Instant Pot Mac and Cheese (for two)

Yes, you read that title correctly.  Instant Pot, I have joined the thousands of people with blogs that have an Instant Pot and instantly have become an expert in all things cooking in a pressure cooker.....just kidding definitely not an expert! BUT I will share recipes as we adapt and create them. 

We bought an Instant Pot Lux Mini, it's one of the smallest sizes of Instant Pots (3 quarts) and is the perfect size for our family.  80% of the time there are just two of us and we have fairly limited space in our kitchen to store things.  Our hopes are that this will replace the slow cooker AND the rice cooker.  Both of which are just way too big for two or three people. 

The challenge now though is finding recipes for the 3 quart Instant Pot.  There are so many sites and resources out there for recipes but most are for the 6 or 8 quart pots, so we've been experimenting with quantities and so far have been fairly successful. 

Best recipe so far (aside from boiled eggs) has been Mac and Cheese.  It's so simple and fast and makes incredible cheesy Mac and Cheese. 

Here's what you need: 

• 2 cups of chicken broth (we're not fancy - Knorr Instant Chicken Broth has been perfect for this)
• 2 cups of elbow macaroni
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustand
• 2 tbsp of butter 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup 2% Milk
• 1 cup of cheese - we've been doing a blend of mozzarella and cheddar with a dash of parmesan if we have it. 

Here's what you do: 

• Combine the broth, mustard and salt and pepper in the pot. 
• Add macaroni
• Add butter.  Give it a quick store and then put the lid on.
• Set the pot to manual pressure for 5 minutes
• When the time is up, manually release the pressure by turning the steam release valve to vent.  CAREFUL - this will release the steam!  Use a towel or oven mitt to turn the valve if you are accident prone! 
• Once the pressure is released, open the pot and add the cheese and milk. 
• Stir to melt the cheese and serve! 

It's so simple, and The Kid has requested this three times (we've had the pot for two weeks). 

 

Quick and Easy and Super Cheesy, Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes enough for three good sized portions - so for us, two easy dinners and a left over lunch. 

 

Now...earlier I mentioned hard boiled eggs.  If you have a pot and haven't made eggs you are missing out.  It's fast (of course) but the amazing part is how easily the eggs peel.  This is going to be a game changer for this holiday season when The Kid makes Devilled Eggs - no more loosing precious egg because it is sticking to the shell.  Eggs are easy: put about 1 cup of water in the pot, put the trivet in and place eggs on the trivet.  Press the egg button and set the time to 5 minutes.  When the time is up, manually release the pressure and then put the eggs in ice water to stop the cooking process.  Simple!