Category Archives: INSTANT POT RECIPES

INSTANT POT VEGETARIAN REFRIED BEANS

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OK, I thought I was done using my Instant Pot because the last time I tried preparing dried beans this way, the darned things never got soft. Even though I added a bunch of extra time, they were still too hard. I assumed there was simply something wrong with my Instant Pot. Nope. The problem was not the pressure cooker. The problem had to do with the age of the beans I was trying to cook.

If you are anywhere around my age (older than dirt), then you grew up with parents who had either lived during the depression or shortly thereafter. And those of us who then grew up to be the cooks for our own families, remembered the lessons from our youth. Don’t waste food. Keep a stock of your favorite ingredients on hand. (Replacement Shop.) And save money any way possible.

We soon discovered that buying in bulk was a good way to stretch the food dollars. That meant, that buying a 5 pound bag of pinto or navy beans, for example, was much more cost effective than buying 5 – 1 pound packages. Because, dried beans last forever. Right?! Wrong!! 

Fact: Dried beans that are several years old (some say even two years old) may not soften no matter how long you cook them. Who knew? I sure as heck didn’t. I just always figured that because the beans were dried, they could happily sit in my pantry for years with no ill effects. Kind of like Twinkies. But in reality, beans are merely dried to extend their shelf-life. They were never meant to last a lifetime! Or even several years.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Does Patti really expect me to go through my pantry and throw away all those wonderful dried beans I‘ve been hoarding all these years? No, that is not what I’m telling you to do. But I’ve got to be honest with you. That’s what I’m going to do. Because frankly, some of my beans may have moved with us from our Bellevue home 12 years ago. Well maybe not, but darned close! And as much as it’s going to kill me to buy dried beans in small packages or small amounts of bulk beans, and forgo my inherent inclination to sock away masses of dried beans in case there’s a zombie apocalypse or devastating earthquake, that’s my plan from here on out. Because there truly is a difference between a one year old dried bean and a 5 year old dried bean. So on that happy note, I’m going to tell you all about this recipe.

I have been trying all of my adult life to build refried beans that had enough wonderful flavor on their own as not to require any type of embellishment or garnish. No added cheese, raw onion, sour cream, salsa, etc. Nada! And I finally reached my goal the other evening after only 56 years of trying. (Persistence is its own reward.) Anyway, this combination of ingredients really worked for us. And using recently purchased dried pinto beans, adding a wee bit of fat, and a lot of flavorful additives, these beans can be served as is. And proudly take their place alongside any other flavor packed Mexican dish. In other words – they are truly yummy. And creamy. And healthy. And very easy to prepare. Your Instant Pot does all the hard work. You just need to feed it a few ingredients, turn the thing on GO, then walk away and let the pot do its magic. Piece of cake. (And no, I am not naïve enough to believe that all dried beans on my grocery store shelves are not as old as the ones in my pantry. But it’s the best I can do to alleviate the problem of dried beans that will not get soft! Well that and cross my fingers.)

So believe me, I am really glad I gave my Instant Pot another chance. And yes I have apologized to it for any unfair comments I may have issued out of ignorance. And to the Instant Pots credit, I have graciously been forgiven.

As always, be kind, be forgiving, give others the benefit of the doubt, and be that person that everyone considers a good friend. Good friends are like stars. You can’t always see them, but you know they are there. Peace and love to all.  

1 c. dried pinto beans  

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ sm. yellow onion, chopped  

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (4-oz.) diced green chiles (I use mild hatch green chiles)

1/8 tsp. dried jalapeño*

2 c. vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base)

1 c. water

1 sm. bay leaf

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano (Mexican oregano is the best)

1 T. unsalted butter

Thoroughly wash and pick over the pinto beans. Place in the instant pot. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour the onion and garlic into the pot. (Or you can use the sauté function on your Instant Pot.) 

Add the diced green chiles, dried jalapeño, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, chili powder, and oregano. Stir to combine.

Cook on High or Beans for 50 minutes. When the 50 minutes are over, let the pressure release naturally for 40 minutes. Carefully open the lid.  

Discard the bay leaf. Drain the beans reserving about a cup of water. (You probably won’t use that much additional liquid, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.) Using your immersion blender or potato masher, mush the beans until they reach your desired consistency, adding reserved liquid as needed. Stir in the butter, taste, and adjust seasoning. (You will probably need a bit more kosher salt at this point.) Serve warm as a side dish or as a glorious bean dip.

Can be prepared ahead of time and re-heated just before serving.

*I use dried powdered jalapeño quite a bit because I rarely have a fresh jalapeño on hand. The brand I use is Badia ground jalapeño. (You can purchase it through Amazon.)  

INSTANT POT CHILI WITH KIDNEY BEANS AND HATCH CHILES

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OK, so it’s confession time. Dear daughter Paula gave me an Instant Pot last Christmas. And frankly, the sheer thought of a pressure cooker in my very own kitchen scared the heck out of me. But late yesterday afternoon, I decided I wanted to serve chili for dinner.

Now, I’m not one of those people who can’t abide beans in my chili. After all, beans are really, really healthy, plus they taste good, and they’re cheap. But low and behold when I looked in my pantry, there was nary a can of beans. (Please forgive me Mr. Bush.) So I decided to bite the bullet and use my Instant Pot to cook the dry kidney beans that were in my pantry just waiting to be appreciated.

At just about the same time, Paula called me. (That girl’s sense of timing can sometimes be just a bit supernormal.) So I asked her how much water to use for 2 cups of dried beans, plus the length of time needed to produce a tender bean. Now, I actually had used the Instant Pot once in January to cook dried beans, but the result had not been sterling. So with Paula’s timely assistance, I once again decided to risk my life and the well-being of our kitchen.

I am here to tell you, the beans came out perfect! And I didn’t once have to leave the kitchen in fear for my life. The Instant Pot performed just like its instructions said it would. Good Instant Pot!

The rest of the chili I made in my largest Le Creuset pot, because I really like to mess with my food. (I guess I really should have entitled this recipe – Semi Instant Pot Chili, but I think I’ll just let that one pass!) Back to the beans. Adding the perfectly cooked beans when the time came, and in such fast order was really quite nice. As a result, I have decided to try making soup in my Instant Pot. I will let you know how that works out.

In the meantime, give this recipe a try. It’s really very tasty and it comes together with not too much effort. Of course working up the courage to use an Instant Pot takes some effort too. But if this 74 year old pressure cooker phobic lady can do it, you can too. The pressure is now on you!

  • 2 c. dry red kidney beans, or dried beans of choice
  • 4 c. water
  • 4 T. chili powder, divided
  • 1 T. dehydrated onion
  • 1 tsp. granulated garlic
  • 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 med. onion, chopped
  • 1 c. chopped celery, including leaves
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ c. roughly chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 (28-oz.) can chopped tomatoes (Italian if possible)
  • 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste (Italian, but of course!)
  • 1 T. dried oregano (I use Mexican oregano)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • generous dash of ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. beef base (I use Better Than Bouillon Beef Base)
  • 3 roasted mild Hatch chiles* seeded and chopped or 1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles
  • 1 can black olives, drained and halved

Combine the dried beans, water, 1 tablespoon of the chili powder, dehydrated onion, and granulated garlic in the Instant Pot insert. Cook the beans for 35 minutes on the bean/chili setting. (If no bean/chili setting on your instant pot, cook on high heat.)

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large, heavy covered pan. Add the ground beef and fry until most of the red is gone. Add the chopped onion, celery, garlic, and parsley. Cook until the onion is tender and the contents of the pan are starting to stick. Stir in the canned tomatoes, plus a half can of water, the tomato paste, plus a full can of water (using the cans to measure and transport the added water helps remove any remaining tomato from the sides and bottom of the cans), remaining 3 tablespoons of chili powder, oregano, cumin, cloves, paprika, salt, pepper, and beef base to the pot.

Bring chili to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let burble for about 20 minutes, stirring periodically.

When the beans have cooked and the pressure has been released, either by waiting for it to do its own thing, or by manually releasing the pressure, carefully add the beans and any remaining liquid to the rest of the ingredients. Finally stir in the chopped chilies and the black olives.

Put the cover back on and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Adjust seasoning and serve hot. I like to serve the chili with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cornbread.

*I buy fresh Hatch chilies (the mild variety) when they appear in our local farmers market or this last time I bought them at our local Haggen’s grocery store. Then I simply grill them on my BBQ and freeze them individually on a large baking pan. Once they are frozen, I place them in a freezer bag. When I need them for a recipe, I remove the amount needed, run cold water over them, peel off the skin, and chop off the stem head which contains most of the seeds. Then I chop the rest and use as needed.