Layers of savory pesto sauce, chicken and mushrooms, creamy cheese, and potatoes… all cooked quickly and conveniently in your Instant Pot! This Instant Pot strata is one you’ll come back to again and again!
My new springform pan arrived in the mail this week, so of course I had to try it out! After making and consuming many ramekins of crème brûlée the last couple of weeks, I knew that I didn’t want to jump into another dessert marathon.
Instead, I opted to adapt a dish I used to make in my crockpot to be cooked in the Instant Pot.
Adapting dishes does not always go well. Just recently I tried to develop a version of sheet pan roasted sausages and root vegetables in the Instant Pot, much to my husband’s chagrin. The end result was more fitting for a jar of baby food than for lunch. I will DEFINITELY be sticking to roasting those veggies from now on. It’s no more difficult and the perfect caramelization of the onions and potatoes won’t be matched.
However, this dish turned out PERFECTLY. I mean, I was having to fight off my toddler to have a few bites of my own afternoon snack/taste test. Kidding, not kidding.
Short story, this adaptation was a success with a capital S.
I give you, INSTANT POT PESTO POTATO STRATA.
I asked yesterday for suggestions on what to call this dish on the Instant Pot Facebook group, and within an hour I had two hundred plus comments. Many agreed with my husband that it shouldn’t be called a lasagna (as I previously referred to it) because lasagna is by definition a pasta. Given my deep and abiding love for all things pasta, I was happy to acquiesce.
A few of the suggestions were hilarious, albeit not quite fitting for a blog that is happy to be found through Google searches and Pinterest inquiries. A few favorites were posagna, Idaho lasagna, and spud stack. All clever, but in the end I decided to go with simple and straightforward.
Similar to a lasagna, this dish is made of repeating layers of cheesy, saucy goodness. Pesto sauce ties it all together. If you want an extra boost of vitamins and nutritiousness, you can make your own pesto sauce with super greens like kale, spinach, chard, etc. It’s an incredibly easy recipe that just takes five minutes!
I also almost always make our own ricotta because it takes just an hour, common ingredients (just milk and lemon juice!), and minimal babysitting. You can find instructions to make ricotta in the recipe notes.
There are two layers of chicken and mushrooms, as well. If you wanted a vegetarian version, just double the mushrooms and leave out the chicken.
One more final note, the potatoes need to be quickly precooked before assembling the strata. DON’T skip this step unless you want chewy/crunchy potatoes in your dish. (Tip: you don’t). Also, because I always feel a PSA is necessary when a recipe calls for using a mandolin slicer (it’s the mom in me), be careful slicing the potatoes! Your fingertips will thank you.
Necessary tools:
- Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- 7″ Springform pan
- mandolin slicer
- candy thermometer (if you plan to make your own ricotta)
Helpful links:
- Make delicious and healthy pesto sauce using super greens in 5 minutes! (Watch me demonstrating the recipe)
- Watch a video showing the recipe steps.
Instant Pot Pesto Potato Strata
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes + 10 minute natural release
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Method: pressure cooking
Description
Layers of savory pesto sauce, chicken and mushrooms, creamy cheese, and potatoes… all cooked quickly and conveniently in your Instant Pot! This Instant Pot strata is one you’ll come back to again and again!
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp pesto sauce
- 1 russet potato (about 2 C sliced)
- 1 C ricotta cheese (see notes)
- 1 C mozzarella cheese
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 C sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
- dried oregano
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Prep ingredients:
- Cook the chicken breast in the Instant Pot: Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Pour 1 C water in the IP and place the chicken on a rack above the water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Quick release the pressure, remove the chicken, and shred. Combine shredded chicken and sliced mushrooms in a bowl.
- Peel the potato and thinly slice with a mandolin slicer (set on the thinnest setting). Once the chicken is finished cooking, rinse the pot and lightly grease the bottom. Cook the potato slices along with 1/2 C of water for 1 minute on high pressure. Quick release the pressure. Remove the potato slices with a pair of tongs and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle the potato slices with 3/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Mix together ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Assemble the strata: Grease the bottom and sides of a 7″ springform pan. Layer the ingredients in the pan as follows:
– 2 Tbsp pesto sauce
– 1/3 of the potato slices
– 1/2 of the chicken/mushroom mixture
– 1/2 of the cheese mixture
– 1/3 of the potato slices
– 2 Tbsp pesto sauce
– remaining chicken/mushroom mixture
– remaining cheese mixture
– remaining potato slices
– 2 Tbsp pesto sauce
– 1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese - Cook: Cover the springform pan with foil. Pour 2 cups of water in the bottom of the clean Instant Pot liner, place in the trivet, and set the springform pan on the trivet. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
- Finishing touches: Release the remaining pressure. Carefully remove the springform pan from the Instant Pot. Tilt slightly to drain any accumulated water. Remove the foil. Use a knife to separate the strata from the sides of the pan, then take off the side ban of the springform pan. (Optional) Broil the strata for 2-3 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly.
Notes
How to make homemade ricotta cheese in 1 hour:
Melt a piece of ice in the bottom of a large stockpan. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan. Pour in half a gallon of milk and 1/3 cup of lemon juice. Stir gently without touching the bottom of the pan. Heat the milk mixture over medium-low heat for 40 minutes until it reaches a temperature of 175 degrees, gently stirring once or twice while heating. Increase the heat to medium-high and heat for about 5 more minutes until the milk mixture reaches 205 degrees. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ricotta cheese to a strainer set over a bowl to separate the cheese from the whey.
Makes about 2 cups ricotta cheese. Refrigerate the whey to use as a substitute for buttermilk (optional).
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Just made this and we loved it! Definitely will be in our dinner rotation. Great way to use up that 1 potato I had. I happened to have some leftover rotisserie chicken so I was able to skip the step of needing to cook a chicken breast. Thanks!