8 Instant Pot soups and stews to save you tons of time

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When it comes to kitchen trends, 2017 is quickly shaping up to be "the year of the Instant Pot." Bloggers are professing their undying love for it, entire Pinterest boards are dedicated to it, and it's been featured on leading news sites. A pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, steamer, yogurt maker, and stockpot warmer in one (whew!), this Canadian-born gadget can pretty much do everything from boil eggs and braise ribs to make lasagna and bake cakes, all in record time.

It seems almost too spectacular to be true—can a kitchen appliance really be that life-changing? Yes. Yes, it can. But don’t just take our word for it—check out these recipes for yourself. Saving time, space, and energy, these eight dishes will help you make the most of your Instant Pot—or just persuade you to get one.

1. Golden Lentil and Spinach Soup (above)

It usually takes 20 minutes just to boil lentils, and that doesn't even include any cooking. With the Instant Pot, you not only get perfectly pressure-cooked legumes, but also a hearty soup filled with spinach, onions, and carrots in just 35 minutes.

2. Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

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Stews are known for tasting better the longer they cook, but this beefy, brothy recipe proves how the Instant Pot can get you that same depth of flavor in a fraction of the time. The generous splash of marsala wine doesn’t hurt either.

3. Tortilla Soup

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From ingredients to preparation, everything about this tortilla soup is as simple as it gets. Onions and garlic make up its fragrant base, while shredded chicken adds some protein-packed body. Twenty minutes in the Instant Pot later, it’s ready for your favorite toppings.

4. Instant Pot Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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To keep this coconut butternut squash soup from getting too sweet, this blogger adds a good dusting of curry powder for some savory spice. The Instant Pot takes care of sautéing and pressure-cooking the vegetables, so all you need to do is blend it as a final step.

5. Pork Goulash

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Let the Instant Pot bring central Europe into your kitchen with this incredibly easy goulash. Lean pork is a tasty departure from regular beef, while two types of paprika give it that distinctive Hungarian flavor.

6. Smoky Vegan Split Pea Soup With Sweet Potatoes and Navy Beans

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Sweet potatoes add some extra body, while navy beans provide even more protein to this main meal-worthy soup. Nutritional yeast keeps it vegan while giving it a slightly cheesy flavor. The best part? While it would take all day to cook in a slow cooker, the Instant Pot has it on the table in 20 minutes.

7. Indo-Chinese Corn Soup

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Indian-Chinese fusion cuisine is pretty popular in restaurants, but now you can create that flavor-packed combo at home thanks to the Instant Pot. Corn and cabbage simmer to perfection with sesame oil and soy sauce for just 10 minutes before the mixture is ready for blending.

8. Low-Carb Keto Chicken “Noodle” Soup

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If you can't find daikon radish, we're pretty sure zucchini noodles will do the trick just as well in this lighter take on chicken noodle soup. It may be a lower-carb recipe, but somehow it's as comforting as the real deal.