Last summer, I posted my caprese quinoa recipe. It is my go-to lunch and is a hit in my home. I could eat it year round, but especially in the colder months when you want something warm, nourishing, and of course, CHEESY! I adapted my original recipe to fit my newest kitchen gadget: the Instant Pot. So, I present to you, my Instant Pot caprese quinoa recipe that is sure to be a hit for the whole family!
If you follow me on instagram, you see I’m always posting what I’m cooking. I even have a series in my stories highlights called “dinner in 10“.
I am all about dinners that only require 10 minutes of prep or less.
Let the oven do the rest of the work, already! It would take a lot for me to make a meal that involves painstaking prep work and standing at the stove while something cooks. For me, it’s like watching paint dry. SNORE. I’ve got things to do! The true measure of my love is if I will make something for you involving peeled apples or potatoes. This is such a known fact that even Sean’s grandma got me a apple/potato peeler contraption thing that basically does it for you. And even that I’ve only used a handful of times (most of them during quarantine).
In month 2 of quarantine, I really hit my cooking stride. I made homemade biscuits and apple butter. The biscuit recipe was painstaking and I vowed to never again make another biscuit that involved ‘laminating’ butter. I mean, really, how do the French do it?? Then my mother in law let me know that not all biscuit recipes require you to hand grate the butter with a cheese grater. Yes, I did that. It sucked.
Moral of the story, I want healthy meals with instant gratification and I’m not going to stand around all day or arrange my day around when I need to prep the sustenance I need to survive. So I hacked that with dinner in 10 and now the Instant Pot!
I originally bought the Instant Pot at the beginning of summer as a solution for our ‘no central AC’ issue. We live in a 120 year old brownstone that traps heat. BAD. So in the summer, if I use the stove or oven for as little as 30 minutes, the apartment traps that heat for hours and we are roasting (pun super intended). An Instant Pot doesn’t heat the room while it’s cooking your food! SCORE!
I am a few months in with my Instant Pot and all I can say is: quinoa in 1 minute. ONE MINUTE. Cooking time is halved (if not more) and you can even put frozen meat in it without defrosting. It’s amazing to be able to not know what’s for dinner or have any plan, but then in less than 30 minutes be a dinner hero. It’s essentially a self care workhorse. Instead of having a takeout meal with a million plastic containers, a high price, and a lack of nutrition, you’ve now got dinner covered!
So! I got all my ingredients for my caprese quinoa (I was craving something with basil and mozz balls, as one does), and decided to try it with the Instant Pot. The prep work? Less than 2 minutes. The cook time? Only 1 minute. The result? Deliciousness.
Instant Pot Caprese Quinoa Recipe
Quinoa is a miracle ingredient, by the way. When I first moved to NYC, I was a nanny for a few years while realizing I wanted to just jump into entrepreneurship. Quinoa and lentils were my go-to solutions for a healthy dinner that a toddler would inhale gleefully.
You can add quinoa to anything. I’ve made taco bowls, Philly cheesesteak bowls, and now caprese with quinoa without sacrificing flavor. So, here we go! My Instant Pot caprese quinoa recipe. Enjoy:-)
Ingredients
- 2c dry quinoa (I used red and white mixed)
- 1 3/4c water
- 1/4c olive oil
- 1/4c balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used local goldens!)
- 1.5t organic chicken base (I use Better Than Bouillon brand)
- julienned fresh basil to taste (I used 20 leaves)
- 8oz fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2inch pieces (I used quartered bocconcini)
Method
- Add all ingredients except mozzarella to Instant Pot
- Cook on high pressure for 1 minute
- Let pressure release naturally for 14 mins (then quick release if any pressure remains)
- Fluff quinoa, stir in mozzarella, and serve!
How easy was that? My Instant Pot caprese quinoa recipe will be your go to when you have 2 minutes to prep a meal and need it ready to serve in under 30 mins. Try it!
-Kristen
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