Next Week's Meal Plan

Next Week’s Meal Plan: 5 Easy Instant Pot Dinners

Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
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updated Apr 30, 2019
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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

March brings without warning a little bit of busyness back to our slow winter routine. There are Girl Scout cookies to sell, field clean-up days for t-ball, and the like amid our regular weeknight routines of dinner, homework, and baths.

This week is particularly busy and includes a few nights where we have just an hour to eat together before dashing off or one or more grown-ups is out of the house for meetings. So I’m turning to the Instant Pot for four out of five dinners so that I can make dinner quickly or keep it warm for staggered meal times.

Welcome to This Week’s Meal Plan

I believe meal planning is the secret to stress-free weeknight dinners. Since I’m frequently asked by friends and family what I’m cooking for dinner each week, I share my weekly meal plan here. Whether you’re just learning to meal plan and looking for a real-life example of how this works or you’re an old pro on the hunt for inspiration, here’s a peek at how I’m feeding my family this week.

New to meal planning? Start here.

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Monday: How To Make Red Beans & Rice in an Electric Pressure Cooker

One of the really nice things about red beans and rice for dinner on a Monday is that I can eat the leftovers for lunch all week long. I adjust the seasoning quite a bit for my 4-year-old and serve this with lots of hot sauce for adults.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Tuesday: Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

I’m taking the basic premise of our slow cooker salsa chicken and putting it under pressure for 8 minutes in the Instant Pot for what I’m hoping will be an easy taco night. We’ll have beans and quickly sautéed corn on on the side.

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Wednesday: Pressure Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

My husband does not love to cook, but he’ll do it for these sandwiches. Ha! This quick cooking riff on an Italian beef sandwich is a favorite for the whole family and we’ll partner these sandwiches with freezer sweet potato fries for a dinner my husband will cook while I run between a dentist appointment and Girl Scouts.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Thursday: Leftovers or Breakfast

I’m leaving a blank in our meal plan this week for leftovers or a quick scramble of eggs, but I do have my eye on this easy, and so cozy Tortilla Soup that I think can be made with Tuesday’s leftovers.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Friday: Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese

This quick and cozy meal is going to be perfect for a gang of first graders headed to our house for a sleepover on Friday. We’re making a snack platter of cut-up fruits and vegetables too.

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