The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet consistently ranks as a top overall diet choice, lauded by health experts for its focus on promoting healthy eating habits and managing blood pressure. The DASH diet primarily focuses on the intake of plants, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. This dietary approach emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods while limiting sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars. The Instant Pot, with its speed and versatility, becomes an ideal tool for preparing DASH-friendly meals. Here are some fantastic Instant Pot recipes that align perfectly with the DASH diet principles.
Entrees
Instant Pot Thai Turkey Meatballs With Rice Noodles
This dish delivers the delicious flavors of Thai takeout but with a healthy twist. Turkey meatballs replace traditional pork or beef, and low-sodium chicken broth keeps the sodium content in check. Bell peppers add a boost of vitamins. Serve these meatballs over rice noodles or even a bed of greens or brown rice.
Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki with Rice
Skip the takeout menu and opt for this one-pot wonder. It offers the same sweet and savory flavor you crave, and thanks to the Instant Pot, it's ready faster than delivery.
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Why spend money on greasy carnitas when you can easily make a healthier version at home? This recipe involves browning pork shoulder before pressure cooking it with garlic, chipotle peppers, and spices. The shredded pork is fantastic in corn tortillas with avocado.
Faux-tisserie Chicken
Enjoy a golden-brown, flavorful chicken that tastes like it's been roasting all day, but is ready in a fraction of the time. The chicken is stuffed with aromatic veggies, rubbed with olive oil and savory spices, and cooked in the Instant Pot in just 25 minutes.
Read also: Mediterranean Diet, Instant Pot Style
Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce
Even pasta Bolognese can be made in your Instant Cooker. Use the sauté setting to quickly brown the onions, garlic, and ground beef. Then add the pasta, water, and jarred sauce, and walk away for 5 minutes. When you come back, dinner will be ready.
Instant Pot Quinoa Chicken Bowl
This recipe offers a balanced and colorful meal that's perfect for meal prepping. The quinoa and chicken can be cooked together in the Instant Pot, streamlining the cooking process.
Soups and Stews
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
This soup is a comforting and nutritious option, packed with shredded chicken and vegetables. Chili powder and spices add warmth and flavor.
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables in your fridge. Customize it with your favorite veggies and seasonings for a simple and flavorful soup.
Vegan Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
Thickened with coconut milk and tomatoes, this creamy, spicy curry will satisfy all your cravings for Indian food. Chickpeas and cauliflower star as the main ingredients in this tasty yellow curry, which is served with rice (or cauliflower rice, if you're feeling ambitious) and topped with cilantro and green onion.
Read also: Flavorful Keto Pot Roast
Butternut Squash and Beef Stew
This savory stew tastes like it simmered all day, but you can actually get it on the table in under 45 minutes. And unlike most beef stews, this one isn't just plain meat and potatoes. It's also got sweet cubes of butternut squash, cremini mushrooms, and loads of fresh herbs.
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
This blogger set out to make the impossible possible. Instead of using Velveeta, she packs in the veggies, including cauliflower, which gives the soup its amazing texture and body (plus, she added some sharp cheddar and Parmesan). At 183 calories and just 9 grams of fat, this lightened-up version of a classic comfort food is a must-try.
Lentil Tortilla Soup
This vegetarian soup is packed with lentils, vegetables, and Tex-Mex flavors like chili pepper, cayenne, garlic, and jalapeño. It's ready in just 20 minutes.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Lentils are a small-but-mighty superfood that packs serious fiber, vitamins, and minerals while being low in calories. This Instant Pot recipe is loaded with nutrition, with carrots, tomatoes, celery, and baby spinach stirred in with the lentils and cooked together with seasonings for a comforting soup you'll love.
Breakfasts and Sides
Instant Pot Oatmeal
Enjoy a batch of hearty steel-cut oatmeal on a weekday morning. This simple recipe takes only 3 minutes to make.
Read also: Maison Jacynthe Rose Water
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Steam whole sweet potatoes in your Instant Pot in just 35 minutes. They can be a side for chicken or pork, or topped with black beans and Greek yogurt.
Quick and Nutritious Options
Here's a collection of additional recipes and meal ideas that align with the DASH diet and are quick to prepare:
- Turkey Medallions with Tomato Salad: A quick-to-cook meal using turkey medallions with a crisp coating, enhanced by the bright flavor of a simple tomato salad (351 calories, 21g fat, 29g protein).
- Steak Salad with Tangy Dressing: A flavorful salad featuring steak and a tangy dressing (289 calories, 15g fat, 29g protein).
- Cucumber Slices with Dip: A good-for-you recipe with plenty of flavor, served with crunchy cucumber slices for dippers (65 calories per 1/4 cup without cucumber, 3g fat, 2g protein).
- Hearty Vegetable Dinner: A quick and filling dinner that can be tweaked with different ingredients (435 calories per 2 cups, 11g fat, 10g protein).
- Fish Tacos: Warm corn tortillas filled with salsa, cilantro, purple cabbage, and fresh squeezed lime (284 calories per 2 tacos, 5g fat, 35g protein).
- Shrimp Salad: A cool salad on a hot summer day with shrimp, corn, tomatoes, and nectarines with tarragon dressing (252 calories per serving, 7g fat, 23g protein).
- Pork Chop with Tomato Mixture and Rice: A hearty flavorful dish perfect for cold winter nights (478 calories per serving, 14g fat, 38g protein).
- Thai-inspired Chicken with Pasta and Snow Peas: A crowd-pleasing dish that's even loved by kids (377 calories per 1-1/3 cups, 13g fat, 25g protein).
- Stuffed Zucchini: Stuffed zucchini using pizza flavors, which can be a main dish or a meatless side (206 calories per 2 stuffed zucchini halves, 9g fat, 17g protein).
- Spiced Almonds: Almonds dressed up with a wonderful blend of spices (230 calories per 1/4 cup, 20g fat, 8g protein).
- Turkey and Zucchini Skillet: A simple skillet dish made with ingredients on hand (225 calories per 1-1/4 cups without bacon, 8g fat, 10g protein).
- Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon: A delicious, moist fish that's quick and easy to prepare with mild seasonings (256 calories per 3 ounces cooked salmon, 17g fat, 20g protein).
- Garden Vegetable Soup: A colorful soup that's delicious any time of year, served with warm breadsticks (58 calories per 1 cup, 1g fat, 4g protein).
- Homemade Hummus: A hummus recipe featuring tahini, a peanut butter-like paste made from ground sesame seeds (78 calories per 2 tablespoons, 4g fat, 3g protein).
- Baked Fish Sticks: A fish recipe that's good for kids (174 calories per serving, 7g fat, 23g protein).
- Stuffed Mushrooms: A flavorful appetizer or side dish (170 calories per 1 stuffed mushroom, 10g fat, 12g protein).
- Garlic Shrimp with Linguine: A tender, hearty, and flavorful dish with garlic and lemon (406 calories per 1 cup, 12g fat, 33g protein).
- Citrus Pork Roast: A tender roast with seasonings and citrus, served with hot noodles (289 calories per 5 ounces cooked pork with 2 tablespoons gravy, 10g fat, 35g protein).
- Asparagus Dip: A great hot weather party dip served with asparagus spears (63 calories per 2 asparagus spears with 1 tablespoon dip, 5g fat, 1g protein).
- Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa: A grilled tilapia recipe with pineapple salsa and cilantro (131 calories per 1 fillet with 1/4 cup salsa, 3g fat, 21g protein).
- Greek-inspired Salad: A salad with tomato, zucchini, and olives (310 calories per 1 cup, 11g fat, 11g protein).
- Tuna Skewers with Salsa: Tuna skewers topped with salsa, perfect for barbecues (205 calories per 1 kabob, 2g fat, 29g protein).
- Cherry Lettuce Wraps: Lettuce wraps filled with cherries (257 calories per 2 filled lettuce wraps, 10g fat, 21g protein).
- Mango Dessert: A healthy dessert incorporating mangoes (275 calories per 1 cup without chopped mango, 3g fat, 6g protein).
- Asparagus and Egg Wrap: A wrap with asparagus and egg (319 calories per 1 wrap, 13g fat, 21g protein).
- Chipotle Lime Quesadilla: A quesadilla with lime salsa or hot salsa (183 calories per 1 wedge without toppings, 10g fat, 13g protein).
- Baby Kale Salad: A bright baby kale salad with a little bit of everything (382 calories per 1 serving, 25g fat, 23g protein).
- Turkey and Vegetable Soup: A turkey and veggie-packed soup (208 calories per 1-1/3 cups, 4g fat, 21g protein).
- Pasta Salad with Steak, Peppers, and Onions: A pasta salad loaded with steak, peppers, and onions (456 calories per 2 cups pasta mixture with 2 ounces cooked beef, 13g fat, 30g protein).
- Chicken Fricassee: Chicken served over brown rice (332 calories per 1-1/3 cups with 2/3 cup rice, 5g fat, 22g protein).
- Brown Rice with Pintos: A versatile vegetarian dish that can be turned into a wrap or casserole (331 calories per 1 serving, 8g fat, 12g protein).
- Baked French Toast: French toast served with fruit and yogurt (199 calories per 1 piece with 1/2 cup fruit and 1 tablespoon yogurt, 7g fat, 9g protein).
- Apricot Energy Bites: No-bake treats made with dried apricots, cherries, almonds, and pistachios (86 calories per 1 piece, 5g fat, 2g protein).
- Mediterranean Sweet Potato Pitas: Pitas filled with sweet potatoes (462 calories per 2 filled pita halves, 15g fat, 14g protein).
- Peach Tart: A tart made with fresh peaches (222 calories per 1 piece, 8g fat, 4g protein).
- Asparagus with Lemon-Garlic Crumb Topping: Asparagus with a lemon-garlic crumb topping (154 calories per 1 cup, 7g fat, 8g protein).
- Banana Pancakes: Pancakes made with banana (186 calories per 2 pancakes, 4g fat, 7g protein).
- Homemade Granola: Granola that can be eaten by the handful or with milk or yogurt (272 calories per 1/2 cup, 16g fat, 6g protein).
- Edamame Wrap: A wrap with edamame (214 calories per 1 wrap, 7g fat, 12g protein).
- Pasta Primavera with Lemon-Basil Dressing: Pasta with fresh produce (275 calories per 1-1/2 cups, 5g fat, 13g protein).
- Corn and Tomato Salad: A salad with fresh corn, tomatoes, and basil (371 calories per 1 serving, 22g fat, 23g protein).
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes topped with breakfast favorites (321 calories per 1 stuffed sweet potato, 3g fat, 7g protein).
- Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce: Salmon with dill sauce (376 calories per 1 salmon fillet, 25g fat, 24g protein).
- Shredded Pork Salad: A salad with shredded pork, black beans, corn, and cotija cheese (233 calories per 1 serving, 8g fat, 28g protein).
- Shrimp Scampi with Linguine: Shrimp scampi with linguine (493 calories per 1 serving, 11g fat, 40g protein).
- Edamame Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing:
- Garlicky Lime Shrimp Kabobs: Shrimp kabobs with a garlicky lime marinade (167 calories per 1 kabob, 8g fat, 19g protein).
- Sautéed Veggies over Brown Rice: