15 Quick and Easy Meals You Can Make in an Instant Pot

The Instant Pot has got to be one of the most convenient things ever invented. It’s a slow cooker, steamer, and pressure cooker all wrapped up into one little appliance. Speaking from experience, the Instant Pot does the lazy person and the college student a world of good. Because it’s such a versatile tool, you can use it for a wide variety of quick and easy meals. Whether you’re in a rush and need a quick dinner or you don’t really feel like putting that much effort into cooking, get yourself an Instant Pot and you’ll be able to whip up these tasty and effortless meals in no time!

1. Instant Pot Chicken Ramen

Fox and Briar

Homemade, healthy, and flavorful ramen that’s almost as quick as the packaged kind? The Instant Pot makes it possible—and makes perfectly soft-boiled ramen eggs effortless too. Get the Instant Pot Chicken Ramen recipe.

2. Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

Pinch of Yum

While the Instant Pot does wonders for meat of all sorts, you can make great vegetarian meals with it too, like this creamy mushroom and wild rice soup. Get the Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup recipe.

3. Instant Pot Meatball Sandwich

Aunt Bee’s Recipes

Let’s be honest–when has anybody ever had a bad meatball sandwich? It’s just unheard of. With this recipe for Instant Pot meatballs, now you can have a meatball sandwich within minutes. And isn’t that the American dream? Don’t worry; if you don’t want to make the meatballs from scratch, you could throw frozen meatballs in an Instant Pot, too! Get the Instant Pot Meatball Sandwich recipe.

4. Instant Pot Southwestern Chicken and Rice

Meaningful Eats

As intricate as this meal sounds, it really is as simple as throwing everything into a pot and having a delicious dinner in 30 minutes. This chicken and rice recipe has the makings of a perfect dinner: it’s fast, it’s simple, and there’s cheese on top. Get the Instant Pot Southwestern Chicken and Rice recipe.

5. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Six Sisters Stuff

This wouldn’t be a properly written article if mac and cheese wasn’t mentioned. The best part about this Instant Pot mac and cheese is that the cook time is literally five minutes. A mac and cheese dinner in five minutes? Is this even real life? Get the Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe.

6. Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Foody Schmoody

Taco pasta is my guiltiest guilty pleasure. It’s so fun to make, and it’s delicious no matter how you make it. This recipe takes taco pasta into the Instant Pot world. With only six ingredients and ten minutes of cooking time, you’ll be able to feed your family in the cheapest, easiest, and most delicious way possible. Get the Instant Pot Taco Pasta recipe.

7. Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup

Living Locurto

Yup, the Instant Pot does soup, too! And this particular recipe turns out a warm, hearty, easy-to-make and, frankly, beautiful baked potato soup perfect for chilly weather. Hell, I’d eat this in the dead of summer too. Get the Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup recipe.

8. Instant Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Eating On A Dime

Perfect on a potato bun, this sweet shredded chicken is a simple guaranteed hit at any outdoor party! For that extra Hawaiian vibe, I highly recommend enjoying this with a piña colada. Get the Instant Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken recipe.

9. Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Two Peas And Their Pod

One of the Instant Pot’s many skills is the ability to cook rice, so why not take advantage? In 22 minutes, you’ll have a flavorful (and cheap!) new favorite side dish. Spice up any dinner with this cilantro lime rice that may as well come straight from an authentic Mexican restaurant. Get the Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice recipe.

10. Instant Pot Beef Stew

Family Fresh Meals

The Instant Pot is the eighth wonder of the world for giving us Crock-Pot-quality beef stew without the Crock-Pot time. This recipe for beef stew is flavorful, filling, and done in 15 minutes! Get the Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe.

11. Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

The Typical Mom

When I found this recipe for a quick and flavorful oatmeal I thought, “This thing does breakfast too?!” Mornings are hectic, so this five-minute breakfast should take some stress out of the day. Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of apples and cinnamon in the morning? Get the Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe.

12. Instant Pot Chocolate Lava Cake

Paint The Kitchen Red

If you’re using the Instant Pot for breakfast, you may as well use it for dessert too. It’s the perfect appliance for one of those days where cake is mandatory (and we’ve all had those days). You’ll be enjoying this gooey lava cake within ten minutes. Hallelujah! Get the Instant Pot Chocolate Lava Cake recipe.

13. Instant Pot Peach Cobbler

Southern Family Fun

If you aren’t a fan of chocolate cake, you could whip up a peach cobbler in 20 minutes. This recipe calls for ten minutes in the pot, ten minutes to cool, and all night to enjoy. And it’s not a real peach cobbler unless you throw a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! Get the Instant Pot Peach Cobbler recipe.

14. Instant Pot Potato Salad

Graceful Little Honey Bee

Prep time is only ten minutes for this tasty and flavorful dill pickle potato salad. You can actually cook the eggs and potatoes together, so you’ll have a quick and easy last minute treat to bring to that barbecue. Get the Instant Pot Potato Salad recipe.

15. Instant Pot Monkey Bread

Food N Service

Monkey bread is the holy grail of sweet treats. You can eat it for dessert at a picnic, bring it to a brunch, or just go to town in your pajamas on a Friday night. This recipe takes just under a half hour and it’s supposed to serve two, but we won’t judge. Get the Instant Pot Monkey Bread recipe.

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Related Video: How to Clean Your Instant Pot

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9 Reasons Why Bisquick Is the Most Versatile Ingredient in Your Kitchen

I need to confess something and please don’t judge. I mean, if anything, Chowhound is the place where we can answer questions we are too embarrassed to ask and geek out about foods that we love or crave without shame.

Anyway, here it is: I love me some Bisquick.

Do you even remember what that is? Do you still use it? If you spent any time watching what happens in the kitchen, your parent or grandparent probably pulled out a yellow box of the good stuff on a weekend morning to make pancakes. That, or this happened many times throughout the week to whip up—well—just about anything. It was always delicious because Bisquick makes everything easier and t-t-t-tasty. Now, if that wasn’t you, here is a Bisquick refresher.

Bisquick was created by General Mills in 1930 after a top sales executive had some exquisite biscuits in a train dining car. The chef had premixed lard, flour, baking powder, and salt and then kept it all on ice so he could speedily bake fresh biscuits for the passengers. Apparently, this concept had yet to be marketed. So, the exec rushed home and came up with his own formula that could be boxed and stored outside the fridge. It was originally sold as a biscuit mix that was “90 seconds from box to oven.” Put simpler, a way “to make biscuits quick.” After they released it, I imagine the cries of joy must have sounded like Boston at the end of last year’s Super Bowl.

Nowadays, baking out of a box is as American as apple pie. Bisquick even comes gluten-free, and many a Bisquick lover has used this base to hack faster ways to make things that we love from casseroles to dinner rolls—and, of course, dessert.

So, without further ado, here are nine reasons why Bisquick is one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen.

1. Chicken Fricasse with Bisquick Dumplings

Kitchen Nostalgia

Spring is almost officially here, but tell that to the temperatures, which continue to trend cold in many parts of the country. So, why not make Bisquick dumplings like mamma used to? Oh, but that is too hard, right? Nope. This is an easy, 30-minute, one pot recipe with thick white sauce and chive dumplings. Get the Chicken Fricasse with Bisquick Dumplings recipe.

2. Homemade Baked Corn Dogs

Le Creme De La Crumb

Few things are more American than a corn dog. That juicy flavor of salty, roasted pork or beef wrapped in sweet, crusty corn. It’s a snack, a witty hors d’ouevre, or a meal that will make your inner child happy. Sure, you need cornmeal, but the Bisquick will take care of making sure they bake to crunchy perfection. Get the Homemade Baked Corn Dogs recipe.

3. Biscuit Mix Pizza

Mama Loves Food

I recently agreed to a family vacation with five children and 10 adults. If you have kids under the age of seven, you know it’s not only hard to feed them, but you always need to entertain them. Nothing works better than a pizza party. First, the kids learn and start to feel comfortable in the kitchen. Second, they don’t find reasons to fall or fight (if you are lucky). This recipe is super easy and yeast-free, which is a nice step to skip with potentially impatient kids. It also makes a biscuity crust that is moist and soft. I recommend adding a little garlic and onion powder to the dough if you want to add a bit more flavor. Get the Biscuit Mix Pizza recipe.

4. No-Fail Tortilla Recipe

Kids Activities Blog

Ever want Mexican food, but you’ve run out tortillas? Never fail at this critical life moment again. Just make more. The recipe is so simple that tortillas are just a little 30-minute bake session away. The best part is that you let dough sit for 20 out of the 30 minutes. So, grab a marg and thank Bisquick for the win! Get the No-Fail Tortilla Recipe.

5. Oven-Baked “Fried” Chicken

Lil Luna

Health is important but every now and then you crave a bit of fried chicken. The Bisquick oven-baked chicken is said to taste like KFC. So, yaaaas, please. Try to control yourself once you give this one a try and save those deep frying points for something more exotic like the following… Get the Oven-Baked “Fried” Chicken recipe.

6. Bisquick Churros

Life Is Poppin

Every dessert has a moment. And right now, I am all about churros—crispy fried dough with cinnamon sugar. One problem: I always find them randomly at an amusement park, festival, or street fair, so I have no control over the oil and ingredients. Thanks to Bisquick, I can now make them at home. Get the Bisquick Churros recipe.

7. Red Velvet Mug Cake

Doughmesstic

This is the silliest little recipe that is all about having cake with as little commitment as possible. Back in college, for so many reasons, we would just crave a little cake. The problem was that there was no reason to keep buying big cakes for just a nibble. Enter cake in a cup or “mug cake.” Who doesn’t want cake in five minutes? Get the Red Velvet Mug Cake recipe.

8. Bisquick Banana Bread

Mostly Homemade Mom

In high school, I had a teacher who forever made her way into our hearts and stomachs because she’d periodically bring in “insert-x” bread. I tried to emulate this at work, but sadly, bread is hard sometimes and I have no time to suffer for the benefit of others. Thus, Bisquick makes sweet bread-making fail-proof. Once you have mastered this banana bread, you can start to switch in veggies, as well as add nuts, seeds, and/or dried fruit to use up whatever else you have lying around the house. Get the Bisquick Banana Bread recipe.

9. Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Life In The Lofthouse

Having a bad day? Need some TLC: tender-loving cookies? Let’s face it. Some days just suck and you need to be home, put on sweatpants, and enjoy a chewy, soft bit of chocolate and dough. The ingredients in Bisquick make the cookies magically fluffy and crispy at the same time, and using it means there’s less to measure out as far as dry ingredients. Enjoy—and feel better! Get the Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Bisquick All-Purpose Mix, $3.33 at Walmart

Who knew it was good for so much else besides pancakes and biscuits?

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Bisquick Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix, $4.28 at Walmart

It's also available in a gluten-free version if you're sensitive to wheat.

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11 Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas for Easy Meals with Effortless Clean-Up

Some people read recipes and think, “that sounds delicious! I’ll make it tonight after work and the gym and before Netflix in bed!” I read a recipe and stop after the third item I will inevitably have to wash. I loathe washing dishes. Sure, I pull on some heinous rubber gloves and turn up a podcast (thank you, “Reply All!”) but I do not enjoy it. Especially when I’m just watching the last of my free moments slip down the drain.

As a result, my favorite recipes require little more than a few vegetable chops and sheet pan. Crank up the oven, spread everything onto a sheet pan, and you’re done. Just one item to wash. Even better, line that baby with aluminum foil and you don’t even have to wash it!

The following recipes are all single sheet pan dinners, so put those cookie sheets to work for something more than dessert!

And if you need a meatless main, you can replace animal protein with tofu in pretty much any sheet pan dinner (see this Sheet Pan Crispy Teriyaki Tofu and Broccoli recipe for an already-veggie version).

1. Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Roasted Broccoli

Cooking Classy

Salmon is a very forgiving fish, so it’s ideal for this sheet pan recipe. The parmesan crust gives it a great depth of flavor and also protects it from drying out while providing a perfect crunch. Feel free to use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or even panko to save yourself a step. Get the Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Roasted Broccoli recipe.

2. Roasted Fall Vegetables with Italian Sausage

Foodie with Family

The perfect fall flavors all come together on one easy sheet pan in this recipe. You can usually even find the veggies pre-cut in the grocery store if you’re in a rush, especially the butternut squash. But use a good quality sausage, as the blistered crisped skin of these is the best part. And for an all-season supper, just switch out the specific veggies you use, and even the sausage (think chicken links when it’s warmer and you want a lighter bite). Get the Roasted Fall Vegetables with Italian Sausage recipe.

3. Roasted Shrimp with Polenta

The Pig and Quill

Buy a roll of pre-cooked polenta and slice it into rounds for the easiest dinner ever. The polenta rounds go on the sheet pan first as they take a little longer to crisp up, and then you simply scatter the shrimp and tomatoes toward the end so the shrimp stay perfectly moist and tender. Technically two steps, but still only one sheet pan. Get the Roasted Shrimp with Polenta recipe.

4. Roasted Deconstructed Caesar Salad

Babble

Replace a cold premade Caesar salad with this easy meal that will keep you warm without weighing you down on a chilly night. If you’ve never roasted lettuce before, this is the one to try because just like root vegetables, the lettuce gets crisp and caramelized, while the parmesan and panko turn a nutty golden brown on the chicken. Hot salad never tasted so good. Get the Roasted Deconstructed Caesar Salad recipe.

5. Sheet Pan Clambake with Mussels, Shrimp, and Chorizo

Damn Delicious

Just like the shrimp recipe above, this hearty clambake keeps everything on one sheet pan, but has you add the different elements in stages so nothing gets overcooked. This method means all the briny shellfish juices meld with the spicy oils of the chorizo to create some pretty amazing potatoes. A sprinkle of Old Bay and parsley brings the whole meal together. (Try a version with lobster tails and andouille too!) Get the Sheet Pan Clambake with Mussels, Shrimp, and Chorizo recipe.

6. Sheet Pan Quiche

Laughing Spatula

Admit it. There is rarely a time when you’re not in the mood for quiche. Especially with salty ham and sharp cheddar cheese. Put it all on a sheet pan and it’ll cook in no time, plus you’ll practically leap out of bed in the morning knowing this is for breakfast too. Well, maybe not leap, per se, but it’ll soothe a case of the Monday mornings. Get the Sheet Pan Quiche recipe.

7. Sheet Pan Shakshouka

The Joy of Kosher

Free form dinner at its best, this shakshouka couldn’t get easier to assemble. Throw some za’atar-spiced onions, potatoes, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes onto the sheet pan, bake for a while, then crack as many eggs as you’ve got all over it. It’s impossible to mess this up. Try it for dinner, then impress your friends by making it for a mostly hands-off brunch. Once it’s in the oven, you’ll have both hands free for mimosas. Or Bloody Marys. Or one of each. Get the Sheet Pan Shakshouka recipe.

8. Chicken Parmesan with Roasted Zucchini

Cooking Classy

If you eat it with zucchini, chicken parm just got healthy, right? I’m declaring it so. Feel free to use whatever veggies looks good at the market or arrive in your CSA to round this out if zucchini has gone out of season. Get the Chicken Parmesan with Roasted Zucchini recipe.

9. Sheet Pan Pizza

Completely Delicious

Just like the pizza you grew up with on Fridays in the cafeteria, it just tastes better when it’s square. Top it with all of your favorites and save cash on delivery. Now it’s Friday whenever you need it! Get the Sheet Pan Pizza recipe.

10. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

The Yummy Life

The healthiest Mexican option you can find, these chicken fajitas cook up faster than you can make guacamole (which you should also do to go alongside). Multi-colored bell peppers pack vitamins and flavor into dinner, while poblanos and taco seasoning lend a spicy and smoky punch. Sheet pan steak fajitas are a great choice for red meat eaters. Get the Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas recipe.

11. Chicken with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Taste Food Blog

The secrets to this recipe are smoked paprika and Greek yogurt. The yogurt provides both a richness and tangy note, while the smoked paprika gives this dish a fruity earthy pop. Plus, it’s equally good hot or cold, making it ideal for lunch the next day. Two meals, one pan? Can’t beat that. Get the Chicken with Chickpeas and Tomatoes recipe.

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Prep your sheet pan dinners ahead of time, or save your leftovers in the same pan with this lidded version.

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What Is the Difference Between Cayenne and Chili Powder?

So you’re trying to heat things up, are you? In one hand you have a bottle of cayenne, in the other, a bottle of chili powder. As you stand over the stove, perhaps at the beginning stages of preparing an enchilada filling or working up a little spicy hot chocolate, you consider your next move. Are these two spices interchangeable? Which one was it this recipe called for? “Ah, whatever,” you think, casually grabbing that which is closest…

Now listen carefully. Put the bottles down. Turn off the heat (metaphorically and actually), and step away from the stove. Unless you are prepared to take your chances on developing the ability to breathe fire or having your chocolate also spiked with cumin and oregano, you’re going to want to actually understand the difference between cayenne and chili powder and proceed carefully.

Bottle Contents

All cayenne powders are technically chili powders, but not all chili powders are cayennes. A quick look at the back of both bottles should clear some things up. Your bottle of cayenne probably doesn’t have a list of ingredients, because the single ingredient is right on the front: cayenne. Cayenne is a type of chili pepper whose primary use is being ground into powdered form for adding heat in cooking. Chili powder, on the other hand, is more of a chili seasoning blend that not only contains some ground chili, (which may or may not be cayenne chilis), but also additional flavor components such as cumin, oregano, salt, garlic powder, etc. Depending on brand, these may just be listed as “spices” on the back label, but it any case you’ve got more that only chilis in that bottle.

Chowhound

Relative Heat

Cayennes are moderately hot chilis, registering between 30,000 and 50,000 Scoville units. (The Scoville scale measures the impact of capsicum, the “spiciness” compound, in various types of peppers.) By comparison jalapeños clock in only around 10,000 units max, and the famed Carolina Reaper is pushing 1.5 million units. A little cayenne goes a long way, and for an average single recipe, you’ll typically see cayenne called for as a fraction of a teaspoon, sometimes just a pinch, unless you’re cooking up something seriously spicy. Chili powder can vary in heat level depending on brand and definitely does bring some fire to the situation, but more so brings flavor. It’s like the difference between hot sauces such as Tabasco, which brings a burst of heat in a single dash, and Cholula or Frank’s, which have a pepper flavor, and a tangy, viscous quality that allows for larger portions. A full teaspoon of chili powder, even up to a tablespoon, isn’t likely to leave you running for the pickles and ice cream. (I have it on good authority that this is the antidote for extreme levels of cayenne. Looking at you, Nashville Hot Chicken.)

Loveless Cafe

Mistaken Identity

Cayenne and chili powder look an awful lot alike in the bottle, with maybe chili powder having a slightly deeper crimson blush, but other complicating factors are that a number of other spicy additives might also be sharing the spice rack. Other forms of pulverized chilis exists, such as ancho chili powder, paprika or smoked paprika, aleppo, gochugaru, etc. Additionally, other chili-based spice blends are out and about, such as tajin: a Mexican condiment that includes chilies, lime zest, and salt. Chili flakes or crushed red pepper flakes are similar to cayenne except that they are crushed rather than ground, and include the visible seeds of the pepper, but can function in a somewhat similar way when added to food.

In the Pot

When you add small amount of cayenne toward the beginning of the cooking process, it will infuse your dishes with an even heat. Innocent-seeming recipes such as béchamel sauce can even call for a pinch of cayenne to give an undercurrent of warmth. Chili powder is also something that goes in early, and benefits not only from contact with oil to help all of its layered flavors bloom, but a long cooking process. A bubbling pot of chili wouldn’t be nearly the same if you added chili powder right at the end, and would taste uneven and flat. Certain recipes may even call for both chili powder and cayenne, to amplify the heat of what the chili powder brings, but also incorporate the other attendant flavors.

Compassionate Keto

To put in context the different ways cayenne and chili powder function in recipes, here are a roundup of recipes that highlight some of the best applications of both!

Cayenne

Roasted Nashville Hot Chicken

Amber Wilson

Yeah, remember when I talked about the relatively small quantity of cayenne needed to make a point? Right, this recipe for Nashville’s signature dry-rub spicy chicken calls for two full tablespoons. You have been warned. PICKLES AND ICE CREAM AT THE READY. Get the Roasted Nashville Hot Chicken recipe.

Crispy Corn Fritters

Chowhound

Here we see how cayenne functions in a much more subtle fashion. These aren’t spicy fritters, per se, but the cayenne helps cut through rich, somewhat creamy components for a warming, rather than spicy effect. Get our Crispy Corn Fritters recipe.

Mexican Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies

Chowhound

Cayenne is your go-to heat to add a little fire to something sweet. Chocolate, meet cayenne. Passion ablaze! Get our Mexican Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies recipe.

Chili Powder

Bacon Black Bean Chili

Chowhound

I mean, take your pick. If the dish is called “chili” it better have chili powder in it, or else a good excuse as to why it doesn’t, like a laundry list of individual spices. But just grab the chili powder already. Get our Bacon Black Bean Chili recipe.

Cauliflower Tacos

Second only to chili, taco seasoning is chili powder’s other star turn. Here chili powder can transform even the palest of veggies into something rowdy and almost meaty, worthy of earning its spot in a taco. Get our Cauliflower Tacos recipe.

Breakfast Nachos

Chowhound

Here we see the true universal nature of chili powder. Flavorful enough to elevate eggs and beans into the exalted realm of nachos, but mellow enough to have them for breakfast! Get our Breakfast Nachos recipe.

Related Video: Easy Spicy Turkey Chili

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