

Can you make everything in an Instant Pot? ›

In general, Instant Pots do so much more than just pressure cooking and can be used as a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer yogurt maker, sauté pan, and a meal warmer.

How much does Instant Pot reduce cooking time? ›

Most things cook (at least) 60–70% faster in a pressure cooker than when using any other type of cooking. That doesn't count the prep time of course, or any time the oven, pot, or pressure cooker takes to come to temperature for the food to start real “cooking” though, or “resting” time in the pot for some foods.

Are Instant Pots safe for your health? ›

Cooking in an “instant pot” or pressure cooker is a great method for preparing your food on many levels — including the nutritional level, according to registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD. “Instant pot recipes are absolutely healthy as long as what you put in the recipe is healthy,” she says.

Is an air fryer worth it for a student? ›

However, with a few essential pieces of kitchen kit, they'll be set up to make meals that are almost as quick but lots healthier. Air fryers have become a must-have gadget of recent times, and because they're so energy efficient and easy to use, they're an ideal piece of kit for any student kitchen.

What is the one pot meal trend? ›

The approach combines various ingredients during the cooking phase to create tasty, nutritious, and comforting dishes which are also convenient and easy to make. In addition, they're less messy, with minimal washing up required.

What is a one dish meal? ›

One-dish literally means just one pot. And one cooking dish means very little clean up during and after the meal. Saving time on clean up frees even more time to spend as you wish.

What is one pot one shot? ›

OPOS (One Pot, One Shot) is a set of scientific cooking techniques designed to unchain you from the kitchen, cut drudgery and empower anyone to cook confidently. All OPOS recipes use One Pot and all cooking is done at One Shot. No steps. No supervision.

Is 2 cups of water too much for pressure cooker? ›

Let's clear up this myth. While 2 cups of liquid is certainly way too much for cooking most foods, even the new 1 cup recommendation may be too much as well. It really does depend on the type of food being cooked.

Why did Instapot go out of business? ›

“In particular, tightening of credit terms and higher interest rates impacted our liquidity levels and made our capital structure unsustainable,” Mr. Gadbois said. Instant Brands said in a statement on Wednesday that the new financing would allow the company to continue paying workers, vendors and suppliers.

What's the big deal about Instant Pots? ›

However, the Instant Pot is more functional than a slow cooker and a rice cooker combined because it can also pressure-cook. The word “instant” in the name gives it away: You can cook things astonishingly fast in a pressure cooker—even notoriously slow-cooking or labor-intensive foods, such as risotto and brisket.

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