Don’t get us wrong, we love a classic slow cooker.But when hunger levels are rising, dinner needs to be ready in a snap.Enter the Instant Pot ($70; amazon.com), a multi-functional electric pressure cooker device that whips up meals much faster than a basic pressure cooker—and works as a slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, and yogurt maker, too.
But although the Instant Pot has endless possibilities, it can be a little intimidating to use at first. So we were excited to hear that food blogger Coco Morante was releasing The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook ($20, amazon.com). The new book features more than 75 recipes specifically developed for this awesome appliance. Want a taste?Below, three healthy dishes from Morante's cookbook, including brown butter steel-cut oatmeal, a fiber-rich red lentil soup, and protein-packed turkey meatballs.All three recipes call for seasonal ingredients, making them perfect for fall, and they're sure to warm you up as the temperatures drop. Happy cooking!
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Brown Butter Steel-Cut Oatmeal
brown-butter-oatmeal
Red Lentil Soup
red-lentil-soup
Momo Meatballs With Cilantro Chutney
momo-meatballs or quick-cooking brown rice
1 teaspoon ras el hanout spice blend
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Chutney:
1 bunch cilantro (2 ounces), leaves and stems
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large green onion, white and green parts cut into ½-inch lengths
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. To make the sauce, select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and water, stir to mix well, and bring to a simmer.
2. To make the meatballs, in a bowl, combine the turkey, rice, ras el hanout, and salt and mix with your hands until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Don’t worry about over mixing, as you want the rice and spices to be evenly incorporated into the meat. When everything is well combined, shape the mixture into 12 meatballs each slightly larger than a golf ball.
3. Place the meatballs in a single layer in the simmering sauce and spoon a little of the sauce over the top of each one. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the Poultry setting and set the cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, make the chutney. In a mini chopper or in a mortar with a pestle, combine all of the chutney ingredients and process or grind into a rough paste.
5. When the timer goes off, you can perform a quick release by moving the Pressure Release to Venting, or you can let the pressure release naturally and leave the meatballs on the Keep Warm setting for up to 10 hours.
6. Serve the meatballs in their sauce with a spoonful of chutney on top of each.
Reprinted with permission from The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook by Coco Morante, copyright © 2017. Photography by Colin Price. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.