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Category: Casseroles

Chicken and Rice (IP)

Chicken and Rice (IP)

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Yield: 4 to 6

Adapted from: Simply Recipes

Classic chicken and rice adapted for the pressure cooker! Combine everything in the pot and come back to a perfectly cooked casserole. Easy, cozy weeknight dinner.
Prep: 20 Cook: 25

For the sauce:

  • ¼cup dry sherry
  • ¾cup chicken broth
  • ½cup sour cream
  • ¼cup heavy cream
  • 1½tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1¼tsp salt
  • ½tsp ground pepper
  • ½tsp paprika

For the casserole:

  • 1TBS olive oil
  • 1medium onion, diced
  • ½lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½lb (5 to 6) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch pieces
  • 1½cups long-grain white rice

To serve:

  • ¼cup chopped parsley


Whisk together the sauce:

In a mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sherry, chicken broth, sour cream, cream, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and paprika. Set it aside.

Sauté the vegetables in the pressure cooker:

Select the “Sauté” setting on the pressure cooker and heat the oil in the pressure cooker. (If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium heat.)

Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, until a bit softened but not browned. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to wilt and give up their liquid, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.

Add the chicken:

Stir in the chicken thighs and let them cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until opaque and mostly cooked through (it’s fine if they’re still a little pink in the middle).

Add the rice and the sauce:

Use your spatula to pat the chicken and vegetables down into an even layer. Sprinkle the rice over the top of the chicken in an even layer.

Slowly pour the sauce over the rice, taking care not to disturb the layer. Use a spoon to nudge down any grains of rice that are clinging to the sides of the pot, so everything is covered with the cooking liquid.

Pressure cook the chicken and rice:

Secure the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure that the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position. Cancel the “Sauté” program on the pressure cooker, then select the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” setting. Set the cooking time to 5 minutes at high pressure. (If using a stovetop pressure cooker, the cooking time is the same.)

The pressure cooker will take 5 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the cooking time begins.

Let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes, then quick release the pressure:

by immediately moving the vent from “Sealing” to “Venting.” Be careful of the steam! Alternatively, you can let the pot continue to depressurize naturally, which takes about 20 minutes total.

The sauce may look a little bit separated when you initially open the pot. Don’t worry, it’s fine! Just use a fork to gently fluff the rice and incorporate the creamy layer back into the casserole.

Serve the casserole:

Spoon the casserole into shallow bowls or onto plates, digging all the way down to the bottom so you get both rice and chicken in each scoop. Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley and serve hot.

Leftovers will keep for about a week and can be warmed in the microwave.

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

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Yield: 14

Billy Parisi

Video

These amazing stuffed shells recipe is baked in a classic tomato and white sauce with delicious meat and ricotta cheese filling. Prep Time 1 hour, Cook Time: 90 min.

My first batch made at least 40. I froze half on a sheet tray and then they will go in a freezer bag.

  • 12oz box of jumbo shells
  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 1peeled small diced yellow onion
  • 2finely minced cloves of garlic
  • 8oz loose Italian sausage
  • 8oz ground beef 85/15
  • 5oz baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 2TBS chopped fresh basil
  • 1lb fresh mozzarella, diced small (1/4-inch)
  • 16oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1½cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1large egg
  • 24-32oz tomato sauce
  • 1batch béchamel sauce, about 1 qt (see below)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Make the béchamel sauce (below).

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Boil the shells until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water, which takes about 8-9 minutes while gently stirring. Remove the shells from the water, chill in an ice bath and then spread out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and set to the side.

Add the olive oil to a large rondeau pot over medium heat and cook the onions until lightly browned, which takes about 10 minutes. Next add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add in the Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Make sure to cut it down into small pieces.

Mix in the baby spinach just until wilted and then transfer the mixture to a large plate and slightly spread everything out and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Once cool transfer to a large bowl along with the basil, ½ the amount of small, diced mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, large egg, and salt and pepper, and mix until completely combined.

Using a small spoon or a piping bag stuffed with the meat and cheese filling, stuff each shell until they are completely full. I was able to get 28 stuffed shells.

Evenly pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish until it is coated.

Next, randomly pour ¾ of the béchamel sauce on top of the tomato sauce. See Video.

Line up as many stuffed shells as possible over the sauces. You may need to cook some in a separate dish if they all do not fit.

Sprinkle on remaining small, diced mozzarella and ½ cup of grated Parmesan all over the top and bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top.

Garnish with optional chopped parsley or basil.

Make-ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s done cooking. You can however keep it warm covered in the oven at 200°F for up to 30 minutes before cooking. In addition, if you want to prepare everything, you can assemble everything if it’s cold and chilled and then refrigerate covered 1 day before baking and serving. Add 10 minutes to your baking time since everything will be cold going into the oven.

How to store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. You can freeze in the sauces or separate.

How to reheat: Add the number of stuffed shells with sauce to a saucepan and cover with foil and heat at 350°F in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.

It is ok to have leftover shell pasta as some of them will tear in the cooking and cooling process. Feel free to discard or keep the leftovers after stuffing.

I had 8 shells that did not fit into the casserole dish, so I baked them in a small separate dish.

Béchamel Sauce

Yield: 1 batch
Billy Parisi

Learn how to make a classic béchamel sauce that is incredibly simple to prepare and excellent for sauces and pasta dishes. 25 minutes.

  • 1quart of whole milk
  • 2ounces unsalted butter or 4 TBS
  • 2ounces all-purpose flour or 6 TBS
  • ¼onion peeled but left intact
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1clove
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • salt and ground white pepper to taste

Add the milk to a medium-size saucepot over low heat until it scalds, see note.

Make a roux from the butter and flour and stir it in to the warm milk until it is completely mixed in and smooth and bring just to a boil to thicken and then turn the heat back down to low.

Next, make a 1” slit into the top of the onion and push the bay leaf into the slice and press the clove into the onion as well and then place the entire thing right into the bechamel sauce and cook for 15 minutes to infuse the flavor.

Add in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mix in with a spoon.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer like a chinois or through some cheesecloth in a regular strainer. The sauce should be silky smooth.

Chef notes:

Make ahead: You can make this sauce up to 2 days ahead of time.

How to store: Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze the sauce as it will break when thawing it.

How to reheat: Simply place your desired amount into a small sauce pan and whisk over low heat until thick.

You’ll know it’s scalded if you tilt the pan back to yourself and see bubbles clinging to the bottom of the pan but not sticking to it.

If the sauce gets too thick when making it or reheating it, simply add a ¼ cup of hot milk at a time until it is to a thinner consistency.

You must wait for the sauce to boil after mixing in the roux for it to thicken, other wide it will remain on the thinner side.