Do you ever find yourself in need of an easy meal but forgot to thaw something? What about when unexpected guests show up? If you have an Instant Pot and make a point of keeping a small ham in the freezer, you’re in business. That’s right. You can cook a frozen ham in the Instant Pot!

How to cook a frozen ham in the Instant Pot

I’ve told the story of my Aunt Hazel’s hospitality here before:

What Would Aunt Hazel Do? ~ Southern Hospitality

No matter how many people showed up at her house, she was always able to feed them. It was probably not going to be anything fancy but no one left her house hungry. One of her secrets was that she always seemed to have a small ham in her refrigerator. She would heat up the ham, open a can or two of baked beans and mix up some coleslaw. Along with a pitcher of sweet tea, dinner was served!

I don’t have anything like the amount of drop-in company that she did but I still like to be prepared. And of course, there are always those nights when you need an easy meal with minimal prep time.

That’s one reason I love my Instant Pot. I can pull a frozen ham from the freezer, put it in the Instant Pot with just three ingredients and with almost no effort, have dinner on the table.

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How to Cook a Frozen Ham in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 1 small frozen ham
• 1 can of crushed pineapple (16 ounces)
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

1. Place frozen ham on trivet in Instant Pot.
2. Pour crushed pineapple over ham.
3. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
4. Drizzle with maple syrup.
5. Secure lid on Instant Pot with vent closed.
6. Cook for 35 minutes (Manual button) and allow pressure to release on its own.
7. To thicken juices remove ham and trivet.
8. Set Instant Pot on sauté setting.
9. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a couple of tablespoons of cold water until smooth.
10. Stir into liquid in pot.
11. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened.
12. Pour over ham slices on plate or over rice.

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I can usually pick up a small, sliced ham at Aldi for just a few dollars. I try to always keep at least one in my freezer. I also usually keep a can or two of crushed pineapple in the pantry but you could certainly skip that and just add some type of liquid (chicken or vegetable broth would work well).

I love the pre-sliced hams because it makes this meal even easier. No need to dirty a cutting board in order to slice it up.

Ham goes really well with baked beans and coleslaw like my Aunt Hazel so often served, but you could certainly serve it with different side dishes. Some possibilities include applesauce, macaroni and cheese, steamed frozen peas, tossed green salad, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes or rice.

The night I took these photos I happened to have fresh corn on the cob and a baguette on hand. Yum!

You’re likely to have a lot of the pineapple liquid/sauce leftover. You can refrigerate it then use it to make homemade sweet and sour sauce a night or two later. One of these days I’ll share a more exact “recipe” but basically you add more brown sugar, a splash of vinegar, a little soy sauce, some ground ginger and a bit of garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Mix a tablespoon or so of cornstarch in a little cold water until smooth then add to the boiling mixture. Cook until thickened. This is really good over fried rice or with homemade egg rolls.

Do you have a go-to meal for unexpected guests or an easy meal for busy nights? I’m always on the lookout for more ideas so leave me a comment with your favorite.

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This post is linked up at Miz Helen’s “Full Plate Thursday”. Check it out!

Smothered pork chops are a favorite around here and I got to wondering if I could make them in the Instant Pot with frozen pork chops. It turns out…yes, you can! 

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Smothered Pork Chops ~ An Instant Pot Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 extra thick boneless pork chops (frozen)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, plus enough to coat pork chops
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• salt, pepper, garlic salt, seasoned salt, Creole seasoning (according to taste)

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Instant Pot on saute.
2. Season pork chops well on both sides and sprinkle with flour.
3. Brown pork chops in hot oil then remove from Instant Pot.
4. Put sliced onions in Instant Pot and cook until lightly browned (add more oil if necessary).
5. Deglaze pot with red wine, thoroughly scraping bottom of pot to get up all the browned bits.
6. Put browned pork chops on top of onions.
7. Pour chicken broth over pork chops.
8. Drizzle pork chops with worchestershire sauce.
9. Place lid on Instant Pot, close vent and set for 30 minutes on meat setting.
10. Allow to vent naturally.
11. Remove pork chops to plate and cover to keep warm.
12. Return Instant Pot to saute.
13. Mix 1 tablespoon flour with 3 tablespoons cold water until completely smooth.
14. Pour into bubbling drippings, stirring constantly until gravy thickens.
15. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
16. Place pork chop alongside or on cooked white rice and pour gravy over to serve.

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Seasoned and floured…ready to brown:

After browning:

Back in the Instant Pot, ready to cook:

The pork chops are done, nice and tender:

Thickening the gravy:

Update: I was honored to be selected for Miz Helen’s “Full Plate Thursday”!

More Instant Pot recipes you might enjoy:

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

Cabbage Leek Diet Soup

Butternut Squash Risotto

Easy Jambalaya

Gumbo

Cabbage, Potatoes and Sausage

Brazilian Black Beans

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

As much as I love to cook, some nights you just need something you can throw together without any fuss. That’s one of the reasons I love my Instant Pot. I’m still experimenting with it but so far everything has turned out great. Last night I made a super easy chicken tikka masala which we all loved! This will definitely be on our menu in the future.

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

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One of the wonderful things about an Instant Pot is that you can cook meat from a frozen state. Thawing meat can be a pain sometimes. Not only do you have to remember to do so far enough in advance but then there’s the issue of finding space in an already crammed refrigerator (or is that just me?).

My daughter cooks frozen chicken in her Instant Pot so I decided to give it a try myself. While I generally make things from scratch, including curries and such, I happened to have a jar of tikka masala sauce in my pantry. I don’t remember when or why I bought it but when I cleaned out my pantry last week I was reminded that I needed to use it. I’ll tell you what – this turned out so delicious that I’ll be keeping a jar or two on hand all the time now!

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Easy Chicken Tikka Masala ~ An Instant Pot Recipe

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds frozen chicken (I used breasts and thighs)
• 1 (16 oz) jar of tikka masala sauce
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced (red or green, or combination)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place frozen chicken in Instant Pot.
2. Add sliced onions and peppers.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste (don't overdo the salt now; you can add more later).
4. Pour in chicken broth and tikka masala sauce.
5. Close lid making sure vent is closed.
6. Set timer for 30 minutes on manual.
7. When time is up, check thickest piece of chicken for doneness.
8. Adjust seasoning if needed.
9. Serve over hot, cooked Basmati rice.
10. Note: The sauce will be thin. If you'd like it thicker, ladle into a saucepan and add a little cornstarch mixed with cold water (make a paste). Bring to a boil then simmer until desired thickness.

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This smelled SO GOOD while it was cooking! After it was done I ladled out several scoops of the sauce into a saucepan and added about a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in a little cold water, brought it to a boil and then simmered a few minutes until thickened. This isn’t strictly necessary but I prefer a thicker sauce.

I served it over brown Basmati rice. Naan bread would be delicious with this. I didn’t have any but did have some whole wheat pita bread which worked well, too. I also had leftover roasted potatoes and some garlic brussels sprouts from the night before which I heated up and served alongside.

This made quite a lot so I took some over to my mom last night after we ate so she could have some for lunch today (my dad isn’t a fan of Indian food). Tonight I’m going to turn the rest of it into soup. We’ll see how that goes. Maybe there will be another recipe from that.

By the way, did you know tikka masala was invented in Glasgow? The more you know…

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Other Instant Pot recipes you may enjoy: