This Instant Pot Southwestern Lentils & Rice is perfect for a perfect meatless dinner meal with your family. The best part is it’s quick and easy in your Instant Pot. Everyone loves quick and easy right?! My kids loved to top it with plenty of sour cream and cheese. It was perfect because it was a meal that they both along with my husband enjoyed. We were able to sit at the table and enjoy dinner together without any , ” I wish were eating pizza, do I know to eat more mom? If you have little kids you know exactly what I’m talking about. Please tell me my kids are not the only ones that do this?
I had never tried lentils until we lived in Washington State for 4 years. They actually had a lentil festival in the little college town we lived in. They would serve lentil chili to those that attended. Lentils are in the legume family and is a bushy annual plant grown in the rolling hills of Washington State, hence the lentil festival. Lentils are full of fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins. They are a very healthy for you and a great low calorie protein. We are a meat eating family, but sometimes I like to have a meatless meal. It mixes it up a little, and I love that lentils are so healthy for you. My kids don’t even know my secret of sneaking these babies in their sweet little mouths. I love Superfoods like lentils! Lentils and brown rice can be time consuming just cooking them on your stove top. This one of the many reasons why I love cooking them in my Instant Pot. It shaves about an hour off your cooking time.
Instant Pot Southwestern Lentils & Rice make it for dinner tonight! #instantpot #lentils #rice #recipes Click To Tweet
Ingredients
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red or yellow bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3/4 cup brown rice
- 3/4 cup of brown lentils
- 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
- 1-15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1-4 oz can of diced green chilies
- 1 TBsp taco seasoning
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
- sour cream
Instructions
- Add all ingredients, except cheese and cilantro to the instant pot. Set to manual and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow it to naturally release the pressure when the timer goes off for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove cover and stir in half of the cheese. Then sprinkle the rest on top. Let sit until cheese is melted on top.
- Serve with sour cream and cilantro in a bowl or wrapped in a tortilla.
