I have a love-hate relationship with my oven this time of year. You know those charts that say: It’s been X number of days since Joey had a potty-training accident? Well, in my house, the chart has recently become: It’s been X number of days since Mom turned on the oven. Because it’s just too hot.
Luckily, the CME team has made an art of avoiding the stove this time of year, with our easy no-cook dinners and even easier no-bake cookie recipes. And if you want something heartier, I’ve put together an amazing line-up of summery dinners you can make in the slow cooker or Instant Pot to keep the heat to a minimum.
Because there’s plenty of that outside, am I right?
Top: Instant Pot Potato Salad | My Wife Can Cook
Related: The best family-friendly Instant Pot recipes we’ve tried this far.
Normally, brisket requires three to four hours of careful oven or grill monitoring, but these Slow Cooker Hawaiian Brisket Sandwiches at The Kitchn let you press a button in the morning and forget about them for the rest of the day. Are you feeling grateful for the invention of slow cookers yet? Come home in the evening to perfectly cooked meat, ready to be assembled into these awesome sliders.
I tend to think of risotto as a wintery comfort food, but this Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomato Pressure Cooker Risotto recipe at Kitschen Cat proves that it’s perfect for showcasing summer produce too. This recipe uses a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to get the normally time-intensive dish on the table in a cool 25 minutes, with only 5 minutes of prep. Done and done.
Carnitas are another dish I never thought possible on a weeknight. Enter these Pulled Pork Carnitas with Peach Salsa at Feast and Fable to change all of our lives. The pork requires minimal prep work — throw in spices and a couple of other ingredients — and cooks on its own for eight hours. You can make the peach salsa ahead of time too; letting the flavors mingle will make it even tangier and more delicious.
Related: 6 meal-planning tips to make out-of-school life so much easier.
This Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki calls for a mere 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep. That in itself would be enough to convince a busy mom like me, but it just so happens that this Asian-inspired dish also looks totally delicious. Thanks to Nicole at Or Whatever You Do for this game changer.
For me, potato salad is the quintessential summer side. I can’t imagine a proper barbecue without it, so I was stoked to discover this gorgeous Instant Pot Potato Salad at My Wife Can Cook, which skips the whole several-pounds-of-boiling-potatoes-turning-the-kitchen-into-a-sauna step. Serve this with burgers, as a light lunch on its own, or as a complement to one of our delish no-cook dinners.
Holy yum, does this Instant Pot Chili Lime Chicken look amazing. And also totally balanced if you pair it with black beans and peppers like Toni at Boulder Locavore does here. I think this chicken would be right at home shredded and thrown into a nice, big burrito bowl, too — or just about anywhere else you put it.
