11 Fast and Flavorful Pressure-Cooker Recipes (from Martha's New Cookbook!)

If you’re a rookie, beans are the best baby steps: They’re inexpensive and yield deep flavor in under an hour, no overnight soak necessary. Just add water, salt, and a drizzle of oil, and hit the switch. To serve, pile on chopped cucumber, sliced scallions, and a bold feta, and you have a fully loaded vegetarian dish.

Look, no hands! In this recipe, the unthinkable is achieved: Stir-free risotto. First sauté some aromatics, then let the rice cook with water, wine, and corncobs (you’ll fold in the kernels later). Cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, and bright basil transform the dish into an end-of-summer time capsule.

This classic usually gets its delectable, concentrated flavor from puréed shrimp shells. In a pressure cooker, the shells go in whole and work their magic quickly, so all you have to do is strain them out and drop in the peeled shrimp at the end. Butter and cream give a satiny finish, and sprigs of watercress on top and toasted baguette on the side lend freshness and crunch.

In this warming red-curry stew, butternut squash melts into tender, mouthwatering chunks while mingling with mushrooms, shallots, curry paste, and coconut milk. To complete this comforting bowl, stir in rice noodles, which cook in five minutes in the pot’s residual heat, and keep things lively with a shower of cilantro and roasted peanuts.

When preparing this French-bistro standard the traditional way, you can spend nearly two hours stirring and simmering as the chicken creates an ultra-savory sauce. This version takes a third of the time—incroyable. The meat gets seared in the cooker, then aromatics, cognac, and wine boil down to deliciousness while the chicken cooks in under 15 minutes. It’s the definition of one-pot wonderful.

You can thank the cooker’s distinctly sauna-like conditions for this dense, custardy sweet. It makes quick work of batters and doughs, and brings the best out of delicate fruits, too. The raspberries stay firm and tart as they “bake” under an orange-liqueur infused cake. Once it’s cooled, invert it and finish with a spoonful of whipped cream.

Not familiar with rajas? They're strips of roasted poblano chiles traditionally used in Mexican cooking. Here, they're paired with Monterey Jack cheese to create a rich, smoky filling for these tamales that require just 15 minutes in the pressure cooker for their perfectly fluffy consistency.

Meaning "reboiled" in Italian, ribollita is a Tuscan dish first concocted by savvy cooks that were looking for a way to use up day-old bread. In our speedy take on the soothing, satisfying soup, the pressure cooker turns the dried beans (cannellini, Great Northern, and pinto) lusciously creamy in no time.

Is it really a pot roast if you don't turn on the oven? Trust us, making the nostalgic favorite in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot yields equally delectable results in a fraction of the time. The beloved American chuck roast goes North African here—it's braised with dates, olives, and oranges until meltingly tender.

Broiler-charred poblano chiles and a liberal dose of cumin give this hearty stew a wonderful smokiness. Pork shoulder is an ideal cut for the pressure cooker—cubes are browned and braised for the chili base here. Serve with wedges of cornbread for a warming fall supper or the ultimate game-day entree.

A cut that's both impressive and crowd-pleasing, short ribs are a no-brainer for entertaining. Here, bone-in ribs are teamed with an intriguing combination of sweet and savory ingredients in the pressure cooker: Marsala, dried apricots, miso, and whole coriander seeds.

Recipes reprinted from "Martha Stewart’s Pressure Cooker: 100+ Fabulous New Recipes for the Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot®," from the editors of Martha Stewart Living. Copyright© 2018 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, on August 28, 2018.