Showing posts with label Everyday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everyday. Show all posts

3/5/18

2 Squooshi Reusable Food Pouches



Food pouches are a fun treat and great to have on hand in the car, at the park, or grab on the go with your kiddos.

Why not make your own food pouches? They are easier to make than you think!

I used my homemade yogurt and added a touch of cinnamon to my homemade applesauce for these fun animal pouches from Squooshi. Not only will you know what is in your food pouches, think of the savings you will have by making your food/puree/smoothies, and reusing these pouches!

I choose Squooshi because these pouches are Reusable. I also wanted something that was Easy to fill, and didn't leave a big mess with a lot of waste. This post and video is not sponsored by Squooshi.

Take a look at how easy and cute these are!



Aren't they fun? I ordered the Squooshi bundle that has a fill station and includes 6 large (6oz) refillable pouches. 


It's not a complicated set-up and it is very easy to use. I also found cleaning the pouches and the tank very easy. 

If you watched the video, you may have noticed that I put some of the yogurt/applesauce on the orange silicone part of the plunger.

This is to lubricate the plunger and make it easier to push the food, smoothie, or puree through the tank.

Pouch Info
  • Pouches are BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC free and Lead-free. 
  • They come in 3 sizes: 3.4 oz/5 oz/6 oz
  • Come with a no-leak double zipper seal on the bottom
  • Freezer safe - leave some room for expansion
  • Pouches and tank are top rack dishwasher safe - hand washing is recommended for the plunger to maintain the integrity of the silicone seal.
  • Come in cute Animal designs or plain red/blue
  • Caps are easy to twist on - twist off.
  • Soft -No Choke Top caps are recommended for teething toddlers. 

This little guy had a hard time choosing which animal he wanted, but ended up choosing the strawberry yogurt Panda.

Does it pass the test?


It sure does!


There are other, smaller reusable pouches available, and they fill from the bottom. You have to be careful filling them, as food or seeds can get trapped in the zippered bottom and won't seal very well. 

I used a total of 4.5 cups of yogurt/applesauce to fill these pouches and will definitely be ordering another cute Squooshi animal set!

3/30/17

0 Easy English Muffins



The first time I made English muffins, they were part of a bread baking challenge from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, a cookbook by Peter Reinhart that a group of folks were baking every bread recipe and posting the results.

The results were not what I expected - a thick English muffin that lacked the characteristic 'holes, nooks, and crannies' that capture pools of butter, jams and jellies.

My second attempt with Alton Brown's recipe was much better - a thinner muffin that definitely had the nooks and crannies that I craved for a traditional English muffin.

The muffins were simple and easy to make - the only thing is you need to start the night before, much like the No Knead Artisan Bread recipe. I like the fact that no special equipment or mixers are needed for this quick bread.


Milk, oil, honey are mixed together ~ flour, salt and yeast are whisked and the wet ingredients are mixed into a loose, sticky batter. The sides are scraped down and the bowl is covered with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight - or up to 4 days.

The next day, the dough is taken out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking to wake up the yeast and take the chill off the dough.


Right before baking the English muffins, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda is added to warm water and gently folded into the wet batter. Letting this mixture sit for 10-15 min while heating up the griddle will further activate the dough and help create the bubbles that you want in your muffins.


Prepare a griddle or cast iron pan by heating it on medium high heat or to 300°F.
Spray oil to the insides of your crumpet/muffin rings or use large, wide mouth canning rings and dust the pan and insides of the rings with cornmeal. You will need at least 8 rings for this recipe. You can use egg rings, flan rings or even tin foil, folded into strips and fashioned into rings.

Spray the inside of a 1/3 cup measure or large ice cream scoop and fill the rings 2/3rds full.


Cook for 12 minutes ~ watch how nice and puffy these become!

Sprinkle the tops with additional cornmeal ...


Use a pair of tongs or a flat pancake spatula to flip the English muffin. Cook the other side for 12 minutes, till the dough is springy to the touch and golden brown.

Cool the English muffins in their rings for 2 minutes, then use a thin knife to pop them out of their rings.

Turn the muffins on their edge to cool on a wire cooling rack ~ this will help prevent sinking and shrinking. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.


Use a fork to poke the muffin all around the edge to open the muffin ~ this will help accentuate the nooks and crannies inside.


These English muffins are the perfect size to make Muffin Egg Sandwiches - Canadian bacon, cheese, scrambled eggs.... it was a winner for a breakfast dinner!


Take a look at these toasted English muffins ~ full of nooks a crannies .... just begging for lots of butter and your favorite jam or jelly.



Print Friendly and PDF
English Muffins
from Alton Brown, Food Network

Ingredients
2 teaspoons honey
1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 1/2 cups milk
2 2/3 cup bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons warm water
cornmeal for dusting
Spray oil for the rings
8 rings are needed: wide mouth canning rings, muffin, egg, crumpet or flan rings will work.

Instructions
Day before:
Mix milk, oil and honey. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast.
Mix in the milk mixture to form a sticky dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, up to 4 days.

Next day:
2 hours before cooking, take the dough out of the fridge to warm up.
When ready to bake, heat your griddle or cast iron pan to 300° or over medium-high heat.
Right before baking, mix 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the warm water.
Gently fold the baking soda mixture into the bread batter. Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes.

Spray the inside of rings with spray oil. Dust the rings with cornmeal. Sprinkle cornmeal onto the griddle. Place the prepared rings onto the griddle.

Spray the inside of a 1/3 measure cup or large ice cream scoop with oil. Fill it with the batter and pour into the prepared rings - 2/3rds full.

Cook for 12 minutes, till golden brown. Sprinkle the tops with additional cornmeal, and turn the muffins over with tongs or flat spatula. Cook for an additional 12 minutes. If the muffins are turning brown before the 12 minutes, the heat is too hot and the insides may be doughy. Turn the heat down if this is happening.

Place cooked muffins on a cooling rack, on their sides, for 30 minutes.

Fork split, toast and enjoy!



2/4/17

0 Marvelous Meatballs: Pressure Cooker Fast!



Several years ago, I wrote a post about making my own meatballs and freezing them, as the ones from Costco were a wee too spicy for us. What's great about making your own meatballs is that you get to choose how mild or spicy they are, freeze them to use in pasta, sandwiches, appetizers, and save some money from buying the pre-made frozen meatballs. 

I have made these meatballs over the years using the oven, which is great and wanted to see if I could cook them in the pressure cooker. 

Would it save time? Would it taste great? Would I need to brown them?

Let's find out!


The ingredients are simple and do not require a lot of prep. You can choose a mild sausage or a spicy sausage, depending on what your plan is for the meatballs.

The key to making great meatballs is not to over mix them, which creates a tough, chewy meatball. Enter disposable plastic gloves. Not only do they help with mixing the meat, they help in rolling the meatballs smooth, as they will not stick to your hands.


I love using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop - not only does it make the perfect sized cookie, it makes the perfect sized meatball - about 1.5" in diameter.  I line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap, which makes clean up so much easier. You can leave the meatballs as is, with the flat bottom, or you can roll them between your hands for a more rounded meatball.


This is a Lotus Steamer basket, or a vegetable steamer basket. It is great, not only for the holes to drain the fat from the meat, but it can expand/contract to fit your pot.

I am using 2 steamer baskets, and this top one is from IKEA - It comes with a detachable clip to help pull your steamer basket out. These are inexpensive and will help you do a full batch of meatballs in 2 layers. If you don't have an extra steamer, you can cook your meatballs in 2 separate batches.

Put 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker, your steamer basket, and half of the meatballs. Place a second steamer basket on top of the meatballs and add your second layer of meat.


Close the lid, put the pressure valve on sealing and set the pressure cooker on High (Manual) for 5 minutes.


Use a quick release by opening the pressure valve - this will not toughen up the meatballs at all.



I was pleasantly surprised that the meatballs didn't mesh together into ONE large lump! I was able to take them apart, like a puzzle, and the internal temp was 165°, perfect for cooked meatballs.


I browned some of the meatballs under the broiler for about 4-6 minutes. Can you tell which one is the browned meatball? I really couldn't. It's the one on the left. I think I'll skip the browning step.

Once the meatballs have cooled, you can put them in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 6 months. I was able to get 39 meatballs prepped, and cooked in less than 30 minutes! It didn't take any less time than to bake them, but I'm sure it took less energy and in the summer months, you may not want your oven heating up your kitchen. This is great news to those with limited kitchen space, or if you have an RV - cooking meatballs in a pressure cooker is a great alternative!



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MARVELOUS MEATBALLS 
in the Pressure Cooker
1 pound lean hamburger
1 pound sausage (Italian, Mild, Hot, Maple...you choose!)
2 eggs
4 slices of bread, torn in small pieces
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. dried parsley
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
4 t. minced garlic

Mix meat, eggs, bread, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
Form meatballs with large cookie scoop (2 T. size).
Pour 1 cup of water in the liner of the pressure cooker.
Place steamer basket into the pot liner.
Layer half of the shaped meatballs onto the steamer basket.
*Put another steamer basket on top, repeat with layering the rest of the meatballs.
Close the lid, put pressure valve on sealing.
Set for high pressure/manual for 5 minutes.
When time is up, use a quick release by opening the pressure valve.
Use in desired recipes or cool and freeze for future use. 


*If you only have one steamer basket, cook in two separate batches. 

Use these in an appetizer, with your favorite spaghetti sauce served over pasta or as a meatball sandwich.

This recipe makes a bunch - about 39 meatballs, 1.5" in size. 
They freeze well in a freezer safe Ziploc bag, up to 6 months.
To reheat, take 10 meatballs out, place in a microwave safe dish, covered, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

9/24/16

8 Pressure Cooker Mom's Sunday Pot Roast and Veggies



Are you having a hard time perfecting pot roast? Does it come out perfect one time and tough and chewy the next?

Every Sunday, my mom would make either fried chicken or a pot roast in the electric frying pan. She was the one who taught me as a young girl how to make the perfect gravy. The dark, crusty bits the roast left behind made for the BEST gravy ever.

However, bless my mamma's heart, sometimes the roast would be dry and chewy. No amount of gravy would change the texture. It seemed like I would chew on one bite for.....e......ver.....

Making pot roast the traditional way in the oven takes a long time, three or four hours, depending on the size of the roast, but the payoff is a moist, tender, melt in your mouth roast.  I wanted to know how I can take my mom's pot roast and make it better, easier and faster in the pressure cooker.

You can read through this step by step post, or follow along with me in this video - you will learn a LOT and have a fork tender roast, every single time! Enjoy!


I went through several roasts, weighed them, timed them and could not get consistent results. I was baffled.

I read somewhere that I should be using the thickness of the roast to determine my cooking time.
Hip Pressure Cooking has great timing charts for just about everything. Her suggestion is to cook a beef roast for 75 minutes with a natural release. She doesn't mention weight or thickness.

Lorna Sass, of Pressure Perfect, lists BOTH weight and thickness for a boneless chuck roast, more than 2" thick, 2.5 pounds for 35-45 minutes with a full natural release.

Then America's Test Kitchen came out with their book, Pressure Cooker Perfection and in this book, they have 2 different pot roast recipes. One method takes 90 minutes, and the other recipe 30 minutes of cooking time, both with a 15 min natural release, not a full one.  Really? What's the difference?

The shorter cooking method cuts the cooking time by 2/3rds and has the meat already portioned into serving sizes.  Genius, I tell you!

ATK'S method made the most sense to me. When I cook veggies, they cook best if they are uniform in size. Why not for chuck roast? Cutting 2" slices against the grain levels the playing field so to speak and makes for a tender and moist chuck roast. It was simple to adapt their technique to my mom's recipe, cooking a roast under pressure for 30 min!



 Chuck roast is the meat of choice for pressure cooking as it is not as lean and won't have a tendency to dry out as easily as other cuts. Start out with a 2.5 - 3 pound chuck roast.

1. Trim off any large sections of fat. This helps keep the gravy from being too oily. I love using kitchen shears for cutting and trimming.




2. Cut your roast against the grain into long , 2"  wide strips. (Not cubes or chunks)  Cut out any connective tissue you may find.  The connective tissue is the silvery membranes and what takes a longer cook time to break down in the meat. You will shave off more than half the cooking time by taking 5-10 min to trim your meat.

3. Pat your meat completely dry with paper towels to help brown your meat.


4. Season your beef strips with salt, pepper, and any spices of your choosing.

My mom used Season-All. It's a great all purpose seasoning that works well with beef.

5. Choose the browning setting or on the Instant Pot pressure cooker, select SAUTE, then the ADJUST button once till you see MORE light up.

When the display says, "HOT,"  put 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil into your pressure cooker. When your oil is shimmering, you are ready to brown your meat.


6. Place only a few pieces of meat into the pan. You don't want to crowd the pan with too much cold meat and reduce the cooking temp.

Resist the urge to flip the meat until you begin to see a dark brown sear on your meat.





Brown all sides and set aside your browned meat until all the pieces have browned.

See that beautiful brown color?  That's flavor. You do not want to skip this step, trust me. It's worth it!


7. Turn your pressure cooker off. Pour your broth mixture carefully into your pan. What we are doing now is "deglazing" or taking off the crusty, stuck on bits on the bottom of your pan.  If you do not scrape this bits (fond), your pressure cooker will think food is burning and the safety features will kick in, shut your pressure cooker down and not allow it to come to pressure.



Using a flat edge spatula (wooden or metal) will help you scrape the bits off easier.


8. Put your browned meat into the pressure cooker, lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, for 30 minutes, HIGH pressure. After it is done cooking, you will want it to naturally release its pressure (NPR) for 15 minutes, then open the pressure valve. (Quick Release)

I like to add onion for some additional flavor. They will pretty much disintegrate, but that's ok with us.



9. While your chuck is cooking, begin prepping your veggies. Baby carrots or regular carrots cut into 2" lengths are perfect.

Wash, peel, and cut your potatoes into 1/2" to 3/4" slices or chunks. The more uniform your veggies are cut, the more likely they will all cook the same. If some pieces are bigger, they may be crunchy. If they are cut too small, they will get mushy. Just do your best. :-)

I am enjoying this steamer basket. It makes getting my veggies out of the pressure cooker so much easier. It comes with handles and if you bend them up or break them off, the basket will fit perfectly in your 6qt pressure cooker.



10.  When your roast is done with the 15 min natural release, take the meat/onions out and put it on a plate. Cover it with foil to keep it warm.

**Next, you will want to put your entire lid into the fridge or run it under cold water for a couple of minutes to firm up the silicone seal inside the lid. During high heat, the seal softens, loosens and can cause sealing problems with your next batch of cooking.**

You will need to do this every time you do back-to-back cooking. You will want a good seal for cooking your veggies, as they will only need 5-6 minutes of cooking time.

11.  Put your cut veggies in a steamer basket, directly into the hot broth. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and select HIGH pressure for 5-6 minutes with a quick release of pressure when the cooking is done.  Open the lid and remove the strainer basket of veggies. Cover and set aside.

If you want to make gravy, it will only take an extra 10 minutes of time. Ready? Let's do it!

12. Mix equal parts all purpose flour and softened butter, till it forms a thick paste. Drop this into the meat broth and quickly whisk it smooth. I love the richness butter gives gravy since I'm not using the traditional method of making it with the browned bits or in the pan.



**If you didn't trim off a lot of fat off your meat prior to cooking, you will want to skim off the fat or pour it into a gravy fat separator. After the fat rises to the top, pull out the plug and pour the broth back into the pan.**

13. Turn the pressure cooker to browning or SAUTE MORE mode. Stir or use a whisk continuously (so the gravy won't burn on the bottom of the pan) till the gravy begins to bubble and thicken to your desired consistency.



Enjoy your creation!


I hope you will use these tips and techniques to perfect your favorite family roast recipe in your pressure cooker.

Thanks, mom. I love you!



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Pressure Cook Mom's Sunday Pot Roast & Veggies
Chuck is the preferred meat to use when pressure cooking. Follow these tips & techniques for a fork tender roast, perfectly cooked veggies and a silky smooth gravy. The secret to full flavor and short cook time is trimming the meat and browning it first. These techniques can be adapted to any roast recipe.
Ingredients
  • 2.5 - 5 pounds Chuck roast, extra fat removed, connective tissue removed, cut across the grain in 2" slices, patted dry with paper towel
  • 1 Tablespoon Season All or spices of your choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 3/4 cup water or beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons beef bouillon (omit if using beef broth)
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, 1" cubes
  • 1-2 cups baby carrots, or cut in 2" lengths
  • 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
Instructions
1. Put 1 Tablespoon cooking oil in pressure cooker. Select BROWNING or SAUTE (high). When pot is HOT, brown prepared meat in small batches in a single layer on all sides for 1-2 minutes.2. Remove meat from pressure cooker and turn it off. 3. In a large measuring cup, mix together water (broth) beef bouillon, and Worcestershire sauce. Slowly pour liquid mixture into the pot, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. 4. Put browned meat back into the pot. Top with onions and bay leaves.5. Put lid on pressure cooker, close the pressure valve and select HIGH pressure for 30 minutes.6. When cook time ends, allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, open the pressure valve to release any remaining pressure. 7. Remove roast, put on a plate and cover with foil. 8. Using a steamer basket/trivet, put cut potatoes and carrots into the broth. 9. Close pressure cooker, close pressure valve, select HIGH pressure for 5-6 minutes. At the end of cook time, open the pressure valve for a quick release. Remove veggies and put onto a plate. Cover. 10. Mash softened butter and flour to form a paste. Select Saute/Browning on the pressure cooker and quickly whisk in flour mixture into the broth, stirring constantly until thickened to desired consistency.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8 servings

9/19/16

0 Pressure Cooker One Pot Meat Spaghetti


Here is a simple one pot spaghetti recipe that will help you make your week nights a little bit easier. After a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is boil a pot of water, add the spaghetti, wait for it to boil over, clean up the mess, warm up the jarred pasta sauce, drain the pasta, and then realize..

Your ground beef is frozen.

Ugh.

Pressure Cooker to the rescue!

I had heard many stories of clumpy spaghetti, burned on pasta and sauce in the pot, the pot not coming to pressure and the pasta dish tasting, well... bland.

I had success with my Homestyle Mac N Cheese recipe, and thought, "Why not make a meat and tomato based recipe?" So, learning from others and using my Mac N Cheese recipe, plus my cooking experience, I came up with this method. You can use any jarred sauce and the little bit of work to brown the meat and season your dish will be worth the extra effort. I promise!

Since this was the very first time making this recipe, I didn't want to screw up a whole pound of ground beef, an entire bottle of pasta sauce,  you catch my drift.

Halving a recipe is my way of testing it out to make sure it will work. If you are single or an empty nester, this method and recipe will work for you. You can halve just about any recipe for the pressure cooker as long as you keep the minimum amount of liquid necessary for your size of pressure cooker. The cooking times will remain the same.


This took me 20 min from start to finish, so you can have this ready and on the table in under 30 minutes!

Ok. Time's a wastin'! Let's go!

**Caution** This is NOT a dump recipe. Carefully measure your ingredients so you will have the most success! The post here is also HALF the recipe. The full printable recipe link is at the bottom of the post.**

I cut a one pound block of lean ground beef in half, so here's 8 oz of frozen solid ground beef, sitting on a trivet over 1/2 cup of water.


Close the lid, lock it, put the valve on sealing.
Select High Pressure (Manual) for 5 minutes.


At the end of 5 minutes, use a Quick release of pressure.

This thawed out the ground beef enough that I could break it up easily.

Next, you will want to BROWN your ground beef. Doing this will give your pasta dish extra flavor. You do not want the taste of "boiled" meat in your pasta.

Select SAUTE and ADJUST till you see MORE.

If your ground beef is super lean** (like mine was) add a tablespoon of oil to the bottom of the pan.

**If you are using a fattier ground beef, cook your beef first and brown it. Remove it and put it in a strainer over a bowl, pressing the meat to remove as much of the drippings as possible.

Return the meat to the pot and add 1 Tablespoon of the drippings back in.



This is the time to add diced onion, chopped garlic and any spices you want. We are not an onion/chunky type eating family, so I opted for onion powder and Italian seasoning.
Adding your dry spices with the oils in the pan will boost their flavors. Red pepper flakes, anyone?

Now you may be asking WHY add spices? Well, your tomato pasta sauce may taste great, but can get watered down during the cooking process and absorbed by the pasta. Browning your ground beef and adding some extra seasonings like basil, oregano, and garlic will boost the flavors and keep it from tasting "meh."


Okay.



Now you've got all these crusty bits stuck on the bottom of your pan. There's a fancy schmancy word for it (deglazing the fond) but I'll just call it "removing the crusty bits." They are FULL of flavor.

Take your pot out of the cooker and throw in exactly 1 cup of water, or for an even better taste, use your favorite broth!

Use a flat spatula to scrape off the brown bits. Keep those bits....don't toss 'em out!


Next, you will want to use the right amount of pasta. Since I'm halving the recipe, I will need 4 ounces of pasta. Lucky for me, I have a digital scale, but if you need to eyeball it, here's what 4 ounces of spaghetti look like.

Break the spaghetti in half and toss it into the crusty brown bit water.

Give it a quick stir. I can see little dots of oil on top of the water. If you don't see the oily dots, add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil to your water/pasta.

That is good. The oil, plus stirring, will help keep your pasta from sticking or clumping together.


Next, dump your cooked meat in the center of the pot.

DO NOT STIR!


Pour 1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce on top. Pour it in the very CENTER of the pot. You want the liquid water in the bottom to be able to steam and bring your pot to pressure.

DO NOT STIR!  (I apologize for yelling.....)


Close the lid, put the valve on sealing, and set the pressure to HIGH (Manual) for 4 minutes.

That's it. You're done.

Put your feet up and relax. Get the kids to set the table.

For some of you, this may be the hardest part.

Why? Because you can't see it cooking.  Pressure cooking is a lot like baking.

Put everything together, throw it in the oven.

And pray.

Will it burn on the bottom?

Will the pasta clump together?

Will the sauce be watery?

Will it taste bland?

At the end of the 4 minutes, do a controlled Quick release of pressure. This means opening the pressure valve in short spurts until you can open the pressure valve all the way, with no pasta spray coming out of the valve.

Open the lid....


Ta Da!


Tomato sauce is one of the big enemies of pressure cooking. Why? Because sauce that is thick or has flour, cornstarch, or most grains get uber hot at the bottom of the pot and start to burn.

When food starts to burn, the pressure cooker safety features kick in and your pressure cooker may say "OverHeat," start counting down, or simply shut off.

Even with the pasta on the bottom, there was enough water to protect it from sticking.

Swirl it around in the pot and you will see it begin to thicken. The pasta has absorbed all the flavors of the browned meat, bloomed spices, and sauce. It is perfect!



Your prayers have been answered!

Enjoy!




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One Pot Meat Spaghetti - Pressure Cooker
Simple, one pot spaghetti recipe that will help make your week nights a little bit easier! Pasta follows a formula for water:pasta ratio and always use a 'controlled quick release' in short spurts until you can open the pressure valve all the way. **If your hamburger is frozen, put 1/2 cup water in your pot, set meat on the trivet and cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes, with a quick release. Dump out any water, and your hamburger is ready to break up for browning.
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef, thawed**
  • 1 Tablespoon cooling oil, if using lean beef
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning*
  • 2 cups water, chicken or beef broth
  • 8 ounces regular spaghetti, broken in half
  • 2 cups favorite pasta sauce
  • *garlic, oregano, basil
Instructions
1. Select Saute/Browning of your pressure cooker and brown your ground beef, breaking it up into smaller pieces. If you are using lean ground beef, add the 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil. 2. If you are using a more fatty ground beef, drain or mop all but 1 Tablespoon of the remaining drippings. 3. Add onion, garlic, or spices. Stir for one minute, until aromatic. 4. Turn the pressure cooker off. Remove the cooked beef from the pressure cooker and set aside. 5. Pour in 2 cups water or broth and using a flat spatula, completely scrape off the browned bits that are stuck on the bottom of the pot. 6. Add broken spaghetti in a criss-cross fashion, stirring to coat the pasta with the liquid.7. LAYER the meat, pour sauce directly into the CENTER of the meat. DO NOT STIR.8. Cover, close the pressure valve, select HIGH pressure and the time for 4 minutes.9. After the cook time ends, use a controlled quick release in short spurts until you can open the pressure valve all the way. 10. Open the pressure cooker. Stir. As the pasta sits, it will absorb the sauce and become thicker. Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4-6 servings
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