Freezer Meal Recipes

This BBQ Beans Instant Pot recipe is freezer friendly. It’s a very hearty meal that hits the spot after a long day.

These BBQ baked beans make you feel like you’ve just come in from the ranch after herding cattle. They have that cowboy meal feel to them. While I haven’t ridden horseback in years, there’s no reason I can’t eat as if I do!

BBQ Beans Instant Pot Recipe:

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans spicy red chili or kidney beans
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced or minced
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce*
1 Tbsp. hot sauce (your favourite brand)

*To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free Worcestershire sauce.

Instructions:

1. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function. Add the olive oil and allow to warm up.
2. Stir in the garlic and onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until it is no longer pink, mixing with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup.
5. Add BBQ sauce to the Instant Pot.
6. Next, add the beans and give everything a quick mix.
7. Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the vent is closed. Set Instant Pot to 10 minutes.
8. After the 10 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally for another 10 minutes. Open the vent to release the remaining pressure.

Freezer instructions:

1. Follow the directions above. Allow the beans to cool slightly before putting them into a large resealable freezer bag or into a few medium sized ones. If you prefer, you can use reusable silicone bags.
2. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.
3. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop.

If you want, you can top the beans with sour cream, grated cheese, and green chilies. You can also serve with extra hot sauce if you like things spicy.

If you’re looking for Instant Pot freezer meals, you can find more along with printable labels and shopping lists in our Instant Pot Freezer Meal Plan. Other meals you may enjoy:

Tex Mex Pasta Bake Sausage and Peppers 

Rustic Beef Stew 

Print

BBQ Beans Instant Pot Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cans spicy red chili or kidney beans
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic diced or minced
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce*
• 1 Tbsp. hot sauce your favourite brand

Instructions

Instructions:

1. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function. Add the olive oil and allow to warm up.
2. Add the garlic and onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until it is no longer pink, mixing with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup.
5. Add BBQ sauce to the Instant Pot.
6. Next, add the beans and give everything a quick mix.
7. Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the vent is closed. Set Instant Pot to 10 minutes.
8. After the 10 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally for another 10 minutes. Open the vent to release the remaining pressure.

Freezer instructions:

1. Follow the directions above. Allow the beans to cool slightly before putting them into a large resealable freezer bag or into a few medium sized ones. If you prefer, you can use reusable silicone bags.
2. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.
3. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop.

Recipe Notes

*To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free Worcestershire sauce.

Introducing Chicken Paprikash Stew. If you haven’t tried Paprikash chicken before, you’re about to meet your new favourite comfort food!
The flavours in this are warm and homey. This feels like the kind of dish that your aunt or grandma would have made for you when you were growing up. It’s the kind of meal you want to sit down with on a cold winter day.

And it takes almost no time at all for this to cook because it’s an Instant Pot recipe. While Instant Pot doesn’t truly mean “instant” (I know. I was disappointed too!), it’s pretty darn close! You can have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes.

Trying new recipes is always a gamble, but I think that if you like chicken stew and you like the taste of paprika, you’re going to love this Paprikash chicken stew!

What is chicken paprikash?

As I am not Hungarian, I wondered the same thing myself when I first heard the term! The dish originates in Hungary. It’s name (Paprikás Csirke) literally translates into Paprika Chicken. The colour of the dish comes from the main spice which is paprika, so the name is perfectly logical once you understand the translation.

Chicken Paprikash Stew Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
• 3 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• 2 red or orange peppers, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream*
• optional: parsley for garnish
• optional: extra sour cream for serving

Assembly instructions:

1. Place the oil in the Instant Pot and select the Sauté setting.
2. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute more.
3. Turn off the sauté setting and add the thighs, peppers and seasonings. (here’s where that all important paprika comes in!)
4. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the tomato paste and sour cream into the broth or water before adding them all to the Instant Pot.
5. Secure the lid and select the “Soup/Stew” setting for 10 minutes.
6. Natural release.
7. Shred the chicken with two forks.

Serve the chicken paprikash stew in bowls with a dollop of sour cream or alongside some mashed potatoes.

*You can substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream if you prefer.

Make Ahead Instructions:

This meal is freezer friendly. Transfer the cooked chicken paprikash into a freezer safe container or large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air and seal before freezing. On cooking day, thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

While this dish is freezer friendly, you can find actual freezer to Instant Pot recipes along with shopping lists and printable labels in our Instant Pot Freezer Meal Plan. 

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Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash Stew

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Hungarian

Keyword: chicken, paprikash, stew

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced or chopped
• 3 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
• 2 red or orange peppers chopped
• 2 Tbsp. paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream*
• optional: parsley for garnish
• optional: extra sour cream for serving

Instructions

1. Place the oil in the Instant Pot and select the Sauté setting.
2. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute more.
3. Turn off the sauté setting and add the thighs, peppers and seasonings. (here's where that all important paprika comes in!)
4. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the tomato paste and sour cream into the broth or water before adding them all to the Instant Pot.
5. Secure the lid and select the "Soup/Stew" setting for 10 minutes.
6. Natural release.
7. Shred the chicken with two forks.
8. Serve the chicken paprikash stew in bowls with a dollop of sour cream or alongside some mashed potatoes.

Recipe Notes

*You can substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream if you prefer.

Make Ahead Instructions: This meal is freezer friendly. Transfer the cooked chicken paprikash into a freezer safe container or large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air and seal before freezing. On cooking day, thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Our other Instant Pot meals may interest you as well:

Instant Pot Pizza Casserole Instant Pot Pork or Chicken Shawarma Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot