As a traditional Italian girl, I have been brought up that the best meal of the week, even it is an everyday meal must be the Pasta on your plate. Cook pasta too much and you have a mushy mouthful of goo, cook it too little and you have a crunch, no thanks. The best of both worlds is Al Dente pasta, meaning that it is cooked just right, not too soft and not too hard (starting to feel like Little Red Riding Hood). My family craves meat sauce and pasta and generally this has to be a weekend meal because there has been no short-cutting great recipes, until my Instant Pot arrived at my door step. Today it is time to lavishly live food out loud and I would proudly like to share with you my Instant Pot Meat Sauce and Pasta Recipe, which I have been trying over and over until I got it right. Instant Pot has made it possible to prepare this great meal in about 12 minutes flat from browning the meat to cooking the pasta.
Instant Pot Meat Sauce and Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Of Minced Garlic
- 1 Tsp of Salt
- 3 Tbsp Of Olive Oil
- 1 Pound of Ground Beef
- 1 28 Oz Can of Tomato Puree (or sauce)
- 1 C of Water
- 2 C of Water (to cover pasta)
- 1 Pound of Pasta
- 1/2 C Shredded or Grated Cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Place Instant Pot on Saute setting.
- Drizzle Olive Oil, then minced garlic, then meat.
- Brown the meat until it is no longer pink. (this takes under 5 minutes)
- Add Sauce to meat mixture and an additional Cup of water.
- Put Pasta into the mixture and add 2 cups of water.
- Mix the pasta in well and try to bring the meat up from the bottom to cover pasta a bit.
- Cover Instant Pot
- Steam Release Should be Sealed
- Set to High Pressure for 7 Minutes (Manual)
- Quick Release when done cooking
- Add on optional Cheese
- Serve warm and refrigerate any leftovers.
Cook’s Notes:
Make sure to use Quick Release on this as it will overcook the pasta if you do not. I always use a pot holder to let the steam spatter onto rather than having it hit the cabinet area.
The food will continue to cook, even once the pressure is released and the pot is turned off, remember it is very hot and the stainless bowl retains the heat. This is good to know because if you have any liquid left it will absorb (about a 1/2 c or so)
The inner pot is dishwasher safe so this makes cleanup a snap.
Do make sure to brown your meat until no pink shows.
You do not need to cook pasta separate from the meat sauce, just combine it all. I do suggest trying to scoop some of the meat atop the pasta before cooking, it seems to help with the cooking and not overcooking.
If you find the pasta is too soft, back the time down by a minute.
Here is the How To Instructional video and this will also show you the proper water content for pasta, so you see how submerged or not it should be.
Lavishly live this traditional awesome recipe out loud and enjoy the Italian Feast any day of the week rather than just on Sundays. The Instant Pot Meat Sauce and Pasta Recipe makes a fabulous weekday addition and yummy leftovers for lunches. Cheers ~
Sorry if I missed this, but about how many servings does this make?
(Could it be doubled and fit in an 8 at, do you think?)
Thanks so much!
Hmmm. easily doubled. Not sure if the swelling of the pasta might be too much though?? That is always the concern — This made us 6 nice servings ..
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Could you make this dish in the instant pot it the night before you need it and keep it warm in the instant pot for a few hours without overcoming the pasta efore lunchtime?
I’m so happy to have found your recipe, it’s just what I was looking for to make meat sauce and pasta together in my Instant Pot. Ground beef has been defrosting on my counter for several hours and I’ve been googling away. Thank you!
Btw, I have some leftover red wine from a party I had last night – do you think I could use a cup in place of one of the cups of water?
Absolutely add that wine in the taste will be amazing. I cook a lot of food with wine:) Enjoy…
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Thank you for the advice! My guest only had 1 glass from the bottle and I didn’t want to waste it all (I drink white, but love red in beef recipes). It was super yummy, and I had a GIANT bowl. Naughty, naughty! But it was Saturday night, after all 🙂
Oh, I nip, sip and then pour.. Congrats on a perfect night.. How did the food turn out?
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I just got an Instant Pot and have been scouring the web for recipes to find out if I can make pasta and meatsauce and chili with it (I am a pressure cooker newbie). I’m so happy to have found your recipe. And I was thrilled to see that you’re from Pgh., which is my hometown! Too cool! Can’t WAIT to try your recipe! Thank you for sharing it!
This is just one of many recipes. Check my Asparagus out, Pasta cooks in the Instant Pot pretty consistently at about 5 minutes per box. Never cover the pasta more than right to the top of it and Immediately release steam with the end of the cook cycle. Hams are perfection, see that recipe as well and The cakes are awesome.
Enjoy! Yes Pittsburgh is a nice place
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Looks delicious but I am so not a pasta girl. I am from Jamaica so our meals are kinda different
Maybe someone already mentioned this, but you forgot to tell us that the Instant pot needs time to get up to pressure. For me it was almost 30 minutes. Need to remember this when you are trying to time dinner to be ready when everyone gets home.
sorry Bob.. I just kind of figure if you have Instant Pot you know.. sometimes readers don’t read unless it is of interest, but I will make sure to add that in there for anyone needing exact timing 🙂 for pressure cookers..thanks for the add-on..
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Sorry, I meant to mention the fact that this was only my second day with the Instant Pot. Thank you for your recipe, it turned out great!
wait till you start using it everyday I have a ton of recipes upcoming I am SO glad the recipe was success, it is just the best Pressure Cooker I have used to date! I love singing its praises, but I do need to be mindful of all the newbies with these appliances and mention cook times.. 🙂 and heat up time..
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I haven’t heard of an instant pot before. Looks good. Who doesn’t love pasta?!
Omg how yummy is this?!?! Pasta is always a hit in this household so I will have to make this!
This is so delicious and I love the quick meal recipe especially for morning.
I’m so intrigued with these instant pots, especially since a recipe like this can be made in one. It looks so good!
I love pasta and a good meat sauce! This recipe, and using this pot, makes this dish super easy to make. I can almost smell the deliciousness from here!
I am a huge fan of Italian food, especially pasta! I never heard of Instant Pot before, seems like a great gadget! Perfect for al dente pasta! Thanks for sharing the recipe and video!
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I love quick and easy meals, instant pot certainly makes it happen. My friend has one and she uses it daily, she is totally in love. She used it to make a potato, string bean one pot dish that tastes good, she brought it in the Instant Pot and plugged it in my kitchen for a potluck at my house.
That looks so yummy!! Pasta is a staple in our house.
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I really need an Insta Pot. It sounds like an awesome cooking appliance.
i am not familiar with an instant pot but it sounds perfect to make this delicious pasta recipe! i could easily eat pasta everyday if i could get my doctor on board
michelle recently posted..Tour Fenway Park
I don’t have a pressure cooker either but this recipe actually reminds me of ,Madeira where my parents are from. They made pasta stews/ pots all the time.
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this dish looks amazing. my mom has a pressure cooker and loves it. she has used one for years.
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This sounds amazing! Perfect for an easy dinner!
It is a really good idea for a weekday indeed! Perfect for the middle of the rush
I don’t have a pressure cooker but I want one. These recipe looks yummy. I love Italian food!
This looks delicious! Although I’ve never heard of an insta pot? Will certainly be giving this meal ago, would it work the same without the insta pot? X
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Emma — I don’t generally like to cook pasta in a slow cooker or a stove top electric cooker because the pasta in my experience has been MOOSHIE— however.. I have found this Instant Pot to be the answer to it all: )Fast, easy and delish
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My son prefers pesto but I would definitely go for this. It’s something that I would love to cook and eat.
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I can imagine that Pesto would be perfect. In fact I would put the Pesto on after a brief cooking of the pasta. Many pastas take just 5 minutes and they are perfection, no draining necessary! Enjoy and let me know how yours turns out
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I never think about using my pressure cooker. I have so many small appliances I forget all about.
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I’m with you! I used to have pasta like every night of the week, but I’ve tone it down a little. It’s still my absolute favorite no matter what the sauce.
Yep — Pasta is a a great meal and there is just never enough days to eat it:) or enough meals:)
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I have never heard of an insta pot. Is it like a pressure cooker? Those are hard to come by and are very expensive. I would love it if the insta pot works in a similar way.
Instant Pots are awesome, they are pressure cookers, steamers, slow cookers, all in one:) Find them here http://amzn.to/228Yadi (afl)
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This sounds terrific. I don’t own a pressure cooker, but I know people who swear by them!
That looks so good. I love one pot recipes because they are perfect for making meals when you’re too busy to prepare! Thanks for sharing this recipe, this will be a hit at home!
I tool love ONE Pot meals and this is truly sensational with minimal ingredients and lots of pasta!
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Never tried this gadget pot before, id love to give this recipe a try seem really delicious.
need to check out this instant pot even more . It looks amazing and something that I could very much use
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You can find the Instant Pot here – http://amzn.to/228Yadi (afl) and it is such a diverse cooking pot! Slower Cooker, Pressure Cooker, Steamer and more
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Only 7 minutes to cook pasta, amazing. It take 7 minutes just to boil the water.
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Yep. Only 7 minutes it is AMAZING.. Most pasta takes under 5 minutes and it is perfection without draining. You can get them here! This pot is AMAZING. http://amzn.to/228Yadi (afl)
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I have never heard of the Instant Pot before. It sounds like a great product. Love your recipe.
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We make our sauce in a crock pot. It’s the best way to make it.
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And Instant Pot is a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a steamer, sautes, cooks soup, makes porridge, yogurt and so much more. Separate buttons, different cooking methods, but all in ONE pot, rather than many:)
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You don’t put any spices or seasonings in? (other than the garlic and salt)
No Linda I do not. I feel that all meals get enough spices in them and the basic-ness of this recipe makes it taste delicious. We also do put a grating cheese that I hand grate on, Locatelli is our personal favorite, it truly adds the taste that you might be craving. After spending time nice amounts of time in Italy with my family, and my husband’s, we have learned that the food flavors are not about ‘adding in’ it is about keeping it basic to enjoy all the flavor that the food has. The olive oil you use should have a nice, rich flavor, bold, which will also offer a seasoning of sort and the garlic lets the meat reach its range of perfection. Basic is delicious, I can’t wait to hear how yours turned out. ~DANA
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