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If your Instant Pot is going un-used, we should change that!! These recipes are EASY for week nights and fairly healthy, too.

And because of our family’s dietary needs, they’re also gluten and dairy free. However, I’ve added notes to each recipe about how to easily add the dairy back in if that is your family’s preference!

You’ll also find a section of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS below about the size of our instant pot, what else we cook in it and more!

But, first, lets get to the quick and easy week night instant pot recipes!

5 FAST Week night Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Ham & Potato Soup:

This soup is QUICK & EASY and perfect for the instant pot novice. Simply sauté your diced onion and garlic and throw everything into the pot and set it for 12 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Ham Steak, cubed
1 Medium yellow onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
4-5 Yellow Potatoes (medium sized)
1 Carton Chicken broth (4 cups)
1-2 Cup(s) chopped broccoli
1 Tsp. Seasoning Salt (or regular salt)
3/4 Tsp. Pepper

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2-1 cup cream
Bacon bits, sour cream and chopped green onions to make “loaded” potato soup :)

DIRECTIONS:

Set instant pot to “SAUTE.” Sauté the onion and garlic in the bottom of the instant pot with butter or oil of choice. Once the garlic is browned and the onions are translucent add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT optional ingredients. Place lid on instant pot and set for 12 minutes on manual (also called “HIGH”). Perform quick release (or allow to slow release if you’re not serving right away). Add cream and shredded cheese if using. Serve with optional toppings if desired.

Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Don’t you just love a good copycat recipe??? Once you perfect this one, you’ll not only have a quick weeknight dish, you’ll also save a trip to the restaurant!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground sausage (Italian sausage is even better or spicy if you like a little heat!)1 Medium yellow onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
4-5 Yellow Potatoes (medium sized), peeled and cubed
1 Carton Chicken broth (4 cups)
1 cup chopped Kale (we often substitute spinach)
1 Tsp. Salt
3/4 Tsp. Pepper
1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
Hot pepper flakes to taste

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:

1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Set instant pot to “SAUTE.” Brown sausage in bottom of instant pot. Remove and drain. Sauté the onion and garlic in the bottom of the instant pot with butter or oil of choice. Once the garlic is browned and the onions are translucent add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT optional ingredient and kale*). Place lid on instant pot and set for 12 minutes on manual (also called “HIGH”). Perform quick release (or allow to slow release if you’re not serving right away). Add cream if using.

*NOTE: The kale can be added at the beginning or end of the cooking process depending on your texture preference. As you can imagine, it becomes rather soft if you add it at the beginning. You can also add it at the end and let it sit in the pot for 5-8 minutes until it is “wilted.”

Sweet Potato & Sausage Soup

If your family doesn’t care for sweet potatoes, you can just skip them! That is the great thing about all of these recipes, make changes to fit your tastes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package beef sausage link (or any kind of sausage you like!)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Large sweet potato, peeled and diced
2-4 Yellow Potatoes (medium sized), peeled and cubed
1 Carton Chicken broth (4 cups)
1 cup chopped Kale (we often substitute spinach)
1 Tsp. Salt
3/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

Set instant pot to “SAUTE.” Sauté the onion and garlic in the bottom of the instant pot with butter or oil of choice. Once the garlic is browned and the onions are translucent add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT kale*). Place lid on instant pot and set for 12 minutes on manual (also called “HIGH”). Perform quick release (or allow to slow release if you’re not serving right away).

Instant Pot Beef Stew

This classic meal meets the instant pot! Its quicker than making it in a dutch oven and the meat always turns our PERFECTLY! And of course, here is just one way to make it, or use your favorite stew recipe :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Pounds Beef Stew Meat, cubed
7-8 yellow potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 carton beef broth
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbs Minced garlic
1 Large Onion, diced
1 16 Oz Bag Baby Carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Water

DIRECTIONS:

Set your Instant Pot to sauté, add butter, add stew meat, salt and pepper and sear on multiple sides. Add all ingredients except cornstarch and water. Cook on high for 35 minutes, allow pressure to naturally release for 5-10 minutes and then release the rest. Mix together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir into the stew until thickened.

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

This recipe is FAST and full of flavor! I love that you can have all of the ingredients prepped ahead of time, so you just need to sauté the onions, garlic and chicken for a few minutes and then dump everything else in!

I based this recipe off of Ashley’s at I Don’t Have Time for that. However, like I’ve said, we took out the dairy and I actually skip the flour as well! So it is even quicker, but if you’d like something creamier, you can make it to her specs ;)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp Butter
1½ – 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast cut into cubes
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Onion
1 Tsp Salt
3/4 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1⅓ Cups Long Grain Rice
1⅓ Cups Chicken Broth
½ Cup Milk*
1½ Tbsp Flour*
1-2 Cups Fresh Broccoli cooked
1½ – 2 Cups Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese*

*We skip these and substitute a 1/2 cup of water for the milk at the end

DIRECTIONS:

Ashley has GREAT step by step instructions with pictures, so stop by there to see them! You’ll master this recipe in NO time and can experiment with different variations. Tom loves to add a pre-made teriyaki sauce to his :)

EASY Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Who doesn’t love a good chicken wild rice soup recipe?? Well my kids didn’t…or Tom…BUT…with a little patience, and by basically removing all fo the flavor from this recipe and then slowly adding it back in, they’ve come around!!

INGREDIENTS:

5 medium carrots, chopped *I use my food processor to chop carrots, celery & onion
5 stalks celery, chopped
half of an onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked wild rice
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

CREAM SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS This recipe is from Pinch of Yum, you can find the Instant Pot DIRECTIONS HERE. I’ve made hardly any modifications! I go a little lighter on the poultry seasoning and thyme, I don’t like it to taste quite as earthy. And we usually skip the sauce at the end to eliminate the dairy…but of course, for most that probably would seem silly ;)

MY INSTANT POT:

We have the 6 quart Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable electric pressure cooker. You can find it here on Amazon for around $79. They also makes one with blue tooth capabilities that runs a little more. For us, the 6 quart has been GREAT.

FAQ:

What size should I get? 6 quart or 8 quart?

For us, 2 adults and 4 kids ages 4-9, the 6 quart has been adequate. The only time I wish that we had the 8 quart was when we cook whole chickens in it, there are times that it isn’t quite big enough. And, as the kids get older and we want to cook bigger batches of food, I think we’ll want to get the next bigger size. But, if you are feeding 2-4 people, I think the 6 quart would work well. Bigger crows? Best opt for the 8!

What else do you cook in it?

Like I just mentioned, we cook whole chickens in it and LOVE how they turn out. I like to thaw them first but you don’t have to! We always hard boil eggs in it, make bone broth and have a handful of other recipes besides these that we make consistently. And I haven’t tried making yogurt yet, but that’s next up on the list!

Can I adapt these recipes for a crock pot if I don’t have an instant pot?

Yes, I think all of these would work just fine in the crock pot except for the chicken and rice, but that you could certainly make in a casserole dish :)