Instapot Honey Parmesan Pork Tenderloin

Makes 6-8 Servings

I would have to say this is definitely one of my 5 best recipes. The meat comes out perfectly cooked and so tender, the veggies can cook in the same pot right along with it, and the sauce is the perfect combination of tangy and cheesy with just a hint of sweet. It's simple to throw together but it tastes gourmet.

My favorite thing about the Instapot is that usually you just dump stuff in and push the button. This recipe has a few more steps than normal and, generally, I'm super opposed to that. However, in this case it is 100% worth it. Matt is hands down the laziest cook in the world but this meal is so delicious that even HE chooses to make it on nights that he cooks. In fact, the dinner pictured below was made by him :) I married a brilliant man... in all things besides cooking. But that is a testament to just how easy this is.

The kids basically throw a party when they hear this is on the menu and everyone licks their plates clean....not figuratively, literally. We serve it with a side of grilled asparagus. Originally I figured this was 8 servings but then Matt ate almost an entire pork tenderloin by himself....sooooooo I changed it to 6-8. Enjoy!

Drooooooool. Also, I finally managed to take a good food pic.
This was the direct result of my friend, Christine, helping me and
a perfectly timed sunset for lighting :)  

Ingredients:

• 2 lb pork tenderloin
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2/3 cup broth (I've been using veggie lately bc I found this awesome powdered veggie broth)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cups cubed potatoes (optional)
• 2 cups baby carrots (optional)

After pressure cooking-

• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Plug in Instapot and push the Saute button. When it says HOT, add a splash of olive oil and place the tenderloin in the pot. Let it brown a bit, about 2 mins per side.

2. Mix together the 2 Tbsp honey, 2/3 cup broth, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp dried basil, and 2 Tbsp minced garlic. Once the tenderloin is browned, take it out and place it on a plate briefly. Pour the sauce mixture into the pot and scrape the bottom to deglaze it. 

3. Push Keep Warm/Cancel to turn off Saute. Add the tenderloin back to the pot and roll it around in the sauce mixture to cover it.

4. If you are using potatoes and carrots, place the trivet over the meat and then put the veggies in a steamer basket on top. Make sure the steamer basket is low enough that it doesn't interfere with the lid, though.

5. Make sure that the sealing ring is firmly in the lid of the pot, put the lid on and seal it, turn the knob on the top towards the back to "sealing", and push the Manual button and use the + and - buttons to adjust the time until it says 5 minutes.

6. At first the pot will just say "On" but, once it has come to pressure, it will start counting back the time. Once it is done cooking, it will beep and you will see an L and the time counting back up on the display. WAIT 6 MINUTES and then do a Quick Release. (for the newbies, VERY carefully WITHOUT your face or body over the top of the pot, turn the little knob on top counter-clockwise towards the front and a rush of steam will come out the top. Once the pressure is released, the little silver knob to the right of the black knob will go down and you will be able to take the lid off.)

7. Push the Keep Warm/Cancel button to turn it off and remove the veggies (if using) and tenderloin and set aside. Stir the 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese into the sauce remaining in the pot. Push the saute button and let the sauce bubble and thicken a bit, stirring frequently especially towards the end.

Nutrition Info- For pork tenderloin and sauce only

Instant Pot Baked Ziti

Makes 8 1-cup servings

This is a tried and true recipe that I have since adapted to the Instapot. I have two phases in my cooking-life; BIP and AIP....Before Instapot and After Instapot lol. But, seriously, WHAT did we used to eat before I had an Instapot???

I am not the best photographer and, granted, this is basically
 just pasta. But it's delicious and I dumped stuff in a pot
 and walked away so it's almost like I didn't have to cook. 

Ingredients:

• 10 oz package sausage (I like Dietz&Watson brand bc they are precooked and nitrate and nitrite free but whatever floats your boat. We have used every kind from Chicken Apple to Italian Style.)
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 12oz package whole wheat pasta (it's called "Baked Ziti" but I can confidently say I have NEVER actually used Ziti. We always do Rotini.)
• 4 big handfuls of spinach (Buy bags of fresh spinach and shove them in the freezer. When they are frozen they crumble like a dream and you can add them to anything. Plus it doesn't freeze in one big block so you can just sprinkle it or scoop it out.)

After Cooking-

• 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 a brick)

Instructions:

1. Put the Instapot on sauté, throw the sausage in, and let it brown a little, stirring occasionally. (Obviously if your sausages are not precooked, wait until they are almost cooked through for this step.)

2. Once the sausage is a bit brown, push the Keep Warm/Cancel button to turn off sauté and dump the pasta and the 3 cups water into the pot. Add the 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp basil and stir.

3. Dump the 28oz can of tomatoes on top. The pasta should be almost completely submerged so add a little extra water if needed. Throw the 4 handfuls of spinach on top. (Try not to stir bc the Instapot doesn't really like tomato stuff touching the bottom. Sometimes it scorches and then the pot won't come to pressure nicely.)

3. Make sure that the sealing ring is firmly in the lid of the pot, put the lid on and seal it, turn the knob on the top towards the back to "sealing", and push the Manual button. Pasta cooks in the Instapot for half the time it is supposed to cook on the stove. My brand of pasta calls for 10 minutes cook time for al dente so I set my Manual time for 5 minutes (push Manual and use the + and - buttons to adjust the time). 

4. At first the pot will just say "On" but, once it has come to pressure, it will start counting back the time (in my case it will be counting backwards from 5 to 1.) Once it is done cooking, it will beep and you will see an L and the time counting back up on the display. Do a Quick Release. (for the newbies, VERY carefully WITHOUT your face or body over the top of the pot, turn the little knob on top counter-clockwise towards the front and a rush of steam will come out the top. Once the pressure is released, the little silver knob to the right of the black knob will go down and you will be able to take the lid off.)

5. Remove the lid and stir in the 2 Tbsp Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, and 4oz of cream cheese. Serve and enjoy :)

Even though this is called Baked Ziti, I guess technically it is no longer "baked". If you wanted to bake it, you could stir in the parmesan and cream cheese and then dump it into a 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle the mozzarella on top, and bake it at 475 for 10 or 15 mins until the cheese is golden brown and crispy.