Pressure Cooker Spaghetti And Meatballs With Herbed Ricotta Food

PRESSURE COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS WITH HERBED RICOTTA

Steps:

• Pre-heat the pressure cooker using the SAUTÉ or BROWN setting,
• Brown the meatballs in batches, turning them to brown on all sides. Remove the browned meatballs from the pressure cooker and set them aside.
• Make the sauce. Add the onions and red pepper to the cooker and sauté until they start to soften - about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, sugar (if using), 1 teaspoon of salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the crushed tomatoes and the petite diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes. Then return the meatballs to the pressure cooker and stir to coat them in the sauce.
• Break the dried pasta in half and spread it out flat on top of the meatballs in different directions. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt over the pasta. Pour the water and chicken stock on top of the pasta and press the pasta down gently to submerge it into the liquid. No need to stir, but make sure the liquid in the cooker is able to reach the bottom of the cooker by pulling the ingredients away from the side of the cooker a couple of times before locking the lid in place. If the cooker gives you an error message, open the lid and stir the ingredients just a little, making sure the water can reach the bottom of the pot.
• Pressure-cook on HIGH for 6 minutes.
• Make the whipped ricotta. Whisk the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley and basil together in a bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Release the pressure using the QUICK-RELEASE method, covering the pressure release valve with a kitchen towel if it starts to spurt a little water.
• Carefully remove the lid and gently stir the spaghetti, sauce and meatballs together. Let the food sit and cool to an edible temperature for a few minutes. Serve the spaghetti and meatballs in bowls and top off with a dollop of the herbed whipped ricotta and extra Parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil leaves.
• NOTE: For a short cut you can use two (24-ounce) jars of your favorite pasta sauce instead of making the sauce yourself, increasing the water to 2½ cups. Pour the sauce over the browned meatballs and continue with step 5.
• NOTE: If you are using a brand of petite diced tomatoes that are thick, like Cento®, you may need to add another ¼ cup of water to the pot before pressure cooking.

PRESSURE COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Place frozen meatballs in bottom of instant pot insert and add 1 jar sauce. Break spaghetti noodles in half and add to pot, pour in second jar of sauce. Fill one jar completely full of water and pour into the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick Release. Remove lid and stir. Serve with a veggie loaded salad and dinner is complete!

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Whisk together the Parmesan, parsley, oregano, eggs, 3 tablespoons cold water, the sauteed garlic and onions and some salt and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add the chuck and pork and gently mix together until combined. Begin adding breadcrumbs a few tablespoons at a time until the mixture just holds together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. The longer you let the mixture sit, the more the flavor develops.
• For the fresh pasta: In a food processor, combine the flour and eggs. Pulse until it comes together as a dough. Remove and knead until smooth. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
• For the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high, add the tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning (adding a pinch of sugar if needed) and stir in the basil.
• Form the meatball mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Heat the remaining 1 cup of oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the meatballs and fry until golden brown on all sides.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the meatballs have cooked through and the sauce has thickened more, about 15 minutes longer.
• To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.
• Roll out the dough in portions using a pasta roller. Cut out spaghetti using a pasta cutter and place the fresh pasta on a tray lined with parchment.
• Boil the pasta until al dente, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss the pasta with some of the warm sauce and a little bit of pasta water in a saute pan.
• Transfer the sauced pasta to a platter and top with the meatballs (using a slotted spoon). Ladle the remaining tomato sauce over the spaghetti and meatballs. Dollop ricotta on top and grate lots of Parmesan over the top. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs and parsley leaves.

PRESSURE COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Set pressure cooker to the sauté function, and heat 2 tablespoons oil in the pot. Stir in garlic, red pepper and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, salt and basil sprigs; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes (lower the sauté function to low or briefly turn the machine off if the sauce splatters too much).
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan, chopped basil, egg, salt and garlic. Roll into 1 1/4-inch balls.
• Pour 1 cup water into sauce in pot, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pot (if you don't do this, the burn light may turn on). Scatter uncooked spaghetti over the sauce. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil over spaghetti, stirring gently (try to keep the spaghetti on top of the sauce), then top with meatballs.
• Cover and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Manually release the pressure, then remove the cover and stir to separate the spaghetti. Stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan. At this point, the pasta will be almost but not quite cooked through. Place the top back on the pressure cooker (loosely) and let it sit for 3 to 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and spaghetti is al dente but not mushy.
• Serve dolloped with ricotta, if using, and sprinkled with thinly sliced basil and more Parmesan if you like.

SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, whisk together the tomato paste and red wine. In a bowl, stir together the panko, parsley, Parmesan, grated onion, eggs, milk, garlic, vinegar and red-pepper flakes. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
• Add the sausage and ground beef to the panko mixture, and gently mix using your hands just until all the ingredients are uniformly combined. (Don't overmix, or you'll end up with tough meatballs.) Form the mixture into 7 (3-inch) gently packed meatballs, and place them in the slow cooker. (They should fit snugly in one layer.) Pour the crushed tomatoes all over the top of the meatballs, then add the basil sprigs to the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for 4 hours.
• When ready to serve, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions in boiling, salted water and drain. Increase the slow cooker heat to high. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs to a bowl. Discard the basil sprigs from the sauce. If there is more oil on the surface of the sauce than you'd like, use a ladle to skim it off and discard it. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat the pasta evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs back to the slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Serve the spaghetti and meatballs with more grated Parmesan and torn basil leaves for topping.