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Quick Carnitas in the Instant Pot

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Quick Carnitas

Savory, tender morsels of meat in a fraction of the time!
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican, Taco Night, Tex-Mex
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dairy-free, Instant Pot, Keto, Kid-Approved, Low Carb, THM-S
Servings: 6
Calories: 326kcal
Author: Holly

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs pork butt steaks or beef chuck steaks
  • 1 cup onion, sliced thin 1 medium onion equals about 1 cup sliced onion
  • 10 cloves garlic can substitute jarred minced garlic or garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds can substitute 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon Magic Flavor Dust can substitute this for fresh onion and garlic, for ultra quick option.

Instructions

  • Place steaks into inner pot. Sprinkle onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, and salt over all the steaks.
  • Add one cup of water to Instant Pot.
  • Check the lid to make sure ring is securely in place and close the lid.
  • Make sure the steam release valve is set to [Sealing].
  • Set pressure cooking program to [Meat/Stew] or [Pressure Cook] or [Manual].
  • Set pressure level to High pressure by pressing the [Pressure] button.
  • Adjust the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes by pressing the [+] or [-] buttons.
  • Wait for the Instant Pot to beep and turn on or press [Start] to turn it on, depending on your pressure cooker model.
  • Once Instant Pot reaches pressure, cooks for 20 minutes and then beeps indicating pressure cooking time is finished, allow the meat to Naturally Release pressure for at least 10 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure. At this point, you can safely leave the meat in the pot for up to 10 hours on the Keep Warm setting.
  • Pull steaks out and place them on a cutting board. Remove bones and excess fat. Chop up meat and place in a serving dish.
  • Serve in tacos, tostadas, burrito bowls, on a salad, or with the broth over rice. We love serving with all the fixin's–diced tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 927mg | Potassium: 867mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4mg

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Browned Butter Chicken Noodle Soup in the Instant Pot

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Nourishing and delicious, Chicken Noodle Soup is so simple to make, I often can’t believe it. I usually ask my older children to chop up an onion, carrots, and a few stalks of celery. 

One thing that makes this soup so easy is one of my favorite time-saving food prep steps! Every few weeks, I have my sweet hubby bring home 2 to 4 rotisserie chickens 🍗🍗🍗 from Sam’s or Costco.

The kids and I have a quick “chicken pickin’” session around the table when he gets home. We take all the meat off the bones, chop it up, put it in freezer bags and freeze the yummy chicken for quick meal prep in a soup like Chicken Noodle. 

Quick tip: Don’t forget to label your bags with a permanent marker, because it’s really hard to tell what exactly that frozen hunk is several weeks later. 😉

We also freeze the bones from these chickens, and pull them out to make Homemade Bone Broth in the Instant Pot, which we make at least once per week. It’s ridiculously easy and delicious as a base for so many soups, such as hearty Italian Sausage Lentil Soup and zesty Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Check out our video here of exactly how we make broth in the Instant Pot.

My favorite noodles for this soup are the Egg Spaetzle noodles found in the German food section at Aldi. They are the most delicious and budget-friendly egg noodles I’ve found and they hold up well and don’t get mushy in this soup.

My favorite noodles for soup

When you make this soup in the Instant Pot, you simply brown the butter—don’t skip this step— on the Sauté mode, add everything else, and let it start!

When it’s time to make the Chicken Noodle Soup on a stove top, all we have to do is lightly brown some butter, which gives the soup a deep caramel flavor.

Add the aromatic veggies and give them a little sauté. Then pour in the broth, noodles, and chicken and let it simmer until the noodles are cooked through. Don’t forget to taste test for salt. 

It’s so nice to be able to walk away from the pot and go for a walk or play a game with the kids or even clean up the kitchen before dinner’s ready!

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5 from 3 votes

Browned Butter Chicken Noodle Soup in the Instant Pot

This delicious and nourishing soup is true comfort food for the body and soul. One of its beauties is how simple it is to make!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Comfort Food, Dairy-free, Dinner, Gluten-free, Gluten-free options, Kid-Friendly, Wellness
Servings: 8
Calories: 269kcal
Author: Holly
Cost: $8

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter Use olive oil or coconut oil for dairy-free. Ghee is also delicious.
  • 1 1/2 cups onion diced (1 large onion)
  • 1 1/2 cup celery diced (2-3 stalks and leaves)
  • 1 1/2 cup carrots sliced (2-3 whole carrots)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced OR 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 oz. egg noodles Gluten-free noodles or pasta can be substituted. Rice can also be used instead of noodles.
  • 4 cups chicken cooked and diced
  • 8 cups 64 oz. or 2 qts. chicken bone broth https://thecookingfamily.com/bone-broth-instant-pot/
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Turn Instant Pot to [Sauté] mode. Add butter to pot, allow to melt, foam up, subside, and just begin to brown. Watch it carefully or it could burn. As soon as butter starts to turn a caramel brown, add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté veggies for one minute, then add garlic and sauté for one more minute. (Seriously, set a timer or count.)
  • Pour in one cup of the broth and scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Add egg noodles, then chicken, and pour broth over all. Submerge noodles into liquid.
  • Next, press [Cancel] to turn OFF Instant Pot from sautéing.
  • Check lid to make sure seal is seated well and all parts are in place.
  • Place lid on pot and turn until it locks in place. You can hear a beep when it is closed properly.
  • Turn Release Valve (black knob on top of machine) to [Sealing].
  • Set Program by pressing [Soup] (or [Pressure Cook] or [Manual]).
  • Set Pressure level to [High Pressure].
  • Adjust Time by pressing the [+] or [-] buttons to desired time.
    NOTE: Your desired cooking time is based on your noodles. Check the instructions on the bag. Find the number of minutes. Choose the lowest number and cut that in half. Round down if this number is a half. For example, if your noodles say boil 7-9 minutes, cut the 7 in half (3.5 minutes) round down to 3 minutes. Set your pressure cooking time to just 3 minutes.
  • Start your pressure cooker.
    For Newbies: If you have the DUO or the LUX, Pause for 10 seconds and the IP turns on automatically. To turn on the Ultra or the MAX, press Start. The Instant Pot will beep when it starts heating up. It should say ON in the display. The pot and soup are heating up and coming to pressure during this time. When it reaches pressure, the float valve (small silver or red circle on top) will sputter, and within a minute or two should pop up and stop sputtering. Next, the display should switch over to your cooking time and begin to count down. When it is finished cooking, it will beep.
  • Quick Release the Pressure:
    With noodles and pasta, you should Quick Release to stop the cooking process so your noodles don’t get overcooked. Carefully, keeping your hand to the side and your face back, turn Release Valve (black knob) to Venting. Hot steam will immediately begin shooting out like a steam locomotive. Your dog will bark and your children will shout! When the float valve drops, your pot is no longer under pressure and it can be safely opened.
    Noodles and Pasta are starchy foods, and sometimes starch can come spewing out of the Steam Release Valve. Should this happen to you, quickly and carefully close the valve. You can use your hand, a wooden spoon, or a towel. But be careful to reach around the side, not over the top of the valve where the liquid and steam are spewing from. Wait about 5 minutes and try again. You may end up having to release the steam in short, controlled spurts until the starch stops coming out.
  • Carefully taste for seasoning and add salt, if necessary.

Notes

NOTE: Your desired cooking time is based on your noodles. Check the instructions on the bag. Find the number of minutes. Choose the lowest number and cut that in half. Round down if this number is a half. For example, if your noodles say boil 7-9 minutes, cut the 7 in half (3.5 minutes) round down to 3 minutes. Set your pressure cooking time to just 3 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 493mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4281IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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Hoppin’ John (New Year’s Black-eyed Peas with Bacon)

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Last updated on January 1st, 2022 at 03:17 pm

These southern black-eyed peas are so yummy—warm and hearty for New Year’s or delicious any day of the year!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. bacon, diced
  • 1 cup onion, diced (about 1 medium onion)
  • 6 cups (4 15 oz. cans) cooked black-eyed peas, not drained (1 pound of dried black-eyed peas, cooking instructions follow)
  • 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Ro-tel tomatoes)
  • 1/2 t. Garlic powder
  • 1/2 t. Onion powder
  • 1/4 t. Salt
  • 1/4 t. Pepper
  • 4 cups cooked rice

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, sauté bacon pieces until browned.
  2. Turn off heat. Remove from pan to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
  3. Pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons bacon grease into a heat-proof glass container (pyrex or canning jar).
  4. Return skillet to heat. Add onion and sauté until onion is clear.
  5. Pour in black-eyed peas with their liquid, tomatoes, and seasonings. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Add cooked rice. Stir well. Heat through.
  7. Taste and correct seasoning. Add a little water if it gets too thick.

Black-Eyed Peas in the Instant Pot

To cook one pound (16 ounces) dried black-eyed peas in the Instant Pot, sort and rinse dried peas. Place them in the insert. Cover with water level 2 inches above peas. Add a few tablespoons of diced onion, bay leaf, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes and allow to natural release. Proceed with recipe.

If you have time to soak the peas, sort and rinse them. Cover with water by about an inch. Even if you only have 20 to 30 minutes to let these soak, they will turn out better and cook more evenly in the end. After soaking, add a few tablespoons of diced onion, a bay leaf or two, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Then cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes and allow to natural release. The cook time goes down the longer you can soak. If these were soaked fully, you could decrease the cook time to 15 minutes at High pressure.

Kids in the Kitchen

Little Ones (2-5)

  • Can help carry cans from the pantry to the kitchen counter.
  • Can help sort black-eyed peas, if you cook from dried beans.

Medium Kiddos (6-10)

  • Can open cans with a can opener.
  • Can measure spices with adult help.
  • Can help put on a pot of rice.

Older Children and Teens (11-15)

  • Dice onion.
  • Dice bacon.
  • Sauté bacon and onion.
  • Follow recipe and put entire dish together.
  • *Note: An adult should help remove excess bacon grease, as hot grease can be very dangerous.
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Hoppin’ John

These southern black-eyed peas are a fabulous dish—warm and hearty for New Year’s or delicious any day of the year!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Beans & Rice, Southern
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kid-Approved, Kid-Friendly
Servings: 6
Calories: 665254kcal
Author: Holly

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. bacon diced
  • 1 cup onion diced (about 1 medium onion)
  • 6 cups cooked black-eyed peas, not drained about 4 (15oz.) cans or 1 lb. cooked dried black-eyed peas
  • 10 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies Ro-tel tomatoes
  • 1/2 t. Garlic powder
  • 1/2 t. Onion powder
  • 1/4 t. Salt
  • 1/4 t. Pepper
  • 4 cups cooked rice
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, sauté bacon pieces until browned. Turn off heat. Remove bacon from pan to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.  
  • Pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons bacon grease into a heat-proof glass container (pyrex or canning jar). 
  • Return skillet to heat. Add onion and sauté until onion is clear.
  • Pour in black-eyed peas with their liquid, tomatoes, and seasonings. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. 
  • Add cooked rice. Stir well. Heat through. Taste and correct seasoning. Add a little water if it gets too thick.

Notes

To cook one pound (16 ounces) dried black-eyed peas in the Instant Pot, sort and rinse dried peas. Place them in the insert. Cover with water level 2 inches above peas. Add a few tablespoons of diced onion, bay leaf, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes and allow to natural release. Proceed with recipe.
If you have time to soak the peas, sort and rinse them. Cover with water by about an inch. Even if you only have 20 to 30 minutes to let these soak, they will turn out better and cook more evenly in the end. After soaking, add a few tablespoons of diced onion, a bay leaf or two, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Then cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes and allow to natural release. The cook time goes down the longer you can soak. If these were soaked fully, you could decrease the cook time to 15 minutes at High pressure.

Nutrition

Calories: 665254kcal | Carbohydrates: 153258g | Protein: 26822g | Fat: 2865g | Saturated Fat: 980g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 16268848mg | Potassium: 2372876mg | Fiber: 30721g | Sugar: 7825g | Vitamin A: 228026IU | Vitamin C: 20507mg | Calcium: 580493mg | Iron: 12147mg

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New Year’s Cabbage (with Apples and Sausage)

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If you look at my photo library for all photos from January 1, a pic of this dish in a red dutch oven will appear every year. The photo for this post came from New Years 2012!

The recipe comes from my late grandma Vera, who had German ancestry. It’s super simple to prepare, and tastes like a New Year to me!

Tools Used

Wüsthof 7” Santoku Knife
Cutting Board
Enamel-Coated Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
My Favorite Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1-2 apples, diced
  • 1 head of cabbage, diced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 lb. Smoked Sausage of your preference

Instructions

  1. Place butter in large dutch oven over medium high heat.
  2. When butter stops foaming, add onion and salt.
  3. After about 2 minutes, add diced apples and sauté together until onion is clear, about 2 more minutes.
  4. Add diced cabbage and 1/2 cup water. Stir, cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
  5. Stir occasionally as cabbage steams for about 10 more minutes.
  6. Add smoked sausage and let sauté with the cabbage until sausage is heated through and cabbage is done to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  7. Enjoy!

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New Year's Cabbage (with Apples and Sausage)

This is a family recipe from Germany that many generations have enjoyed. It is super simple, nutritious and delicious. My son calls it "Glorious Cabbage!"
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: German
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dinner, Gluten-free, Paleo, THM-S, Whole 30
Servings: 6
Calories: 427kcal
Author: Holly

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter 1 stick or 4 oz.
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1-2 apples diced
  • 1 head of cabbage diced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 lb. smoked sausage of your preference diced
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place butter in large dutch oven over medium high heat. When butter stops foaming, add onion and salt.    
  • After about 2 minutes, add diced apples and sauté together until onion is clear, about 2 more minutes.
  • Add diced cabbage and 1/2 cup water, 1/4 tsp. more salt. Stir, cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
  • Stir occasionally as cabbage steams for about 10 more minutes.
  • Add smoked sausage and let sauté with the cabbage until sausage is heated through and cabbage is done to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Instructions

  • Turn Instant Pot [Sauté] function [On].
  • Place butter in stainless steel insert and melt.
  • Add diced onion and a small amount (1/4 tsp.) of the salt. Lightly sauté onion for about 2 minutes.
  • Add diced apple, diced cabbage, and diced smoked sausage.
  • Add one cup of water.
  • Place lid on Instant Pot.
  • Make sure release valve is set to [Sealing].
  • Set cooking program to [Pressure Cook] or [Manual].
  • If your Instant Pot has High and Low Pressure options, press [Pressure Level] or [Pressure] button to change to LOW pressure. If not, High pressure will do fine, but your cabbage will be just a little more cooked.
  • Set the pressure cooking time to 0 (zero) minutes by pressing the [+] or [-] buttons. Some pressure cookers allow a minimum time of 1 minute, so if that is the case, set for one minute only.
  • Wait 10 seconds for Instant Pot to start or press [Start] if your machine has a Start button.
  • Instant Pot will heat up, come to pressure and then beep immediately once the 0 comes up on the screen. Immediately Quick Release the pressure. Stir well and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if desired. Serve and enjoy! Goes great with mashed potatoes!

Notes

Red Cabbage and Green Cabbage both work perfectly in this recipe. Same goes for any type of onion and any type of apple.
I prefer this on the good ol' fashioned stovetop, but Instant Pot does fine if you need to use it for some reason. It's easy to overcook cabbage, so try to minimize cooking time by pressure cooking for zero minutes (or 1 minute) on LOW pressure, and immediately Quick Releasing the pressure.

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 964mg | Potassium: 472mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 637IU | Vitamin C: 59mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2mg

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Instant Pot Minestrone…Instastrone?

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Last updated on January 23rd, 2019 at 08:20 am

If Instastrone isn’t a real word, it will be after you try this amazing dish! Minestrone is a wonderful Italian vegetable soup, thick and hearty. In restaurants it’s often served with pasta, but it’s not a necessity. We prefer ours with only yummy veggies!

This recipe requires a bit of chopping, but then you just throw the ingredients in and wait for some delicious soup! But you’ll only have to wait for 4 minutes of cook time! That’s why it’s Instastrone!

And it really is very delicious!

Ingredients

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Instant Pot Texas Chili

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Last updated on January 1st, 2019 at 11:18 pm

This is the second best chili recipe I’ve ever made.

The best pot of chili I’ve ever made was 20 years ago. Read to the end if you want to see a really sweet story about that special pot of chili.

Note: There’s lots of debate about different types of chili. The conventional wisdom is that Texas Chili has no beans. But we really like the beans in ours. And we’re from Texas. So it’s still Texas Chili. 🤠

On a more practical note, adding beans makes it about $3 cheaper per batch (depending on ground beef prices in your area.) That amount adds up over a few meals. …

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Homemade Chicken Bone Broth in the Instant Pot

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Last updated on July 28th, 2019 at 09:50 pm

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Under Pressure: 120 Minutes
Quick Release or Natural Pressure Release, your call!
If you’ve got 5 minutes, old chicken bones, leftover veggies, and an Instant Pot, you can have homemade bone broth all the time! Sometimes called Chicken Stock, this commonly used ingredient is the basis for so many recipes! We use it for soups, casseroles, sauces, and gravies. We even sometimes use it for making rice and pasta, instead of water. Here are a few of our recipes that use this delicious broth as a base ingredient:
 
Using store-bought chicken broth is easy, but it isn’t necessarily cheap, and the truth is, you don’t actually know what’s in that can or box or jar.
When I went gluten free and was forced to begin reading every label, I was shocked at the ingredient lists right in front of my face that I had been ignoring! Ingredients such as:

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Instant Pot Ham ‘n’ Beans

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Last updated on April 9th, 2020 at 10:10 am

The only thing I love more than the taste of this recipe is how simple it is to throw together. It’s so easy, it feels like cheating to even call this a “recipe.”

Here’s all you need for this super easy recipe:

Tools Used

Ingredients

  • a spiral-sliced ham or leftover ham bone
  • a bag of dried beans. A two-pound bag of Great Northern beans is what I used to make this in an 8qt., but any kind of beans would be great cooked this way–pintos, navy, black beans–use whatever you have and whatever you like.
  • An onion

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Instant Pot Italian Sausage Lentil Soup

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Last updated on November 4th, 2022 at 04:49 pm

Several years ago, we were at Carrabba’s and I had their Sausage Lentil Soup. It was so good! I’ve spent the last few years trying to re-create it, and I think we’ve finally got it really close! I love working up recipes because I get to eat the results. 😉

This is a hearty and nutritious dinner for the whole family. Lentils provide lots of protein, fiber, iron, and B vitamins!  And it’s delicious! Everyone in our family gobbles up the first bowl and wants seconds, including the toddler! In the Old Testament of the Bible, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of Lentil stew—so you know it must be good!

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Instant Pot Jambalaya

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Last updated on May 7th, 2020 at 09:11 am

My husband’s family has a long and rich heritage in south Louisiana, so cajun dishes are frequently enjoyed at family gatherings. Now, authentic cajun fare is usually a bit too spicy for my younger kids, so I adapted this recipe to give us all the yummy ingredients without the kick.

Traditional Jambalaya is typically cooked with rice combined with all the ingredients. I like to cook my rice separately for a couple of reasons:

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Santa Fe Chicken – A Perfect Freezer-Stuffer!

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Last updated on September 21st, 2018 at 05:48 pm

Giant batch of Santa Fe Chicken!
Giant batch of Santa Fe Chicken!

Earlier this week we made a huge batch of Santa Fe Chicken to stock our freezer. We use this for lots of different meals. It can be eaten as an entree by itself, or it can be a very versatile dinner base for other recipes. And it freezes perfectly!

 

We use it in tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, tostadas, quesadillas, or nachos. So, even though this recipe makes enough to feed an army, it doesn’t seem like the family is eating the same thing over and over.

 

This is a fabulous recipe to make with your kids! Even very little ones can sort and rinse dry beans and go to the pantry to get cans. Medium kiddos can open cans and bigger ones can pick chickens and measure spices. Everyone can dump or pour things into the mixing bowl. And we had several sets of {clean-ish} hands in there stirring and tasting.

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One-Pot Pasta in the Instant Pot

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Last updated on January 23rd, 2019 at 09:32 am

This is a family favorite that has lots of options for different dietary needs. It’s fast, delicious, and it’s so easy, the kids can make it!

One Pot Pasta in the Instant Pot

You have two options with this dish:

  1. Easy
  2. Extra-super-duper-come-on-this-is-way-too-simple-give-me-a-break easy

Which version you make depends on what ingredients and time you have on hand. If you choose the super easy version, you only need three things (well, four if you count water.) If you have a little extra time (like, literally 3 minutes) you can make your own sauce, and I’ve included my go-to recipe. It’s super-quick and tasty. And if you want to really jazz it up, there are all sorts of things you could add-in to take this up another notch!

We cooked this live on our Facebook page, so you can watch this video to see us prepare it from start to finish in about 20 minutes, and see which jobs kids of all ages can help with.

Kitchen Tools used:

6 quart Instant Pot
OXO Wooden Spatula
Cut Glove
Knife
Chopper

3 Easy Ingredients:

  1. Italian sausage or any other ground meat
  2. Spaghetti Sauce (jarred or follow recipe below)
  3. Pasta (16 oz.), any type

Spaghetti Sauce:

Let’s talk about this. That jar of spaghetti sauce in your pantry is really convenient. Just dump it in and move on. There are definitely times when I need that simplicity. And personally, even if I have a jar of sauce I want to use, I’ll add …

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Instant Pot 6-Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Last updated on July 31st, 2019 at 11:07 am

This is a family favorite that turns out delicious every time!  We use our favorite kitchen tool, the Instant Pot, to make a tasty Chicken Tortilla Soup.  The Instant Pot really does give second-day soup flavor in only a few minutes! One of the things I love about this recipe is that there is something for each of my children to do to help prepare it. Watch the video to see how everyone pitches in. The recipe and instructions we used are down below.

Tools we used:

6 Qt Instant Pot

Cut Glove I make sure the kids are always wearing one of these when using the knife. …

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What’s So Great About the Instant Pot?

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Last updated on September 21st, 2018 at 05:53 pm

What's so great about the Instant Pot?

For years, I was a slow-cooker fan. I remember the day when I got my big All-Clad model with the insert that you could put right on the stove to brown meat. I coveted and longed for that tool for months before buying it on sale.
And I still like to pull it out every now and then, if for no other reason than to justify keeping it, because it is beautiful. But ever since I got my Instant Pot, the poor slow-cooker has been more of no-cooker.

 

Poor, Lonely Slow Cooker
My Poor, Lonely Slow Cooker

Here at The Cooking Family, one of our foundational principles is that you only need a small set of the right tools to enjoy great meals together. You don’t always need the “next big thing,” and you especially don’t need uni-taskers.

 

But even though the Instant Pot is the current “latest gadget,” it is one I would say is a must-have tool. Seriously. If you told me I could only keep 2 things in my kitchen, I’d keep my Wüsthof knife and my Instant Pot. As a mom of 7, I oversee 189 meals per week! But the Instant Pot ensures I don’t spend all day in the kitchen (unless I want to 😉.)

Even though it seems everyone is talking about the Instant Pot, I know many people don’t understand the hype. And I get it. I didn’t understand at first. At least once a week, someone will ask me, “What’s so great about the Instant Pot? I’m afraid I’ll blow my kitchen up!”

You won’t. Today’s electric pressure cookers are so much different than the tank-like pots that graced our grandmothers’ stoves.  I’ve compiled a list of things I love about mine. This list is certain to grow, and I’ll update it as I discover new things. There are many features I haven’t even explored yet. (Like ribs or lasagna!) (Updated 7/11/18)

Here’s why you need an Instant Pot

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Is this the one thing keeping dinner off the table?

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Last updated on September 21st, 2018 at 05:55 pm

We live in the golden age of cooking. If your Facebook feed is anything like mine, you see it filled with dozens of short recipe videos every day. And like me, you’ve possibly saved a bunch of them, planning to get back to it someday. Then there’s Pinterest, an endless supply of food and recipe ideas. Yet even with all of these resources available, I still struggled to get dinner on the table every night.

The 4:30 Panic

Inevitably, the afternoon would roll on, and next thing I knew, it was almost dinner time. Not only had I not started dinner, I had no idea what I would make. Not to fear, right? I could just go check my trusty saved links and whip something together. Raise your hand if that’s ever worked for you.

It never worked for me.

The truth is:
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