Potato bread - either as a loaf or as buns.
For a kid-friendly meal that is not pasta, my kid really likes Indian masala and curries. This is what I do:
- buy a jar or premade sauce. Sometimes called "simmer sauce".
- put some raw chicken in my instant pot and put the sauce in there too. Maybe a cut up onion. Maybe a can of coconut milk if I need more liquid in there.
- pressure cook for 20 minutes (this is what i do when i use frozen chicken)
- eat!
optional: After the pressure cooking is done, add garbanzo beans, add frozen vegetables, and serve with a side of rice.
My kid, who is 6, also really likes soup. Particularly chicken and vegetable soups, sometimes with rice, pasta, or tortellini. This is what I do:
- in a large pot or in instant pot, fry chopped onion, celery, and carrot just until soft. (Mirepoix)
- Add either raw chicken or left over already cooked chicken, as well as a bunch of water, chicken stock, or water + chicken bouillon. I also like to add a bay leaf, some salt and pepper, or whatever other seasonings I have and like.
- cook until the chicken is cooked through. In a pressure cooker, using frozen chicken, 20 mins. If not using a pressure cooker, add whatever other vegetables you have on hand, keeping aware that softer vegetables, like zucchini, will cook much faster than cauliflower. Likewise, frozen veg will cook faster than raw veg. Optional: Add rice or pasta (cooked or uncooked). Note- do not pressure cook rice! it does not turn out well.
-eat!
I know the above sounds difficult, but it really isn't. It's just a matter of dumping things in at various times and letting it sit. There's not a lot of hands on time.