Meatballs and Spaghetti in the InstantPot separately
I am pretty much a newbie at pressure cooking.
I've been following this recipe for meatballs and spaghetti, and it comes out great. The thing is that my kids would prefer that the spaghetti is not mixed in with the sauce. So I've been trying to figure out how to make spaghetti and meatballs in the IP at the same time, but not mixed together. I've tried twice now, and both times the meatballs came out raw.
The first time I tried, I had frozen meatballs that were all stuck together. I put them + sauce in a covered round pan on top of the spaghetti (with 3.5 cups of water) and cooked at high pressure for 9 minutes. The meatballs were completely raw and the spaghetti was good (though there was still water left that I had to drain out). I ended up putting the meatballs in again and then they got fully cooked.
The second time I tried, I separated the frozen meatballs so they were all individual. I again put them and the sauce in a covered round pan on top of the spaghetti (with only 2 cups of water). Cooked at high pressure for 9 minutes. At the end of cooking time, I did a natural release. The spaghetti was half raw/half cooked/half stuck to the bottom of the pan. The meatballs were still raw.
Has anyone ever done this before? I can't find any tips online to do this.
Best Answer
I have't done it, so I don't know if this will work, but here's what I would suggest:
Pasta will cook more quickly if you soak it before cooking. (it also allows you to get 'al dente' with gluten-free pasta)
You can then put the pasta in the inner pot, while the meatballs are closer to the heat. But you might have to experiment for just how long to soak the pasta before putting it in the pot, and what temperature water to use in the pot. (you do the soak in room temperature water)
I'd also recommend changing your type of pasta. Strand pasta is notorious for the need to stir to prevent it from clumping together; something like fusilli (spirals) won't contact each other as much, so they won't have as much variation in doneness.
Pictures about "Meatballs and Spaghetti in the InstantPot separately"
Should meatballs be cooked before putting in sauce?
Do You Put Raw Meatballs in Sauce to Cook? Although you can, I recommend browning the meatballs in a skillet with a little olive oil first. This creates a nice texture on the outside of the meatball, while allowing the middle to remain tender and juicy as it finishes cooking in the tomato sauce.Can you cook raw meatballs directly in the sauce?
You can brown the uncooked meatballs in a saut\xe9 pan before adding them to the sauce. You can brown them in the oven. Or you can skip browning altogether and put the raw meatballs straight into the sauce to cook.Should you serve pasta and sauce separately?
Step 1: Heat Your Sauce Separately With few exceptions (such as when you're making a pesto-style sauce or a simple Roman-style cheese sauce, like carbonara or cacio e pepe), pasta should be tossed with sauce that is already hot and ready.Can you make meatballs in the pressure cooker?
The best thing about these Instant Pot meatballs is how tender they are. Cooking meatballs in a pressure cooker is certainly the way to go if you want them to turn out perfectly tender and flavorful.EASY Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs - Dump and Go Recipe
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Images: Christian Moises Pahati, Askar Abayev, Gary Barnes, Gary Barnes