Easy Instant Pot Recipes for When You Can’t Be Bothered Cooking
There are evenings when cooking sounds quite enjoyable.
And then there are evenings when opening the fridge feels like enough effort for one day.
That is where the Instant Pot earns its place on the worktop. A handful of ingredients, one pot and very little attention can still get you something warm and satisfying without turning dinner into a project.
The “Throw It In and Walk Away” Dinner
A simple chicken curry is ideal when you want maximum dinner for minimum involvement.
Chicken, tomatoes or a ready-made sauce base, spices and a few cupboard staples can all go straight into the pot. Once cooked, finish with a little yoghurt, cream or coconut milk and serve with naan or microwave rice.
Very little prep, one pot to wash and considerably better than giving up and having toast.
The Whole Dinner in One Pot
Chicken and rice is exactly the sort of meal the Instant Pot does well.
Add the chicken, rice, stock, seasoning and vegetables together and you have protein, carbs and veg sorted without juggling three pans at once.
Frozen peas, sweetcorn or spinach can go in towards the end too, so this is also a useful opportunity to clear out the freezer.
Pasta Without the Pile of Washing Up
If you can manage opening a packet of pasta, you are already most of the way there.
Cooking pasta directly in a tomato-based sauce means there is no separate saucepan to drain and no extra pan for the sauce. Add garlic, herbs, vegetables or whatever needs using up, then finish with plenty of grated cheese.
It is simple, comforting and exactly what a low-effort dinner should be.
Something That Feels Far More Organised Than It Is
Lentil dhal is one of those meals that tastes as though you have made considerably more effort than you actually have.
Lentils, tomatoes, stock and spices do most of the work themselves under pressure, resulting in something warm, filling and full of flavour.
Add naan, rice, yoghurt or chutney if you have them. If you do not, a large bowl and a spoon will do perfectly well.
Cook Once and Give Tomorrow a Break Too
If you are already making dinner, you may as well make enough for tomorrow.
Soups, stews, chilli and casseroles are particularly useful because increasing the quantity usually adds very little extra work. Portion the leftovers into the fridge and tomorrow’s lunch or another evening meal, is already sorted.
That is technically meal prep, even if you had absolutely no intention of being that organised.
Keep Dinner Easy
Not every meal needs a long ingredient list, beautifully chopped vegetables or three different pans bubbling away on the hob.
Some nights, success is simply getting something decent into a bowl with as little fuss as possible.
And for those nights, putting everything in the Instant Pot and pressing a button is a perfectly respectable cooking strategy.
Recipe inspiration:
Easy Instant Pot Recipes – https://instantpot.co.uk/easy-instant-pot-recipes-for-students/
