Saturday, April 23, 2016

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti (Pasta with Red Sauce)



When I was a bachelor, my brother and I lived off spaghetti. I think we must have had it 3 times a week, plus leftovers to take to work for lunches. It is cheap, quick, filling, and my recipe is delicious. Spaghetti takes almost no time in an electric pressure cooker as the overall cook time is only 6 to 8 minutes. Because red sauces give my wife so much acid reflux, I do not eat much pasta with red sauce anymore unless we have company or the family is over to visit. We have a large 8 quart electric Power Pressure Cooker XL, but this recipe should work in any electric pressure cooker.

This is one of the few recipes that I like to cook my pasta with the sauce. I personally think the spaghetti re-heats better if the pasta and sauce are in separate containers (I like my pasta al-dente and when reheated in the sauce is more done than I prefer). However, it does not make a lot of sense to cook a pasta sauce in the pressure cooker without the pasta. This recipe has a lot on ingredients, but I have also included a 'Minimalist Pantry' version that uses pre-made pasta sauce

The Recipe

8 to 16 ounces of ground beef
1 12oz package of spaghetti or pasta of choice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced petite tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
2 ½ cups of water
½ cup red wine
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 ½ teaspoons basil, dried
1 ½ teaspoons oregano, dried
1 ½ teaspoons parsley, dried
1 teaspoon marjoram, dried
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)

Place the inner pot in the pressure cooker, add the ground beef and cook until brown and no longer pink. Remove the ground beef and sauté the onions in the remaing fat. If you are using lean ground or beef, you may need to add a small amount of olive oil (1-2 tablespoons) to the pot and sauté the onions. On the 'Instant Pot' cooker select the sauté button to sauté the onions brown the beef. If you are using the 'Power Pressure Cooker XL' press any preset buttons with the lid off to sauté the onions and beef.

Chef's Note: We purchase large amounts of fresh ground beef (3 to 5lb chubs) when it is on sale and pre-cook the meat with diced onions. Then we rinse it under hot water to remove any additional fat from the cooking process. We allow the ground beef to dry in a colander, and then bag it into 1lb zip lock bags and place it in the freezer. When we need it, either throw it in the fridge the day before, or quickly defrost it in the microwave to have pre-browned meat and onions ready for a quick meal.

Once you have browned the meat and sautéed the onions, drain the inner pot of any unwanted fat, then add the remaining the ingredients to your pressure cooker, place the lid on and lock it in place. Switch the pressure release valve to the closed position (or it will not build up pressure). Press the RICE/RISOTTO button and increase the cook time to 7 minutes (well done pasta) or 6 minutes (al-dente pasta).

Chef's Note: If your electric pressure cooker does not have a RICE/RISOTTO button like the Power Pressure Cooker XL, then set it on low pressure and select 6 to 7 minutes as the cook time. Different pastas cook slightly differently under pressure. In the picture below, I used a 12oz bag of Skinner Brand 'Trio Italiano' pasta (rigatoni, shells, and mostaccioli) and they all came out great, having said that some pastas tend to be more delicate than say elbow macaroni or rigatoni. So if you use different sizes or types of pasta you may have to try the recipe and adjust the cook time to get the results you like.




The Minimalist Pantry Recipe

8 to 16 ounces ground beef
1 12oz package of spaghetti or pasta of choice
1 24 ounce can Hunt's Pasta Sauce
1 cup beef broth
2 cups of water
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)


Time Savings

Before we purchased or electric pressure cooker, this recipe used to take about 45 minutes to cook on the stove top to allow all of the flavors of the pasta sauce to simmer and blend together. In the pressure cooker, 6 to 7 minutes. If you want to save additional prep time, do all of your vegetable prep the day before and simply add everything to the cooker, and set the time for 6 or 7 minutes depending on how you like your pasta.


Conclusion

There you have it, quick fast and easy. If you do not like spaghetti noodles, then substitute the pasta of your choice, there are no fast and hard rules when you are cooking for you and your family. Remember cook what you like, not what someone else thinks you should. Different pastas cook differently, smaller pastas cook really fast and can turn into mush. If your kids love shells or elbow macaroni then try and use the medium sized ones rather than the small or large. As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes or articles.


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