I know lots of kids are back to school already, but here we still have a few weeks to go. I’m starting to get the itch to go back to regular weeknight meals, dinners around the table (not that I’m hating on our daily picnics!), early bedtimes and routine. Anyone else? We’re no stranger to chili mac around here, and it’s one of our favorite meals!
What to love about chili mac:
It’s hearty — with ground beef, beans, and whole grain macaroni it’s got loads of fiber and protein to keep everyone going when life is crazy. It’s comforting — perfect for a rainy day, a cloudy day, or just a day when only cheesy carbs will do It’s easy — with just a couple things to chop and brown, it’s a true one pot meal made completely in the Pressure Cooker in just a couple minutes! This Instant Pot version is mostly hands off (after the browning) and cooks in 2 minutes, meaning you can set it and forget it for a few minutes while you put your feet up!
Tips for making Instant Pot pasta:
Since I started making pasta in the Instant Pot I haven’t gone back! It’s so quick and totally hands off, making for easy one pot pressure cooker meals on a regular basis. There are a few tricks to it though, and I’ve found that a lot of recipes call for way too long a cook time for pasta, resulting in an unappetizing mushy mess and then people are hesitant to try again. Let me tell you, it can be done, and it can be done well! The secret? A shorter cook time. I understand the general rule of them is half of the cook time listed on the box. I’m going to be bold enough here to say that I think this is, in fact, generally incorrect. That cook time is way too long. For most short cuts of pasta, 2 minutes is plenty, and if you like your pasta very al dente, even 1 minute is likely enough for some cuts.
How to lighten up this Instant Pot Chili Mac:
Use ground turkey instead of ground beef for a lighter meal Up the veggies — try adding mushrooms, chopped carrots, more peppers, zucchini, really anything you think would go well! The cook time is short enough that most chopped veggies will be fine. Use low fat cheese instead of full fat cheese
Tools you’ll need for this Instant Pot recipe:
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I use a 6 quart Instant Pot with bluetooth for most of my recipes — I know that things sometimes cook differently in the 8 quart. You’ll need some good hard utensils to scrape the bottom after browning to ensure you don’t get a burn message. I love a good wooden spoon!
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