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This Comfort food is so cheap to make and is so fast, easy and Delicious. Company will think that you spent half the day on it. Family will dive in for seconds and then lick the pot?. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.
1 Large Leek 5 c chopped (if you like more leek flavor, put 6 cups in). 4-5 White Potatoes cubed 1/2” cubes (4cups). 1/2 -1 tsp salt (start with 1/2 and add more later because it depends on the Chicken Broth…homemade, Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken, canned or boxed). 1/2 tsp Pepper. 2 cups Chicken Broth, Homemade, Canned Boxed (or 1 heaping Tbsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken and 2 c water). 1 c Heavy Whipping Cream
For flavor, 1 c chopped Fried Pork Belly. ( I had it from some pork shoulder that I used for Pulled pork) see Pic.
Optional: A few shakes of Red Pepper flakes. 1 Bay leaf
Add the Leek to the bottom of the pot, followed by the Potatoes, Salt, Pepper, Broth, Cream and optional ingredients that you may choose.
Set the time to 4 min, allow 5- 10 min NPR. CR (Controlled Release…tap tap til you know that it won’t spit foam) the rest of the Pressure out be careful .
Use an Immersion Blender to Blend soup up as much as you want. Less for chunky, and more for more Creamy Soup. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor, Now is the time to add more salt or Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken. Garnish with Crumbled Bacon and more Leek
Notice the Cream. Poured on top. It dribbles down through. The broth also quickly melts if it’s homemade and jelled. it will look like this when you first open the lid.Stir it in. Use immersion blender to blend as much or as little as you want.
This simple Tomato Soup is one of my old comfort foods. We love it with a nice gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
2 c of Spaghetti Sauce (Bertolli or Rao’s) 1 1/4 c Heavy Whipping Cream. 1 1/2 Tbsp Lower Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken Broth. 1 c Macaroni. 3 c water 1 1/2 -2 Tbsp Chopped fresh Basil plus a few leaves to serve.
Pour the Water into the stainless inner pot. Add the Macaroni and stir then add the trivet. Add the rest of the ingredients to a medium sized stainless Bowl, with some extra room so contents won’t overflow during cooking . Stir well to mix in the Better than Bullion. Put the lid on and set the time to 4 min. When it beeps, let it set 1 minute and then QR. Take the lid off and remove the Bowl with soup in it and take out the Trivet. Pour the Soup into the Macaroni and Water. Stir and Serve.
This Delicious Sauce replaces 2 Cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup in any Recipe. Side by side taste tests puts the Canned stuff to Shame! Try some of my other Recipes that I use it for.
INGREDIENTS: 1 1/4 c Half and Half. 1 c Heavy Whipping Cream 2 1/2 TBSP Flour. (Add 1 tsp more if you use finely chopped mushrooms). 3 Tbsp Butter. 1 rounded Tbsp Reduced Better than Bullion Chicken (Costco sells it in larger containers.). 6 oz Crimini Mushrooms chopped
DIRECTIONS: Using a Sauce Pan, melt the Butter on Medium Heat until it starts to sizzle. Add Mushrooms, stir for a couple of minutes and then add the Flour to coat the Mushrooms, continue to stir and let the mixture start to Brown on the bottom but watch carefully, do not let it burn, add the Better than Bullion, stir quickly. Add all at once the Half and Half and Cream. Stir until Sauce thickens, pull off the Heat, and set aside as it will continue to thicken. See pics.
This is a delicious Dip similar to Hummus except that it is made with Eggplant. You can roast your Eggplant in the oven but I don’t see a difference that a couple dashes of smoked paprika Or 2 drops of Liquid Smoke can’t fix if you like smoked flavor. For this Dish you will need a Food Processor, Vitamix or a Blender Or equivalent.
1 lg Eggplant About 6”…peeled and chopped into 1” pieces. Deseed some of the seeds that are easy to get to. 3- cloves garlic. 1 lemon Cut in half 1 tsp Cumin. 1 tsp Salt. 2 Tbsp EVOO plus more to drizzle on top. 3 Tbsp Tahini. Chili Powder to sprinkle on top (for kick use Red Pepper flakes Or Cayenne Powder)
Optional: Smoked Paprika or 2 drops of Liquid Smoke
Put the prepared Eggplant Into an 8 c Microwave proof Bowl. Set the Lemon on top of the Eggplant cut side up. Place the Garlic on top of the lemon. Microwave on high for 5 min. Drain liquid From the Eggplant. Look through the Chunks and remove Seeds that are easy to get. Don’t worry about them all.
I use a Food Processor. Lemon will be hot and squeezes super easy so be careful. Start with 1/2 lemon and taste the Ghanoush after mixing then add in the rest if you like more. Using a Lemon Squeezer to squeeze the Lemon Juice right into the Food Processor, add the Garlic, Eggplant, Salt, Tahini, Cumin, and EVOO. Pulse to mix, scrape sides down and then process ON for a minute. Scrape the Ghanoush into a Bowl and garnish with Evoo drizzled On top and the Chili Powder or the Red pepper. . Serve with sliced Sourdough,Ciabatta, Crackers, or Veggie slices. I even like some on Scrambled Eggs.
This Sauce lasts in the Refrigerator for a long time just like Normal Teriyaki Sauce.
1 Tbsp Miso Paste (Fermented Soy Bean Paste). 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds 1 Tbsp Simply Asia Sweet Ginger Garlic Seasoning from Costco. 1/3 c Sesame Oil. 1/3 c Soy Sauce. A couple of pinches Garlic Powder. 1/4 tsp Cayenne 1/3 c Powdered Sugar (I use this because it is powdered Zyletol ) 3 tsp Brown Sugar. 1/2 tsp Ginger
For Spaghetti Sauce, simply add your favorite Meat/s (ground Beef Ground Sausage, ground Chicken or Turkey…. or even Shredded Chicken.) You may also be interested in My Homemade Meatballs. Meatballs…includes IP shortcut with Marinara Sauce It’s important to start with good Red Tomatoes.
*This sauce also makes a great dipping sauce for bread sticks, Just add 1 Tbsp of Parmesean Cheese Per cup of Sauce. Serve with your favorite bread.
Marinara Sauce usually takes hours to refine and for the flavors to meld together, but since this is made in the IP, it only takes about an hour total. You don’t add liquid to the pot to make this recipe… the Veggies make it for you. You will simply reduce the Sauce after. Also, use this sauce to Make My Manicotti.Manicotti/Stuffed Shells.. Oven and IP Version.
I added a picture of what this looks like with no added liquid and done on stovetop for hours. (See the bottom.) so it can be done stove top method if that is your preference.
Makes about 6 cups
If you want Meat in this you can either add 1 lb of cooked Meat after the Sauce is cooked, just like using any pre jarred sauce ( I like to add it after), or if using Hamburger or Sausage, you can brown it and season well with Garlic Powder, Onion Powder Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper and then cook it in with the sauce. If using cooked Chicken, season it well and shred it to add later.
6-8 Roma Tomatoes chopped 2 c Onion, chopped. 1 lg Green Pepper chopped (About 2 c). 6 Cloves Garlic Minced. (For really super Garlicky flavor use 10) 8 oz. chopped Crimini Mushrooms 1/3- 1/2 c chopped fresh Basil. 2 Tbsp Fresh Oregano Or 1 Tbsp dried. 1/2 tsp dried Thyme 1/4 tsp Dried Rosemary. 2 Bay leafs. 1 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Pepper. 1 Tbsp Sugar * optional. 1/4 c EVOO. 1/4 c Tomato Paste
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté Hi, and start chopping the Onion, Garlic and Green Pepper… Add the Evoo to the Pot and when it shimmers add the Onion and Garlic, let set for a second and then stir quickly, for a bout 30 Seconds, turn the Pot off. Add the Herbs and Bay leaf. Add the chopped Peppers, and chop and add the Mushrooms ..stir around for a couple seconds and let set until you get the Tomatoes chopped. Add the Chopped Tomatoes to the top and don’t stir. Add the Salt, Pepper and Sugar to the top of the Tomatoes without stirring. It will all blend together. Put the Lid on the Pot and turn the time to 4 min, and allow for 10 min NPR after the Beep before opening. The Sauce will be really soupy, so give it a stir and turn pot off and then on to Sauté Hi. Taste the liquid and now is the time to add more Herbs and or seasonings…Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Salt pepper ..etc, season it more for your taste. Then you will need to reduce the Sauce, be careful not to burn it. Sauté, Sauce to reduce the liquid for 15-20 min. At the end, add the Tomato Paste. At this point, Serve as is or remove the Bay Leaves and use an immersion Blender to blend until you reach your desired consistency. It’s important to note that if you have used meat in the beginning that you may want to scoop as much as you can to the side leaving Mostly Tomato to blend up. This is why I add the meat after.
These Roma’s are nice and large, red and Plump, important for good sauce. Each tomato is almost 1 c when chopped.Don’t stir after adding the Tomatoes on top.this is what it looks like when you take the Lid off. Stir and it will be really watery Stir and reduce for 20 min on Sauté Hi.
When it has been reduced, add the 1/4 c Tomato Paste.
this is after using the immersion Blender with about 10 quick pulses.In this Picture, I added 1 Lb of cooked and seasoned hamburger To Only 2 cups of Sauce. The rest went into the jar below.
This next picture is a stove top batch, no liquid added and no need to reduce, because it happens over time cooking on the stovetop, but it cooks for hours to get like this.
This Recipe is for plain Cauliflower, but often times I add a carrot, and others I add Broccoli. See the last photo. Use this Recipe for My Shepherds Pie..Link here. Shepherds Pie with Cauliflower Mash ..Breville.
1 head Cauliflower 1-2 cloves Garlic. 1/4 tsp Seasoning Salt. 1 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken 1/2 c Parmesean Cheese. 2 -4 Tbsp Butter.
OPTIONAL: Add a Carrot, or Grated Cheese for a Cheesy Mash TRUFFLE Parmesan Black Garlic Seasoning from Costco Or Truffle oil.
Rinse Cauliflower off. Take the Stem pieces off unless you want more Cauliflower flavor, however the Stems will give the Mash a Green tint. Put it on the trivet whole. Add the Garlic and Seasoning Salt. Set the Time for 3 min. QR. Use a Dish Towel or better yet, an old linen Napkin. Lay flat and lay a Paper Towel to the center of it. Spoon the Cauliflower onto the Napkin and pick up the four corners of the napkin together. Twist the top tight and then squeeze out the excess Liquid. Unwind the Towel/Napkin and carefully add the squeezed Cauliflower to a Food Processor. Add the Butter, Parmesean Cheese and Better than Bullion Chicken. Process for a couple of minutes. Scrape sides down, taste it add more Butter, Parmesan or Better than Bullion.
This is 1/2 of Head cooked before squeezing the liquid out.very soft. I even use the core.This version is 1/4 Broccoli and 3/4 Cauliflower mash with parmesean and Garlic. Just add the Broccoli to the Cauliflower before cooking. Mash together.
3 Tbsp Butter (melted). 1 1/2 Tbsp Sushi Rice Vinegar. 2 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce. 4 Tbsp Cholula Sauce. 1 Tbsp Tobasco. 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder. Mix together, Heat in a Sauce pan, do not boil. Pour over Wings or use as a Dipping Sauce.
For this Chowder you can use fresh or Canned Clams. It can be made on the Stovetop as well as In the IP. To cook stove top use the old school method. *Scroll to the Bottom for yet another delicious variation. Also for another method for IP Seafood Chowder. See this recipe. Clam and Seafood Medley Chowder IP
1 Onion chopped and sautéed 1 c Carrot chopped 1 c Celery chopped 2 cloves minced Garlic. 2 c Potatoes chopped in small pieces. 5 pieces Precooked Bacon chopped (or fresh). 1-2 cups Clams chopped Save out til done. You can substitute Canned. 2-3 c Clam Juice. 1 Tbsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken. 1 cup Cream. (save out) 1/4-1/3 c Corn Starch or Flour (save out and make slurry. You may not need it all)
Optional: 1 small Leek, thinly sliced
If using raw bacon, In a frying pan, sauté the Bacon and add Onions and Garlic for a minute, then pour them into the pot. Add everything else except the Cream, Cornstarch and Clams. Put the lid on and set the time to 3 min and allow 10 min NPR. Turn Pot off and then on to Sauté. Add 1/4 c Cornstarch or flour to the Cream, mix well and pour it into the chowder. Heat it up to until it starts to boil, it should be thick by then. If not thick enough for you add more cornstarch or flour and cream and thicken more. Turn the pot OFF. Add the clams and let set for a minute.
See the bottom for another version, cooked start to finish in the IP. I use canned Clams and Scallops in this one. But you can use 2 c canned Clams.
The juice in the container is leftover from steamer Clams. I use the butter from the top to sauté the onions in.the Clams were leftover steamed Clams..I saved the juice too.
For this Version, I used canned Clams, frozen Scallops and dried Minced Onion, chopped the Potatoes and Veggies small, added the Heavy whipping Cream in the pot to cook along with everything. (You can only do this with Heavy Cream)… and only cooked for 1 minute in the IP, with immediately QR before thickening by adding the Cornstarch to the wet clams before adding to the Pot.
2 small Cans of Clams (Hold out til the end) 1 1/2 c rough chopped frozen Scallops. Cut them while frozen and hold both these out with the canned Clams. (Hold out til the end). 1 large Red Potato chopped in small 1/2” pieces 4 smaller ribs Celery cut small, down center and then 1/4” slices 1 1/2 c Carrot. 1/4”x 1/2” chopped (small). 3 c Chicken Broth. 1 c Heavy Whipping Cream. 1/3 c dry minced Onion. (Or 1 c finely chopped Onion) 4 slices Bacon Chopped. 3 hot Thai Peppers (Optional…or A few shakes of Red Chili Flakes ) 2 cloves Garlic 1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning. 1/4 c Corn Starch. (Hold out til the end) 1 Tbsp Low Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken 1/2 tsp Pepper. 1/2 Tsp Salt. 1 Tbsp Butter
Optional: 1 small leek, sliced thin
Saute the Bacon in the IP, add the minced Dried Onion, turn the IP off. If using raw Onion then cook it until Translucent in with the Bacon. Deglaze the IP with the Chicken Broth and the Clam Juice. Add all other Veggies. Add the Cream. Don’t add the Seafood until after the cooking is done. Put the Lid on and turn the Pot on for 1 min on Hi pressure. Cut the frozen Scallops into some large and some smaller chunks, set aside. In a small bowl, add the Corn starch to the wet clams, set aside with the Scallops. When the pot beeps do a QR, for an 8 q or above (CR ..controlled release for a 6q or smaller) turn the pot off and back onto Sauté. Quickly add the clams and Cornstarch Clam mixture to the pot and stir . Keep stirring gently until the chowder thickens, and comes back to a bubble, let cook for about 1 minute. Add the Scallops and let them cook for about 2 minutes, just until they start to turn white from translucent. Careful to not over cook them. serve immediately.
This recipe uses Frozen Chicken thighs, if you want to use Fresh Then you will only Set the time for 6 min and allow for 20 min NPR.
3 c Asparagus broken into 1” pieces
1 small Onion rough Chopped
3 cups ish Fresh spinach
4 oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms
4 frozen Chicken Thighs, bone in skin on.
1 Tbsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken
1/2 Tbsp Johnnies Seasoning Salt or equivelent
2 c water
2 Tbsp Butter
1 c Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Optional* dash of Nutmeg,
Garnish if desired, with Parmesean, scallions or even an oven roasted spear of Asparagus.
Your choice here, you can add the cream to the pot or do it after. I chose to do it after because I wanted less liquid in the bot when I blended it up. Put the Veggies in the bottom of the Pot. Add the Water and Butter, then add the frozen Thighs, spread them out evenly on top of the Veggies. Sprinkle with the Johnnies. Add the the Bullion on top . Put the lid on and set the time for 20 Min. Allow 30 min NPR. (Again, if you are using fresh chicken set the time for 6 min and allow a 20 min NPR).
Remove the thighs. Cool slightly and take the Meat off the bones. Don’t worry if the chicken isn’t quit done all the way, it will finish up when you return it to the pot. Either discard the Skin or chop it fine. Chop up the chicken. Set aside.
Using an Immersion stick Blender, blend up the Veggies until smooth or some smaller chunks remain. You can also pour the soup into a Vitamix for really smooth blending. Add the Cream, and Chicken, heat until hot. Don’t boil at this point. Season with Salt and Pepper.
