I am every bit as enthusiastic about my Instant Pot as I was when I first bought it about 18 months ago. It is rare that I go more than a day or two without using it and there are days when it is used two or three times for one thing or another. To be honest, I am seriously considering buying a second Instant Pot so that I can have veggies in one and meat in the other. Basically, this gadget has made me so lazy that I really dread the idea of pulling out my old dutch oven and “really cooking”! So, yes, it’s no secret that I am obsessed but I wanted to give you guys some specifics about the things I actually make with my Instant Pot. These are all recipes I know and love and would recommend to everyone, so keep right on reading!

1. Black Beans & Rice: I have to say that of all the recipes we make, this one has probably gotten the most mileage. It takes about 3 minutes to get it started and 45 minutes from start to finish with NO SOAKING required. Right before serving, I like to stir in a can of diced tomatoes to add a little extra flavor. We sometimes serve with sausage as a main course, in flour tortillas with sour cream and cheese, or over chips for “Nacho Night”. I have even thrown the ingredients together in a ziplock when going to a friend’s house for quick impromptu meals.
2. Hard Boiled Eggs: My kids love hard boiled eggs and will eat them as often as I have them ready to go. Now that I have discovered “instant eggs”, it no longer annoys me to cook them so I serve them more frequently. Deviled eggs and egg salad are no longer a rarity! Click here for my easy method for hard-boiled eggs.
3. Meat from frozen: One of the greatest things about the instant pot is that you can cook meat right from frozen! It’s true, and it’s amazing. Last night I pulled out a block of frozen ground beef that we purchased in bulk and threw it in the pot on manual. After it was mostly cooked, I drained it and turned to saute to break up the meat and finish browning, I added jarred pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles and it turned out delicious! You could not tell a bit of difference in the texture or flavor of the meat and it saved us from fast food at the last minute! Here’s a helpful guide to cooking from frozen.
4. “Baked” Potatoes: I love baked potatoes made in the instant pot and they are a lot faster this way too. I have had trouble timing potatoes in the past; they always cooked unevenly in my oven or became dried out by the time we sat down to eat. After scouring the internet, I found directions that work perfectly every time.Scrub potatoes and place as many as you can easily fit on the steam rack in the inner pot. Add 1 and ¾ cups water to the pot and set it at manual 20 minutes with the vent closed. Allow it to come down from pressure naturally and feel free to leave the machine on warm until you get around to eating. They turn out great with this method! (For sweet potatoes, just steam for 10 minutes! Check out details here )
5. Just plain rice: I love rice made in the instant pot following the chart in the manual. I add a couple teaspoons of Better than Bouillon, salt and butter and allow for a natural pressure release. I used to get really frustrated with rice on the stove and couldn’t achieve consistently good results, but this is delicious every time.
6. Chili: Chili is so much easier in the instant pot and  you can pretty much use any recipe you like. Meat, peppers, and onions can be cooked on saute mode, then other ingredients can be added before cooking under pressure or on slow cook mode. My favorite part is that there is no hovering over the hot stove and no washing multiples pans and pots. Again, have I mentioned I’m a lazy cook?
7. Ribs: You can make absolutely fantastic ribs in the instant pot; you will just need to put them under the broiler to brown them up at the very end of cooking. Here’s a pic of my first attempt at Ribs and I was very proud of the delicious results!
8. Potato Salad: I love potato salad in the instant pot! I have never in my life made potato salad from scratch because it just sounded like too much work, but this recipe is truly quick & simple and the results are delicious.  You cook the eggs right along with the potatoes, so incredibly smart!
   

   Raising Generation Nourished

9. Bone Broth: Pack your instant pot with chicken bones for delicious bone broth. Then the bone broth can be used for all kinds of soups and sauces with more health benefits than store-bought versions! Here are detailed instructions, but my sister’s easy tip is to use the bones from a rotisserie chicken purchased from the deli or Costco. You can get a lot of bang for your buck for only about $5 and the broth really is delicious!http://www.copykat.com/2016/01/10/instant-pot-macaroni-and-cheese/
   

   Copy Kat Recipes

10. Macaroni & Cheese: This has become my go-to dish for potlucks or last minute sides. I have made it many different ways and don’t really use a recipe any longer, but here is a very similar method to mine.
    

    Homemade Mommy

11. Yogurt: The 7-in-1 Instant Pot version has the yogurt function and my parents have been using it regularly. We love the yogurt and it is amazingly inexpensive to make! (1 gallon organic yogurt is made from the cost of organic milk! Can you imagine the savings?) Click here for the directions!

What I haven’t tried yet: Did you know that you can make popcorn, cheesecake, or even muffins in the Instant Pot? Seriously, it’s hard to find a dish that someone hasn’t tried with this appliance. What do you cook in your Instant Pot?