Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

Using an average-sized hoagie, I'd say this recipe feeds six.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chuck roast, excess fat trimmed
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• (*Instead of using basil, oregano, parsley, and thyme, I used 1.5 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning.)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 14.5 ounces can beef broth
• 8 ounces of sliced pepperoncini (For fear of spiciness, use banana peppers instead!)
• 1/3 cup of liquid from pepperoncini/banana peppers
• 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced (I used one cup of frozen, chopped onions.)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves minced garlic (I used 3 frozen Dorot cubes.)
• Hoagie buns or rolls
• Softened butter
• Provolone cheese slices
• 8 ounces giardiniera, optional

Directions:

• Season the chuck roast with salt and black pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the meat in the pan and sear on all sides until golden brown, a few minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker.  (I used my Instant Pot {Slow Cook: Normal, Vent OPEN}.)
• In a small bowl, combine the basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, (or sub Italian Seasoning), onion powder, and red pepper flakes (optional). Sprinkle the mixture over the beef.
• Add the beef broth, sliced pepperoncini (or banana peppers), pepperoncini (banana pepper) liquid, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Give the mixture a little stir.
• Put the lid on the slow cooker (or Instant Pot) and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, or until meat is cooked and tender. (Mine took a little over 6 hours.)
• Remove the beef and shred with a fork. (At this time, I made sure to remove any additional "fatty" pieces.)  Place the shredded beef back into the slow cooker with the juices, onion, peppers, and pepperoncini (banana peppers).
• Preheat the broiler. Split the buns or rolls in half and butter the insides. Place the buns or rolls butter side up on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler until lightly toasted. Don’t walk away; they will toast quickly.
• Use a slotted spoon to drain off some of the liquid so the sandwich doesn't get soggy. Place the shredded meat mixture on top of the toasted buns or rolls.  (For picky kiddos, I made sure their sandwiches didn't have any pepperoncini/banana peppers for fear of "heat" complaint.)  Add provolone cheese slices. The cheese should melt because the beef will be hot. If you want, you also can place the sandwiches under the broiler for a few seconds to quickly melt the cheese. If desired, top the sandwiches with Giardiniera.  Serve immediately.
  *www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

 

This is the perfect recipe to have on hand for the week for any addition to a meal/recipe: quesadillas, burrito bowls, tacos, enchiladas, salads, chicken salad, sandwiches, wraps, or even soups/casseroles that need pre-cooked shredded chicken!  Cooks perfectly and takes minutes to throw into the IP.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken stock or water (I used low sodium chicken broth.)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. 1. Add the chicken breasts, seasoning, and liquid of choice (stock, water, or broth) to the bowl of your pressure cooker. Give everything a brief toss to combine, then arrange the chicken breasts so that they are spread out in an even layer.
2. 
   
3. 2. Cover and set the pressure cooker lid valve to “sealing.”  Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, followed by a 5 minute natural release, followed by a quick release (carefully flip the valve to “venting”) to release whatever pressure remains.
4. 
   
5. 3. Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken.  Give it a thorough toss with the remaining juices in the pressure cooker.
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7. 4. Serve the chicken while it’s nice and warm or transfer it to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  (If freezing, I recommend portioning the chicken in small storage containers/bags so that you have the option to thaw and use small portions rather than having to thaw the entire batch.) (I love tossing the chicken in pesto and dressing it up in a wrap with some favorite fixings!)
8. 
   

*www.gimmesomeoven.com

Instant Pot Creamy Baked Ziti

Prepping and portioning the measured ingredients ahead of time takes minutes,

which then makes it a breeze at dinner time to throw together and walk away!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or two frozen Dorot cubes).  You can also use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
• 16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or other tube-shaped pasta (I used rigatoni.)
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (Technically, you only need a 14.5 oz. can, but I like to use 16-18 oz. in the recipe to make it a bit "saucier," especially for leftovers or added ingredients (like veggies/meat)).
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1.5 teaspoons dried basil
*Instead of the oregano and basil, I omitted entirely and instead used 3 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning.
• 1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  Fresh basil, optional 

Directions:

*If you're adding meat to this recipe, which I highly encourage, see "optional" notes at the bottom and begin with that.  If not, proceed with steps below:

 

• Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the broth (first) and cream (second) and add the salt, pepper, and garlic. Then, add the pasta; don't stir, but if it's mounded in the center, arrange into an even layer. 
  
• Pour the crushed tomatoes (again, I used 16-18 oz.) evenly over the pasta and sprinkle the oregano and basil (or Italian Seasoning) over the top. Don't stir.
• Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select "manual" or "pressure cook."  Dial up or down to the minutes needed as follows: Take the cooking time on the pasta package directions, cut it in half and subtract two additional minutes. For example, for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the Instant Pot cooking time would be 4 minutes (half of 12 is six, minus two additional minutes).  
  
• Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (meaning, set a personal timer and leave it ALONE for 10 minutes after the timer has ended), and then quick release the remaining pressure (meaning, manually open the valve to allow remaining pressure to release). Open lid and stir.  If adding a veggie, add during this step.  I left a 3/4 cup of peas out to thaw during the pasta's cooking process and they warmed immediately when adding to the finished, hot pasta.  This is when the added crushed tomatoes helps!
• The original recipe suggests adding the Parmesan into the Instant Pot and stirring thoroughly, but I didn't want to deal with hardened cheese aftermath in the Instant Pot. Instead, I added the Parmesan to each individual bowl after portioning.  Serve immediately with chopped, fresh basil, if desired.
  

Optional: Adding a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage is fantastic with this recipe (I used sweet Italian sausage).  Cook the meat in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting with a little salt and pepper, drain the grease, and proceed with the recipe.  (Just make sure when you add the broth in step one, scrape the bottom of the pot really well before adding the other ingredients.)

*www.melskitchencafe.com

Instant Pot Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken

While this is totally acceptable to make in your slow cooker, making it in your instant pot makes it twelve minutes worth your wait time!

This meat can be used for anything!  Of course, the Mexican flare makes it amazing in tacos, on nachos, perfect for a burrito (rice) bowl, or in a salad, but I've also served them on little Hawaiian slider rolls with a slice of cheese and they're super yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salsa verde
• ½ a large white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
• 5 cloves garlic (or 5 frozen Dorot cubes)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt (I used two.)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2-3 pounds frozen or thawed chicken tenderloins
• chopped cilantro, for topping
• additional ingredients needed for how you're serving it (buns, taco ingredients, etc.)

Directions:

1. Combine onion, liquid ingredients, + spices in your instant pot or slow cooker.
2. Add chicken and toss to combine.
3. Option ONE: If using instant pot, close and set to manual (pressure cook) for 12 minutes (high pressure).  When timer goes off, manually release steam to allow all steam to release (takes a few minutes).
4. Open lid, shred, combine chicken in its juices, and stir in 1/2 cup cilantro (optional).
5. Option TWO: If using slow cooker, cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until tender.
6. Open lid, shred, combine chicken in its juices, and stir in 1/2 cup cilantro (optional).
7. Based on how you serve it, the chicken may need "squeezed" of its juices (just a bit) to prevent a soggy sandwich or taco or nachos!
8. However, keep chicken stored in its reserved juices to keep it moist!

*www.lillieeatsandtells.com