Semi Crunchy, Always Extra

This is my adaptation of the popular Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese.  My instapot guru Nancy sent me a link to easy Instant Pot recipes for beginners and this was one of them. It looked scrumptious and boasted over 5.5K shares, so I had to give it a go.

When we started using our new IP, I set out on a pothead-like binge. I wanted to cook exclusively with the IP for a week so I sought out recipes with overlapping ingredients to keep grocery shopping minimal. Ok, I ordered the groceries, but I wanted to make the job easier on our Shipt shopper too! Check out my grocery delivery service recommendations at the end of this post. 

Our first few experiences with the instant pot were shaky, like driving a stick-shift for the first time, but we still made it from point A to point B and got dinner on the table. By the time we set out to make this dish, I had gained a little bit of Instant Pot know how and felt confident making some modifications to simplify both the process and the ingredient list. The original recipe is a one pot recipe, but it is recommended that you cook the spaghetti separately if you wish to serve it al dente. I love my pasta with a firm bite to it, but I wasn’t willing to dirty another pot to wash or take the time to boil water. After all, we’re using the instant pot because it saves time, right? So, we swapped out traditional spaghetti pasta with Bucatini. It is like an extra thick strand of spaghetti with a hollowed center. I adjusted the recipe and technique a bit, to maintain true “one pot” status.

UPDATE: Since the original draft of this blog post [five months ago!] I’ve made this recipe countless times. It’s a staple in our house that no one has gotten tired of, so we eat it weekly. It’s SO easy, and I’ve wanted to share it foreverrrrrrrr but I jumbled all the photos in the post and never got to posting. #technologychallenged.

Final product:

Ingredients:

LET’S GO!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb bucatini
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, rough chopped (slices are great too, but chopped onion flies undetected under the kid-radar)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
• 5 oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms (optional)
• Sherry wine
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• Olive oil

CHICKEN STOCK MIXTURE

• 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 5 fl oz can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sherry wine
• 2 tablespoons low sodium Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup water

THE HOW TO:

1. Heat up your Instant Pot, press the Sauté button and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pot. Allow the oil to heat, meanwhile…
2. Season the ground beef with kosher salt and black pepper. Partially cook and brown the ground beef for roughly 3 to 4 minutes, then remove from heat. Try to just get a good brown on the outside without shuffling the meat around much. The less you move it around, the more you’re developing the flavor! While the beef cooks…
3. Combine tomato paste, light soy sauce, sherry wine, and Worcestershire sauce in a 2-cup or larger glass measuring cup. Stir ingredients until you have a thin paste. Then, slowly stir in 2 cups chicken stock into to the measuring cup and incorporate it into the mixture. You’ll be close to the top of a 2-cup Pyrex cup but not overflowing. A large bowl (as pictured below) is just fine if you don’t have a big enough cup.
4. Remove partially cooked beef and set aside.
5. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pot, then add onion and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook until the onions are softened and brown, then add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add chopped celery (totally optional) and mushroom (optional but SO good) and a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, then cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add a splash of sherry wine to deglaze the pot, be sure to loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon then allow the wine to reduce.
7. Add 1 cup of water and the Chicken Stock Mixture to the pot and rub dried oregano between your palms to liven up the flavor as it’s added to the pot. Taste and season NOW before adding partially cooked beef back to the pot.
8. Return the ground beef back into the pot and add the bucatini by breaking them in half or soften them by submerging them in warm water prior to cooking. TIP! Cut open one end of a 1 lb bag of pasta and simply stand it in a glass, then fill the bag with warm water.
9. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes, then 5 minutes natural release.
10. Use end of wooden spoon to move the float value to vent to ensure all pressure is release. Use caution. After pressure is fully released, open the lid. Mix well, top with your favorite pasta-loving cheese, maybe some fresh basil if it’s handy, and serve immediately.

If you don’t have a measuring 2-cup or larger measuring cup, you can make the chicken stock mixture in a bowl. I just do it this way to keep the amount of dishes to a minimum. For better flavor from your dried oregano, rub the leaves between your palms crushing the leaves into the pot. *** REMEMBER to taste and season as needed BEFORE returning beef to the pot!***

Al dente! This method is perfect for my IP, chosen pasta and each individual instant pot will vary slightly. Varying the amount of cooking liquid and pressure release time will impact the texture of the pasta. This is just perfect for us!

KID APPROVED! Mom win!

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Referrals and affiliate links… I don’t recommend anything unless I personally use it and love it. Please feel free to ask me anything and I’m sure to give you a novel on what I like, don’t like, pros/cons, etc. If you decide to purchase an Instant Pot or try a service, please consider using my affiliate link when making your purchase – it’s my two cents for sharing my two cents! Haha!

Instant Pot 6-quart

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Instant Pot 8-quart

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Shipt Grocery Delivery Service

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I used this back in California. Both services are available in many areas, but the selection of participating stores varies depending on your zip code.