7 Dirt Cheap Instant Pot Dinners for Busy Moms and Dads–try all these quick and easy Instant Pot weeknight dinners on a budget. These weeknight dinners are perfect for feeding your family for cheap.
7 Dirt Cheap Instant Pot Dinners for Busy Moms
If you’re looking to eat well but on the cheap try these 7 dirt cheap Instant Pot dinners for busy mom and dads. Try shopping the sales for any meats that you want to use. I love looking through my Smith’s (Kroger) ad for bone-in chicken, ground beef, boneless skinless chicken breasts, etc. Stock up when they go on a good sale!
For fast and easy sides to go with your cheap dinners grab a bag of steamtable frozen veggies. I like to get mine at Smith’s when they are on sale 10 for $10. You throw them in the microwave for 5 minutes and they are ready to go!
#1: Chicken “Spareribs”
Inexpensive chicken thighs coated in a zippy sparerib-style sauce made easy with your electric pressure cooker.
Make it a meal! Serve this chicken and sauce over any type of rice. I like to make brown rice in my Instant Pot.
#2: Salsa Lime Chicken
Perfectly shreddable and flavorful chicken that you can serve in burritos, enchiladas, tacos, salads or quesadillas. Dinner can’t get easier than this!
Make it a meal! Roll up the chicken in a flour or corn tortilla. Optional topping ideas are shredded lettuce, beans, cheese, salsa, cilantro.
#3: Instant Pot Cheesy Broccoli Sausage Casserole
Fresh broccoli, melty cheese, smoked sausage, a homemade creamy sauce and rice make this casserole the quintessential comfort food. An easy Instant Pot recipe with no browning or sautéing steps.
Make it a meal! Serve with a side green salad or a side of fruit.
#4: Creamy Sloppy Joes
Get your ground beef on sale or use ground turkey to make this an actual 5 dollar meal. These are my favorite sloppy joes ever.
Make it a meal! Serve the sloppy joe meat on buns and add some veggies on the side–steamed veggies, salad or corn on the cob.
#5: Tuna Casserole
A twist on good old fashioned tuna casserole. Flavors from Mom’s tuna casserole but made easier, faster and without cream of soups.
Make it a meal! To make this tuna casserole less expensive leave out the cornflakes and the mushrooms. Serve the tuna casserole with a can of fruit or veggies.
#6: Bacon Cheddar Egg Casserole
Hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, cheddar and spinach are all combined to make a scrumptious breakfast for dinner.
Make it a meal! Serve this as breakfast for dinner with a side of pancakes.
#7: Mexican Black Beans And Rice
The easiest and tastiest rice ever! Brown rice is cooked in flavorful salsa with garlic salt, a bay leaf and cumin. Canned black beans make this recipe very convenient. And my favorite part is a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of sour cream on top.
Make it a meal! Add a couple chicken thighs or chicken breasts into the pot or serve with rotisserie chicken.
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Recipes look great but could you maybe change it from “busy moms” to maybe “busy parents”? Less sexist that way. Just saying because my wife cannot boil water without destroying the pot. Dads cook, too, ya know.
Yes for sure Clint 🙌
why not busy people that way everyone is included
Very true Clint!! Excellent point Clint!!
I don’t understand why it would not be useful for human consumption!! Tell you what i would not give it to my doggie if i thought for a moment it would harm her. Any stainless steel is ok for eating from. So give it a try, Allie
Hey Karen, Allie here. Seen talks about pot in pot and my thoughts, i’d share my idea. Was in a Dollar store some time back and spied a stainless steel doggie bowl. I bought it (after all what’s a dollar) and when I got home I dropped it inside my instant pot and wha’La!!! A perfect fit. I made a long sling outta folded up aluminum foil. I’ve used it (for example) to make corn bread in. Cheap, sturdy, machine wash, non-breakable. Just passing along a great idea, Allie
I’ve seen those bowls too and thought the same thing! I don’t know if they are safe for human use so I didn’t purchase.
We use those for pot pies. They are fairly good quality stainless steel and we haven’t had any flaking or peeling or adverse things happen using them.
Good to know! Thanks!
How ingenious you are! Stainless steel is stainless steel. Safe.
What is your never fail recipe?
Hello Karen
Firstly I want to thank you for your delicous recipes. I really didn’t think I would use my Instant Pot as much as I do and it is because of all the recipes I receive from you. Some of your recipes require a pot that fits inside the instant pot. Do you have a link to that and also the steamer tray?
Sharon
Sure!
These items are great:
Avokado steamer basket: https://amzn.to/2LXMsmQ
OXO sling: https://amzn.to/2STGtEX
Fat daddios pan: 7 inch by 3 inch http://amzn.to/2EH7OR8
Has anyone tried doing La. Crawfish in the Instant Pot? Any suggestions or recipes?
I have not tried that, mainly because crawfish only need to cook 20-30 minutes at most.Although I do use and really like my instant pot, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to crawfish etouffe. I don’t deviate rom my never-fail recipe. 1