How much liquid to cook meat in Instant Pot?

However, as a general guideline, it's recommended to use at least 1 to 1.5 cups of liquid (water, broth, or a combination) when cooking meat in a pressure cooker.

What happens if not enough liquid in pressure cooker?

Not adding any liquid to the Instant Pot. It's necessary for steam to build up, ultimately creating a high-pressure environment used for faster cooking. Without sufficient liquid, pressure won't build — and you'll likely get the dreaded “burn” error .

Do you need liquid to pressure cook meat?

Pressure cookers cook with steam. No liquid = no steam . You can't and shouldn't use your pressure cooker unless you've added sufficient liquid. Instructions will let you know the minimum amount and some even tell you how much to use for different items.

How do you make meat tender in a pressure cooker?

Broth, water, or juices are always added along with the meat . The moist heat they provide softens the connective tissue that binds the muscle fibers in the meat, helping it to fall apart more easily.

What can I use to thicken goulash?

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot . The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

How do you thicken goulash?

Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking . Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.

How much liquid do I need to pressure cook beef?

Pour in at least two cups of water ; use 1 to 2 cups more if the beef is a tough cut or to reach the minimum amount recommended by the pressure cooker's manufacturer. Seal the lid and bring the cooker up to full pressure over high heat.

How much water do you put in a pound of meat in a pressure cooker?

If you cut your roast into smaller chunks: Cook on high pressure with the minimum amount of water ( 1-1.5 cups ) required for 15 minutes per pound of meat (450 grams). Optional: Pre-heat oil in your pot on saute mode, and use your favourite dry rub or marinade on the beef.

How much liquid do you need for pressure cooking?

Add Liquid “Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup . Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.

How much liquid marinade per pound of meat?

A general rule of marinade-to-meat ratio is one-half cup of marinade per pound of meat . Times vary depending on the type, cut and size of the meat. Denser meats such as pork and steak can marinate for 24 hours or even longer. A lighter meat like chicken can marinate between 2 hours and 24 hours.

Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe (2024)

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Goulash was a dinner staple in my household growing up. I love the simple, clean ingredients and how filling it is. Cooking this as aneasy Instant Pot recipe makes it even easier by using only one pot and allowing you to walk away while it cooks it for you!

I love pressure cooking because it helps cut down the time I stand in front of my stove. Using a pressure cooker allows the meal to cook faster, and it is almost always a one pot clean up- my favorite type of kitchen mess.

ThisInstant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipeis healthy, quick and easy, and turns this classic family recipe into a one pot meal. Plus, you can hide atonof vegetables in this meal and your picky eaters will never know.

We realize that not everyone has an Instant Pot at home, so we’ve included stovetop directions for our Instant Pot Turkey Goulash recipe. It’s just as delicious whether you make it in the Instant Pot or on the stove. We have all the details on how to make this delicious Turkey Goulash Recipe in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop.

Where’s the recipe?

I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes.

To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts. We know that we have readers of all levels of expertise when it comes to cooking.

If you’d like to skip over the parts aboutnutrition, swapping ingredients, andhealthy eating plan point information, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the printableInstant Pot Turkey Goulash recipe.

Table of Contents

Ingredients in Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe:

Ground Turkey:Ground turkey is a leaner option than ground beef, but ground beef is delicious in this recipe as well.
Garlic:To save time you can buy your garlic already minced, just make sure to check your ingredients. Sometimes they sneak in fillers. We prefer fresh minced garlic over garlic powder any day.
Italian Seasoning:This seasoning blend is a must for every spice cabinet. Italian seasoning is a blend of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil.
Onions:I like to keep already minced onions in the freezer for recipes like this that only use a small amount. You can freeze your own, or buy them already cut and frozen from the store.
Bay Leaves: Bay leaves are an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. They add great depth of flavor to soups, stews, and pasta dishes. Be sure to remove them after cooking and before eating!
Zucchini: This low-calorie summer squash is loaded with many nutrients such as vitamin C, manganese, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K.
Bell Peppers: Also known as sweet peppers, bell peppers belong to the nightshade family, which can be eaten cooked or raw, and are loaded with vitamins.Green bell pepper is delicious in this dish!
Crushed Tomatoes:Crushed tomatoes tend to be the most flavorful. We love using fire roasted tomatoes too! If you cant find these, you could substitute a jar of no added sugar tomato sauce in place of the crushed tomatoes, if you prefer.If you do this, also skip the seasonings in this recipe.
Noodles:Whole wheat pasta is lower in calories, but higher in fiber, and other micronutrients than its more refined counterparts. The slow burning whole grains will keep you full for longer, too. I prefer elbow macaroni pasta for this recipe. You can also substitute gluten free pasta if needed.

How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe in the Instant Pot

Lightly spray the inside of the Instant Pot liner with oil and set to sauté.
Add your turkey to the pot. Use a spatula to break apart any large chunks of turkey. Cook until meat is browned and crumbled.
Add garlic, Italian seasoning, onions, and bay leaves to the pot. Mix well to evenly coat your turkey.
Add chopped zucchini, bell peppers, crushed tomatoes and 14 oz of water to the pot.
Add whole wheat noodles. Stir together, making sure all of the pasta is covered.
Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure cook and set time for 3 minutes.
When the cook time is up,quick releasethe pressure and remove the lid. Toquick release, move your sealing valve from Sealing to Venting. Steam will shoot out of the valve, so be careful to not get your hands in the way.
Give everything one final stir, and serve topped with shredded cheese if you’d like.

How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe on the Stovetop

Sauté the ground turkey.
Cook pasta noodles to package instructions in a large pot.
Combine the spices, and crushed tomatoes. Or you can substitute this step with jarred pasta sauce.
Add cut veggies, meat, and pasta sauce (homemade or store bought) to the cooked pasta and simmer for 10 minutes.
Top with shredded parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve warm.

Recipe Tips:

If you would like to hide your vegetables in our Instant Pot goulash recipe, you can add them all to your food processor and pulverize them. They will be hidden and your family will still get the benefits of eating the vegetables.
If you’d like to usefrozen ground turkeyorfrozen ground beefplease read these posts for more tips and information.
If you are using gluten free noodles reduce your cooking time to 2 minutes – try to find gluten free elbow macaroni, if possible.
If your noodles are undercooked, turn your Instant Pot to sauté for an additional minute or two until your noodles reach desired doneness.Be sure not to cook the pasta for longer than recommended, you don’t want mushy pasta in your instant pot goulash.
Diced tomatoes would work if you can’t find crushed tomatoes. You could also manually crush whole peeled tomatoes with your hands or using a potato masher.
This recipe is easy to customize for your family’s tastes. You can omit the zucchini and double up on the bell peppers, add fresh chopped onions, riced cauliflower, the options are endless.
You may also use lean ground beef or other ground meat for this instant pot goulash recipe. We prefer lean ground turkey.
This recipe is also called American Goulash or American Chop Suey.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix: For the entire 21 Day Fix Goulash Recipe: 4 Red Containers, 4 Green Containers, and 4 Yellow Containers.
- Per 1 ¼ cup serving:⅔ Red Container, ⅔ Green Containers, and ⅔ Yellow containers.
2B Mindset:This is a complete 2B Mindset lunch recipe
For the Weight Watchers version and counts, click here

More Instant Pot Recipes that are both Healthy and Delicious

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl Frozen Chicken
Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Healthy Crack Chicken
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein

Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Approximate Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup

Servings 6

This healthy goulash recipe an easy one pot meal! Instant Pot Goulash is a fast dinner that the whole family will love!

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Food processor
Sealing Rings

Ingredients

▢ 1 lb ground turkey
▢ 1 cup zucchini chopped
▢ 1 cup bell peppers chopped
▢ 1/2 cup onions chopped
▢ 1 cup whole wheat pasta
▢ 14 oz water

Optional: you can substitute the following with 1 jar of pasta sauce, or you can make your own with the ingredients below.

▢ 1 tbsp garlic minced
▢ 2 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 14 oz crushed tomatoes

Instructions

Turn Instant Pot to sauté and brown the ground turkey. 1 lb ground turkey
(Note: If you're using jarred pasta sauce, omit the seasonings and tomatoes.) Add garlic, Italian seasoning, minced onions, and 2 bay leaves. Toss in chopped zucchini and bell peppers. 1 tbsp garlic, 2 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup onions, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup zucchini, 1 cup bell peppers
Mix so that the seasonings and veggies are distributed.
Pour 8 ounces of dry whole wheat pasta, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, and 14 oz of water over the vegetables. 1 cup whole wheat pasta, 14 oz crushed tomatoes , 14 oz water
Stir until the pasta is fully mixed with the sauce. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the manual function for 3 minutes. Use the quick release method to release the pressure. Give it a final stir to mix everything together and let the goulash cool for a few minutes.
Top with cheese if desired and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Makes six equal servings of 1 1/4C each.

21 Day Fix Container Count, per serving: 2/3 red container, 1/2 green container, 1 yellow container. For the entire 21 Day Fix Goulash Recipe: 4 Red Containers, 4 Green Containers, and 4 Yellow Containers.

2B Mindset: This is a complete 2B Mindset lunch recipe

For the Weight Watchers version and counts, click here

Recipe Tips

This is a great recipe for meal prep. Goulash freezes nicely and reheats easily for on the go lunches and dinners.
If you would like to hide your vegetables from picky eaters you can add them all to your food processor and pulverize them.

If you are using gluten free noodles reduce your cooking time to 2 minutes.

If your noodles are undercooked, turn your Instant Pot to sauté and boil and addition minute or two until your noodles reach desired doneness.

This recipe is easy to customize for your family’s tastes. You can omit the zucchini and double up on the bell peppers, add fresh chopped onions, riced cauliflower, the options are endless.

Stovetop directions:

Sauté ground turkey.
Boil noodles per packaging instructions in a large pot.
Combine the spices and crushed tomatoes. Or you can substitute this step with jarred pasta sauce.
Add cut veggies, meat, pasta sauce (homemade or store bought) to the cooked noodles and simmer for 10 minutes.
Top with parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve warm.

Nutrition

Make This Recipe?

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Becca Ludlum

Healthy recipe creator, self-confessed food snob, and certified Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach. I create healthy recipes with minimally processed ingredients, but have never turned down a homemade brownie. ;)