How to Meal Prep With an Instant Pot 

When you read about meal planning, you may be left with the idea that everything starts 
and stops with the meal planning step. The truth is, meal planning has several steps to 
the process that culminate with prepping certain aspects of the dinners, lunches, and 
prepping ahead for even breakfasts. Meal prepping is vital if you are trying to stay on 
your meal plan and stay on track. Here are some ways that you can meal prep with an 
Instant Pot, keep to your meal plans, and keep things on track for the week.

Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Pasta is one of the main ways that larger families make it by during the week while 
staying on budget. You may be wondering how you will be able to do the same thing 
when you switch to a low-carb meal plan. One way to do this is to go with pasta free 
options by replacing the pasta with vegetables. You may already know about using 
cauliflower to replace rice, but one of the other ways is to use spaghetti squash. Simply 
cut the squash in halve and roast it in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes on high pressure. 
Remove the squash and use a fork to remove the squash meat. It will come out in a 
pasta like form that can be used for pasta throughout dinners and lunches through the 
week. Use just like you would regular pasta.

Shredded Meat

Shredded meat is one of the easiest and most versatile foods you can make in the 
Instant Pot for low-carb meals. All you need for this is the meat and some water. You 
can add salt and pepper to taste as well. Place the meat into the Instant Pot along with 
a quarter cup of water. Most meats will produce their own juices. Remember to save the 
run off juices and water as a broth for other recipes later in the week. Set the timer for 1 
hour on high pressure. When the meat is fully cooked, shred with a fork, and added the 
spices. You can use this meat in pasta style meals, salads, low-carb sandwiches, and 
other meals throughout the week. 

Boiled Eggs

When you are prepping for your lunch and snacks through the week on a low-carb diet, 
one aspect that should not be overlooked is the need for protein. One way you can do 
this is through boiled eggs. One boiled egg to two a day can be fit into your lunch or 
snacks. You can make these for the whole week by placing the eggs in a steamer 
basket in one cup of water in the Instant Pot. Put the Instant Pot setting to 13 minutes 
on low pressure. Remove the eggs and allow to cool. Add them to your lunches for each 
week. 

Soup Prep

A meal that is easy to make and can be used in either lunches or dinners is soup. You 
can prep several soups for the week using your Instant Pot. Each soup takes about an 
hour from start to finish, so you could easily prep all your soup based lunches for the 
week in about two hours, switching between two recipes. The two basic options are the 
broccoli and cheese Instant Pot soup and the chicken vegetable soup. Start off with 
your vegetables on sauté in the Instant Pot for about 10 minutes. Add the broth, meat, 
and other ingredients to the sauté and cover the pot. Set the Instant Pot to 5 minutes on 
soup. 

Keep in mind, with meal prep you need to keep a solid focus on your meal plan. Try to 
plan meals that use the same meat at least twice during the week. This way you can 
cook larger amounts and make sure all your meals are covered. Also, make sure the 
ideas you have during your meal planning stage translate well to Instant Pot options. 
