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I LOVE MY INSTANT POT!!!!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used it since getting it last Christmas. The funny thing is, I debated getting one for the longest time. My parents often like to buy Bryan and I a joint Christmas gift, something for the kitchen or for the house in general and I was having a hard time coming up with an idea for them last year. I guess you could say that they bought us one because I couldn’t think of anything better to ask for 😉 . Boy am I glad I couldn’t! If you’ve been on the fence yourself, it’s time to jump off and pick one up. I’ve made everything from perfect hard boiled eggs, that peel like a dream, to chicken noodle soup in 15 minutes from a whole uncooked chicken, some veggies and water! I think the thing I love most about it is the time I save after work. I can make a healthy dinner in the time it would take me to pick up fast food or order a pizza. And if I forget to take meat out of the freezer before work (which happens most of the time), no problem! The instant pot even cooks meat perfectly from frozen! The Instant Pot comes in a couple different sizes the most popular being the 6qt. We have the 8qt and it’s perfect for a family of 4 which includes 2 teenagers. My sister-in-law has the 3qt and says it’s great for 2 people. Cleaning the Instant Pot is easy too! The inner pot comes right out for washing, the silicone ring in the lid is easy to remove and replace after you wash it, and everything else wipes clean with a wash cloth. There is a little moisture catcher at the back that just unclips for dumping and you do have to make sure to keep the pressure valve clean but again, it’s very easy to do. I love my Instant Pot so much, I use it several times a week! Just this past week I made a big batch of minestrone soup that my family enjoyed for dinner and then for lunches later in the week. Here’s what I did…
Recipe:
* I made this recipe in an 8qt. Instant Pot. If you have a smaller version, you may want to cut the recipe in half
2 stalks of celery, diced
med. onion, diced
1 Tbsp oil
1 zucchini, diced
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 cup corn, fresh, frozen or canned
28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I pureed mine)
1 can white kidney beans (cannellini beans)
8 cups vegetable broth
1 cup spinach (I used frozen but fresh would work)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
4-5 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked elbow noodles or rice
Turn Instant Pot to saute mode and heat the oil. Cook the celery and onion until they are translucent. Add the rest of the veggies (except spinach), garlic, broth and seasonings. Close the lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to close. Cook on manual mode for 6 minutes and then let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes or so. Flip the pressure valve to release the remaining pressure. Add the spinach and cooked pasta/rice and enjoy!
Here are some links to some of my family’s other favourite Instant Pot recipes:
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Corn Chowder
- Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork