Instant Pot Pasta

Step 1

Brown Ground Beef: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté, then Adjust to go to Sauté More). Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT). Add 1 tbsp olive oil in Instant Pot. Ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot. Add in ½ pound of ground beef and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. *Pro Tip: Meat juice begins to come out of ground beef. Let the moisture evaporate. Browning begins due to maillard reaction. Remove & set aside.

Step 2

Sauté Onion, Garlic, Celery, Mushrooms: Add 1 tbsp olive oil in the pot. Add sliced onion, sauté. Add a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to season. Stir occasionally until slightly browned. Then, add minced garlic and stir for roughly 30 seconds until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms, chopped celery, a pinch of dried oregano, and dried basil. Cook for another minute. Taste seasoning and adjust with more kosher salt and ground black pepper if necessary.

Step 3

Deglaze & Make Pasta Sauce: Pour in a dash of sherry wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add browned ground beef, 1 cup unsalted chicken stock, 2 cups water, 2 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything together.

Step 4

Pressure Cook Pasta: Pour 450g Penne pasta into the sauce. Place 156ml tomato paste on top of the pasta. Taste and adjust with more kosher salt and ground black pepper if necessary. *Pro Tip: Ensure all the Penne pasta are completely submerged into the sauce. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes, wait 5 minutes before doing a Quick Release. Open the lid carefully.

Step 5

Serve: Give it a quick stir and everything should blend together. *Pro Tip: Taste one of the Penne pasta. If you find the texture too hard (ours came out al dente), close the lid and let the leftover heat cook them until the desired doneness. Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to kick it up a notch. Serve immediately. Enjoy!