Here is a quick and delicious Instant Pot recipe. I tried out the pressure cook setting for the first time today. It is my goal to try at least one new recipe every week using this new gadget! I have to admit – I was a little intimidated at first with all the settings. But, if you follow the instructions in the booklet you receive and practice, it really does get easier. You can pretty much make anything in it. My favorite thing about it is you can make something that would normally take 8 hours in the slow cooker in about 30 minutes in the Instant pot. The slow cooker setting is nice though too if you want a sauce simmering all day. 🙂
Today, I made a lentil and red bean chili. The recipe didn’t call for meat, but I added some ground beef for good measure to make the hubby happy. Plus, I do personally think chili tastes better with a little meat!
What’s also great about the Instant Pot is it has an app with tons of recipe ideas.
Here is the recipe for the lentil chili pictured:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lentils (red or brown), dried & soaked in water overnight
- 1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 lb ground beef, at least 85% lean
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 chopped bell pepper
- 5 cloves garlic (although I added more than this!)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 – 14oz cans diced tomatoes
- 2 6oz cans tomato paste
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups water
Directions
- Soak the lentils in water overnight or at least 8 hours.
- When ready to cook, rinse and drain lentils well. Set aside.
- Chop all your veggies (ideally these are already pre-chopped and ready to go. Turn on the sauté setting on your Instant Pot and let heat up for a couple minutes. Add veggies and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
- Add group been and sauté about 5 minutes until no longer pink.
- Add all spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, and beans. Add water and stir.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid into place, making sure the nozzle is in the “sealing” position. Use the Manual or Pressure Cook setting and set the timer for 30 minutes.
- Use the natural release method when the timer goes off, which means you let the pressure release naturally and you do not try to open the nozzle or top yourself. It will release naturally once the pressure goes down (in about 10-15 minutes.
You can make this in advance or day of. My house smelled AMAZING within minutes while making this, like it had been in the slow cooker all day. You can also add carrots or sweet potato, but I found this recipe was plenty filling on it’s own. Serve on its own topped with a little sharp cheddar cheese and scallions, mini corn muffins, or over rice.
Enjoy!
