The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook: Plan and Cook Ahead for Fast, Family-Friendly Meals Using Your Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer

by Coco Morante

From cookbook author Coco Morante, a weeknight meal prep guide using your pressure cooker and air fryer to save on time, cooking, and cleanup, with 10 weeks of dinner meal plans, 20 bonus recipes, and inspiration for quick breakfasts and lunches.

For anyone who loves the idea of meal prep but doesn’t love the idea of sacrificing a whole Sunday afternoon to cooking for the week and eating the same meals on repeat, Coco Morante has made this book just for you. As a busy mom of two little ones, she understands the need for healthy meals that can make it onto the table quickly during hectic weeknights.

In The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook, Coco outlines 10 weeks of shopping lists; quick, organized prep work; and dinner meals for the week with ingredient overlap for easier prep with a variety of delicious flavors to keep it interesting. These weeknight dishes utilize your pressure cooker or air fryer for fast, hands-off cooking, making weeknights easier than ever. Just toss your prepped food in the appliance, and dinner will be assembled in no time. The final chapters include simple make-ahead or last-minute breakfasts, lunch inspiration, quick and easy bonus dinner ideas, and baked goods to keep in your rotation. Meals

Broccoli Pesto Penne with Italian Herb-Marinated Chicken CutletsTri-Tip Steak Bites, Quinoa Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers, and ChimichurriChickpea Ratatouille with Parsley Garlic ToastApricot Dijon Chicken Thighs with a Nectarine Chopped SaladRosemary Dijon Salmon, Roasted Sweet Potato, and Lentil SaladAnd many more! The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook will immediately become your lifeline in the kitchen for busy workweeks, school nights, or anytime you want a delicious home-cooked meal.

Genres: Cookbooks

256 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 30, 2025

Reviews

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've tried several recipes so far. My son's favorite were the BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and Picadillo Joes. I truly enjoyed the Ground Beef Burrito Bowls and Broccoli Pesto Penne! They were all delicious! I enjoyed that it includes vibrant pictures of the food as well, as many don't, and it helps me decide which I want to try first. We are quite picky eaters, so several of these recipes we wouldn't give a go, but there are still options within this cookbook for any picky eater in your family! I loved that they're quicker/easier meals through the air fryer or pressure cooker. Being a single mom, working full time, and all of my son's activities... having quick recipes truly helps take less time cooking/prepping meals so I have more time to spend with my son and relax. I thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook! Easy recipes and fun new ones to try!

I received this cookbook from NetGalley and William Morrow / Harvest to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this cookbook and trying over 8 recipes.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

This cookbook has so many wonderful recipes that I can't wait to try. I actually didn't realize this was for deep fryer or pressure cookers when I requested it from NetGalley. I will probably just adjust the recipes and cook them in the oven or on the stove, but that is just a simple enough thing to do. Just figure out different cooking times.

I love how this book has shopping list for each week's of recipes. Although you aren't going to necessarily do meal planning exactly the same way it is laid out in the book, it is a great way to show people how to plan their shopping trips. Also has a breakdown of how to meal prep, like cutting up the vegetables ahead of time and putting them in the fridge.

Definitely would recommend this cookbook!

[Coffee&Cliffhangers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook for those who want fairly simple meals, a weekly shopping list, and are into meal prep.
What I loved the most about this recipe book was all the pictures and how organized it was. The weekly shopping list makes it so easy to put your meals together, and I liked the idea of prepping the meals each week to make it even faster to assemble on the day.
My favorite section was the breakfast section, I got so many great ideas for easy make ahead meals that my family would enjoy. We loved the egg bites, banana muffins, and overnight oats.
While I loved the meal plan/prep aspect and I found recipes that I enjoyed and will make again, a lot of them were almost too simple and not very complex.
II would have also enjoyed having nutritional information.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Birdie.Recommends · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a practical cookbook for anyone looking to streamline their weekly meals without diving into full-blown batch cooking. The layout is clean and easy to follow, with a thoughtful weekly meal plan and matching shopping list for each week—so helpful for busy schedules!

One of the best features? The inclusion of homemade dressings and sauces. These small but mighty additions elevate the flavor of the meals and give you that fresh, from-scratch taste without extra effort.

Important note: Despite the title, this is not a batch cooking cookbook. I assumed it would be, given the “meal prep” focus, but it’s more about organized, strategic cooking throughout the week.

Perfect for home cooks who want a bit more structure and variety in their weekly meals!

Thank you to the authors, publishers & NetGalley for an advanced copy eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Donna Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your New Year's Resolution is to eat at home more and meal prep more, this is a great cookbook to get you started. There are weekly grocery lists that include everything you will need for that week's meals. Then there are step-by-step instructions for the meal prep that can be done over the weekend. I didn't attempt any of the menus as it would have been too much food for just one person. But I did make note of a few recipes to try. There are also sections on quick meal ideas for when you didn't plan (or need an extra meal during the week). Full review soon.

[Jennifer Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a nice clean layout with beautiful photos. It’s easy to read. It has some unique recipe ideas. I’m not sure I’d purchase a hard copy for my kitchen but I would probably give this as a gift to friends that I could see using this in their kitchen. Thanks NetGalley for the review copy.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I think this book is good in theory, if you're looking for meal plans just so you don't have to come up with your own ideas. I just don't know how practical these really are. The grocery list for each week is just so long. And then when you get all the stuff, I guess you're expected to immediately parse it all out into various baggies and containers. I did find it funny that it keeps saying to buy green beans and then go and transfer those green beans to another bag, but label them as "green bean prep" this time, without doing anything else to them. Just why. There are also a few recipes that don't use either an air fryer or a pressure cooker; recipes like the breakfast quesadilla seem like just filler.

I did appreciate that the recipes used healthier ingredients than usual. The photography was also nice, although I generally prefer a picture of each recipe in some form. There are also a lot of meal ideas included, and the format of the recipes was clear and easy to follow.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love my air fryer and pressure cooker and don’t use them as much as I’d like so I was excited to read The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook by Coco Morante. This book includes 10 weeks of dinner meal plans plus make ahead breakfasts and lunch ideas. A true highlight of this book is the positivity of the author. You can feel her cheering you on and believing in you as you go along.

This book includes prep tasks for your prep day (Sunday or whatever day works best for you), grocery lists, plus instructions for finishing the meal on weeknights for each of the ten prep plans. The Sunday meal prep seemed like a lot when flipping through the pages (most weeks have seven to eleven prep tasks). After reading each of the tasks they did not seem that in-depth or challenging, but the volume of pages threw me off at first. I would have loved a Sunday prep task list after the ingredient list to see all of the tasks in a snapshot. Some of the meals had a great portion of veggies while others did not. As a dietitian I think every dinner should have half of the plate as fruit and/or non-starchy veggies. The BBQ pork sliders with sweet potatoes sound delicious, but it feels like a side of slaw would have helped the meal be more complete (especially since cabbage is prepped for another meal for the week, it would have been a great and simple addition to this one). Similarly, Roasted Cod with Tomato and Olive Relish with Herbed Baby Potatoes is lacking enough veggies to make it a feasible weeknight option for someone trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

This book can help take the time needed for planning out of the meal prep conundrum so that you can jump in and devote your time to prep. Putting in some effort on your prep day can help you eat affordable, healthy meals at home when you are exhausted after work or trying to get something in quickly before being chauffeur to your kiddos.

The hard part about this book for me, which would probably not be a problem for some people, is that it is designed with set menus. I think these menus do work well as far as having a variety of proteins and sides, though I don’t know that an entire menu for any of the weeks would work for my family. I could see my family liking a meal or two from each plan and then having to prepare my own grocery list and organize the prep list accordingly. There are also quite a few steamed veggies which seems like these could be better if air fried to keep with the theme of the book and give the veggies better flavor. The recipes I’m most excited to try are the Picadillo Joes with Jicama and Orange Salad, Miso-Marinated Cod, Mojo Pork Chops, and Gyro Smash Pitas with Diced Greek Salad.

This book would be a great fit for someone that is interested in using their air fryer or pressure cooker more regularly or someone that wants to get started with meal prep and feels overwhelmed with where to start. This book provides great tips and strategies to accomplish the meal prep for each of the plans included.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook caught my interest because I'm always looking for new ways to use my Instapot in the kitchen. This cookbook helps utilize both an Instapot and an air fryer to help with weekly meal prep to make cooking easier.

The cookbook is uniquely laid out not in categories by recipe type, but in weekly themed meal plans. For example, I'm preparing to make the recipes for 'Week 8, Summer Sizzlers'. This week includes four recipes:
*Dry-Brined Chicken Cutlets, Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella Pearls
*Smoky Shrimp Toastadas, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Lime Crema
*Tomato and White Bean Soup, Zucchini Toast
*Apricot-Dijon Chicken Thighs, Nectarine Chopped Salad

As someone with ADHD, menu-planning can become a hot mess for me. I love this cookbook because it gives you an entire meal, sides included. Then, to make it even better, each week includes its own shopping list (all ingredients needed for the week's recipes included). And then it takes you step-by-step through each ingredient prep to have four meals prepped and ready in the fridge to be cooked during the week. The cookbook is neatly laid out, with ten weeks' worth of menus in it. It's honestly so well laid out, I think it would be great for those who struggle with executive dysfunction or ADHD like myself to help plan tasty, easy to prep meals for the week. I would love to see more cookbooks with this format in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Coco Morante for providing me with an eARC of this cookbook to sample for review.

[Susan Hamann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction to this book explains why this book enables planning and advance preparation to allow for “Home Run Meal Plans.” Recipes provided are for Air Fryers and Pressure Cookers. Part one of the book has meal plans for 10 weeks. Part two contains “Beyond the Plan” for make-ahead breakfasts, baked Goods, lunch ideas, and “Lazy and Last-Minute Meals.” Some cookbooks assume you have a large collection of spices on hand. This book provides a list of basic baking supplies and spices, and pastas, grains, and beans that you might want to keep on hand. Also found here are a list of nuts, seeds, dried fruits and condiments and sauces that you may want to have in your pantry/refrigerator. A shopping list is already prepared for your week’s worth of meals.

The recipes are varied and are meant to include things that kids will eat. You certainly will have a variety of tastes and ingredients if you follow the meal planning laid out in this book. There are a lot of interesting recipes in this book. Many are things I’ve never eaten before, and they sound good. Of course, there are a few recipes that I wouldn’t want to make to accommodate our family’s preferences, but most are intriguing. I really like the weekly shopping list for all the meals planned for that week. Adjust to your taste, of course. I found it helpful that the shopping and preparation lists for each week allow for efficient meal making.

[Anastey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow, and Coco Morante for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.


Overall this was a great cookbook. A lot of the recipes were similar to ones I've tried before, and that work very well. There was a wide variety of different cuisines too!

The photos were lovely, and showed the food in detail. The ingredients were fairly easy to find, and also easy to substitute if needed. All the recipe instructions were clear and easy to follow. I think a beginner could handle these with no issues.

I really enjoyed that these were weekly menus with shopping lists, and also had the instructions for ingredient prep so you could do that in the same afternoon. They were marked as no cook, and also the type of device you would use with an icon on each recipe. So you would have a no cook icon, a pressure cooker, or an air fryer. So easy to to see and be able to have everything ready to go.

I appreciated that there was a section for making breakfasts, many of them foods that you can grab and go. There was also a small section for baked goods, like rolls, cookies, cornbread, etc.

I really liked this book, and I can see myself slowly cooking my way through it at least one week a month. I can also see it working well for lunches too!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good cookbook if you want to meal prep at the start of your week to make it quicker and easier to cook each meal during the week. You’re given a shopping list and instructions for each week. There are photos of most of the recipes but no nutritional information.

One issue I had was that there is a lot of variety in each week’s meals to appeal to everyone, but that means some days the recipes will not appeal, so having the big shopping list for the week won’t work since you have to pick and choose which recipes appeal to your family. For instance, the chicken legs in one meal would be way too boring for my family (they are seasoned with just salt and pepper), but someone who likes that kind of dish isn’t going to like tofu later in the week (and I wouldn’t prepare it the way she did either). I think if you follow her weekly plans, your family is not going to like the dishes at least some of the days, but if you don’t follow her plan then you have to take all the lists and instructions apart and it’s just an overly complicated standard cookbook.

It does have a wide variety of recipes and could be a good fit for families who have a chunk of time each week to prep and who like a wide variety of simple tasting but diverse dishes.

I read an ARC of this book via netgalley. .

[Kelly - Words We Love By · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook is exactly what I want in a meal-prep guide...simple steps, realistic planning, and food that actually tastes good all week long. Coco Morante gets it. As a busy mom herself, she created a system that doesn’t require an entire Sunday lost in the kitchen, and you can feel that practicality on every page.

The recipes I tried were all winners, especially the Broccoli Pesto Penne with Italian Herb-Marinated Chicken Cutlets, the juicy Tri-Tip Steak Bites, and the standout combo of Apricot Dijon Chicken Thighs with a Nectarine Chopped Salad. And the Rosemary Dijon Salmon with Roasted Sweet Potato... shockingly easy for how flavorful it turns out.

What I love most is how organized everything feels...prepping once, using ingredient overlap, and letting the pressure cooker or air fryer do the heavy lifting. Weeknight cooking suddenly feels doable again, without repeating the same boring meals.

If you want quick, family-friendly dinners with minimal cleanup and zero overwhelm, this cookbook earns a permanent spot on the counter.

Light, fresh, flexible, and genuinely helpful just what every busy kitchen needs.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow/ Harvest for an Advance Copy.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook includes quick and efficient dinner ideas for 10 weeks plus extra ideas for breakfasts, sweets, lunch, etc.

There are two parts Home Run Meal Plans (includes 10 weeks of dinners) and Part 2: Beyond the Plan (additional recipes)
Part 1:
W1: Savory Sensations
W2: Fresh and Zesty
W3: Spice and Citrus
W4: Global Comforts
W5: Fusion Fiesta
W6: Spice Route
W7: Umami Adventure
W8: Summer Sizzlers
W9: Autumn Harvest
W10: Culinary Passport

Each week includes a weekly menu, shopping list, what to meal prep on Sunday, and then how to incorporate the dishes together. In addition, the author uses little pictures to indicate no cook, pressure cooker, air fryer, oven, stovetop, and microwave so you know the proper equipment before you begin. Each recipe includes, servings, ingredients, and directions (the directions are paragraph form).

Part 2: Beyond the Plan
make-ahead breakfasts
bakes goods
what's for lunch?
lazy and last-minute meals

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ – A Beautifully Practical Cookbook for Busy Home Cooks

The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook by Coco Morante is a gem for anyone looking to simplify their weeknight cooking without sacrificing flavor. The recipes look absolutely delicious and—best of all—are easy to follow, making meal prep feel far less intimidating. Whether you're a beginner or just short on time, this book offers approachable meals that still feel satisfying and fresh.

One of my favorite aspects of the book is the photography—each dish is beautifully captured, which not only makes the cookbook visually appealing but also gives you a great idea of what to aim for. It’s a nice balance of inspiration and practicality.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I’m excited to try more recipes and keep this one in regular rotation in my kitchen!

[Erin Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook is a total game-changer for busy home cooks who still want to put healthy, flavorful meals on the table. The author does a fantastic job of combining approachable meal prep strategies with smart use of two of the most convenient kitchen tools — the pressure cooker and air fryer. Every recipe feels both practical and delicious, with clear instructions, prep-ahead tips, and make-ahead storage guidance that actually work in real life.
The recipes are family-friendly without being boring, and the time-saving techniques don’t sacrifice taste or nutrition.
Whether you’re new to meal prepping or just looking for ways to make weeknights smoother, this cookbook is inspiring, well-organized, and genuinely useful. I can easily see it becoming one of those go-to kitchen staples I’ll reach for again and again.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic resource!

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea for a cookbook that uses mostly your instapot and air fry to cook the food. I found his cookbook a little hit and miss for me. On the plus side, I liked how it broke down the ingredients into a weekly shopping list that made it easier to shop for the week. This is really smart and makes life easier. It does seem to have enough variety to make the week not fall into the same meal over and over. The down side was I found the recipes hit and miss for my taste. Some of them sounded good, but a number of them I didn’t think sounded like something I would like to make. Obviously that comes down to personal taste a little bit. Solid, but not spectacular cookbook for my tastes. Thank you to Netgalley, Coco Morante, and WIlliam Howard for a free advanced copy for an honest review.

[LaShanda Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook by Coco Morante truly spoke to my culinary soul with its delicious Instant Pot recipes, crispy air fryer dishes, and fresh, vibrant ingredients. The recipes are simple and easy to follow, making cooking fun and manageable—even on my busiest days. While the author presents the book as a meal prep guide for planning ahead, I found the recipes work just as well for quick, made-on-the-spot meals. It’s perfect for beginners or anyone wanting to simplify weeknight cooking without sacrificing flavor. Plus, it gave me some refreshing new Instant Pot recipes to add to my collection.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

[Beth Gerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoy this cookbook and plan to buy a hard copy for closer reference. I appreciate how it is organized, and it clearly demonstrates the considerable effort and care put into its usability for the home cook. The work done on a Sunday to prepare for a week is very manageable and all of the recipes are interesting and vibrant and include elements that my kids will eat but also more interesting tastes for the adults.

I love that this includes breakfast options to shake up our normal routine and items that are grab-and-go. I will be recommending and talking about this as well as purchasing!

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley ARC-I really liked this one. The meal plans are complete (entrees and sides) and look accessible for just about anyone especially when relying on an instant pot and air fryer. The photos definitely make the food look delicious. Bonus chapters for quick breakfast and lunch as well make it well-rounded. My only pet peeve was that after the first week or so the meals were made up of individual items rather than using several components multiple times. It would have been extra cool if it did as a way to save money as well. Overall though solid cookbook that deserves a place on everyone's shelf

[Christina]

I was able to look through an advanced copy and it's a first for me, I'm not sure what to write for a cookbook review. Things I liked: the food looks amazing. I enjoy the organization of a group of recipes and then what combination to use to create meals based on them.

My biggest complaint may be a function of netgalley, but the only way I could read this was using netgalley on my computer (the downloaded file would not send to kindle). This does not allow for me to adjust font size and the font was rather small this way. On a handheld this may not be an issue.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are 2 things I just love when it comes to cooking 1) a good cookbook; and 2) a weekly meal plan. And this book delivers both! With simple to follow recipes, great organization and great pictures, this is a perfect fit for any kitchen. Especially for those with busy schedules! I also love that it’s broken down into Weekly Meal Plans and includes a shopping list! So easy! Sauce and dressing recipes are also included, my personal favorite being the Peanut Sesame Sauce!

Thank you to NetGalley and Coco Morante for the ARC!

[Ro U]

This is such a smart, genuinely useful meal prep cookbook: the recipes are approachable, the instructions are clear, and the photos actually make you want to cook the food. The weekly meal plans are a big standout; each one comes with a shopping list, prep day tasks, and weeknight finishers. It's not perfect - not every menu will fit each family, but it still inspired me! I especially loved how encouraging the author seems to be; you can practically feel her cheering you on.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I think this book is amazing. It has weekly menus that are broken down into step by step instructions for prep and storage and then actual cooking on the day. It also has great quick breakfast and lunch ideas at the end that I thought were very helpful. I want this cookbook because I think it would help me meal plan with wonderful food that I like and prepare me for cooking at home more.

[Jamye Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook has been a joy to explore. It features recipes that are approachable yet full of flavor, drawing from a variety of cuisines—all without relying on hard-to-find ingredients.

The make-ahead sauces and simple prep techniques save time and help streamline cooking on those relentlessly busy days.

I’m excited to put these recipes, tips, and tricks into practice and see how they transform everyday meals.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am super excited about this cookbook. The recipes are easy to shop for, prepare, and make. The author included shopping lists and prep tasks so meals can be thrown together quickly and efficiently both financially and in time. I also liked that there were seasonal recipes and recipes grouped by themes. I am totally inspired by these recipes.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book. However, I did not like a lot of the recipes and was unable to use it as intended. I did get some good ideas for new ways to use my instant which I currently only use for soup. I wish they included nutrition information for each recipe.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

[Teresa Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is a really nice cookbook. Very detailed, well written, organized. So many recipes and meal plans, from very simple to a little more involved. Everything needed for thorough meal prep!
Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMonroe and #CocoMorante for the uncorrected e-book of #TheInstantKitchenMealPrepCookbook

[Marcela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I found it to be incredibly helpful. I will definitely want to purchase this book to easily reference when it comes out. I don’t own an air fryer, but this certainly makes me want to get one. Highly recommend this prep cookbook with its excellent recipes and weekday lists on how to easily prepare.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the layout of this cookbook! It has already planned out meals including shopping lists, ways to prep ahead to save time during the week, and the recipes are healthier than a lot of quick fix meals you typically see. I look forward to trying all the yummy plans in this book. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book to review in exchange for an honest review.