Pressure Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Updated January 16, 2019
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 basil sprigs, plus more thinly sliced for serving
8 ounces spaghetti (not thin spaghetti), broken in half
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 cup ricotta (optional)
FOR THE MEATBALLS
1 pound ground beef (or substitute veal, pork or turkey)
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
66 grams carbs; 167 milligrams cholesterol; 835 calories; 21 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 45 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 6 grams fiber; 1107 milligrams sodium; 42 grams protein; 11 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
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).
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan, chopped basil, egg, salt and garlic. Roll into 1 ¼-inch balls.
- Step 3
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.
- Step 4
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.
- Step 5
Serve dolloped with ricotta, if using, and sprinkled with thinly sliced basil and more Parmesan if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
Right. Sounds fine. But you missed her point. We can all do something nice using three using 3 pans/pots, as you do using the recipe you suggest (one for sauce, one for meatballs, and one for pasta). And I am sure it is delicious. Her whole point, however, was to see if she could do something that people would enjoy using one pot only. If you don't like the result, you can offer an alternative, but you ought to do so using the premise/criterion of this recipe: one pot.
My mother worked full time, yet always put a great dinner on the table for our family. Her secret? A pressure cooker, which enabled her to cut down on precious time needed to cook a variety of foods. Her pretty large beef meatballs cooked in the pressure cooker in canned Sauce Arturo (we're talking '50s and '60s) and were perfect. Thanks for this recipe!
This recipe is ridiculous. Just make spaghetti and meatballs the way Clemenza taught us: “Hey, come over here kid, learn something. You never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; you make sure it doesn’t stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs, eh? Add a little bit a wine… and a and a little bit a sugar…
I don't get it. I cooked double the portion in my hot pot and the meat is all raw. I used the Saute setting but will end up cooking it in there for 30 minutes, minimum. How can this be done in the time alotted in the recipe?
Not bad. Forgot to account for how long it takes for pressure to build.
great recipe. My 13year old asks for it every week. i will say though that I double the noodles and sauce part and stick to the one pound of meatballs. everyone seems to enjoy the noodles the most and then there’s enough leftover meatballs for a sandwich the next day. that’s what works for us. also the instapot will burn easily on this recipe so i sauté on low.