Yum
I hope everyone had a safe and fun filled 4th of July!
We had a big a pool party during the day and grilled all sorts of hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings and side dishes that go along with a typical Americana meal. It really was a great day filled with good food and lots of fun and laughter.
But, I'll have to tell you I'm really tired after all of the party preparations and cooking. The last thing I wanted to do the day after is cook another meal! So I turned to my handy Instant Pot for some help. This thing really is a life saver when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It is virtually hands free cooking, which is perfect on a weeknight or the day after a holiday.
If you haven't jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet, I say it's time! This is one of my most cherished kitchen appliances next to my slow cooker. It just provides you with the option to get a delicious flavor packed meal on the table in no time and that is a lifesaver when I don't want to cook!
INSTANT POT: SPAGHETTI MARINARA
When I want a quick meal I usually turn to either a stir fry or a pasta dish. Both cook up in 20 minutes or less. Today it's all about making a simple yet tasty Spaghetti Marinara. You know the one, a basic Italian tomato sauce over spaghetti. One the kids will enjoy as well as the whole family.
To make this even quicker we are going to use a good jarred marinara. Use your favorite so you get the flavors that you like. The Instant Pot makes cooking this dish simple. It's only one pot to clean and done lickety split to boot all in 8 minutes. That's a winner in my book!
Yes, I said 8 minutes! After the Instant Pot comes to pressure the sauce and the pasta cook for just 8 minutes and then dinner is served!
KITCHEN TIPS: There is a trick to cooking pasta in the pressure cooker so that it doesn't stick together. You will want to break the spaghetti in half and layer it in the pot in two different overlapping directions. It will look like and X in the pot. Then you will add some additional liquid but "DO NOT STIR". This will ensure the pasta stays intact and will not stick into a big clump. After the cooking is complete remove the lid and then give the pasta and the sauce a good stir. Dinner is done!
This is a one pot - Instant Pot weeknight meal winner! Enjoy!
Instant Pot: Spaghetti Marinara
2 cups water, divided
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
8 oz spaghetti
Parmesan cheese, optional topping
Instructions:
- Add 1/2 cup water, then the whole jar of marinara sauce to the pot. Break the spaghetti in half and layer in the pot in two layers, alternating directions like and X, over the sauce.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups water over the pasta. Do not stir at this point. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the lever to seal.
Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 8 minutes. Once the cooking is complete do a quick release, open the lid once the valve had gone down and stir the spaghetti with the sauce. Turn off the pressure cooker and remove the insert. Serve immediately in bowls and top with Parmesan if desired.
i tried and it gave me a burn notice. i added 3 cups of water and still gave me a burn notice. will not make again
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear this, I bet that must be very frustrating. I hear the newer models of the Instant Pot as well as the 8 qt pot have a tendency to get the dreaded burn error. A couple of things to try. Thick pasta sauce doesn't do very well, so you could thin this down by adding water, or you could add the sauce last so it doesn't touch the bottom. Sometimes a sauce with sugar in it will start to caramelize and cause the burn notice. What size do you have? I also hear that the 8 qt requires more liquid. I used a 6 qt pot for this recipe.
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