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.
Other Related
Articles On Our Blog:
No comments:
Post a Comment