Spaghetti and Ground Beef

Recipe 4 — Spaghetti and Ground Beef · Prep Time: 5 min · Cook Time: 19 min · 8 Servings

1. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, and add the ground beef.
2. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the beef into chunks, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
3. Cook until fully browned, about 7 minutes, and then remove the inner pot will heat protection, such as an over mitt.
4. Remove cooked beef from the pot, draining the fat off. Tip: I use a large plate with a few paper towels, and I just dump everything on the plate to soak up the fat. Leave the meat out of the pot for now. No need to rinse the pot either.
5. Wipe off any drips from the side of the pot or from the upper lip. You don't want anything to drip into the heating element of your Instant Pot. Once you are sure the outer part of your pot is clean, put the empty inner pot back into your Instant Pot.
6. First, add water to the inner pot, plus remaining salt. Note: The order of ingredients is very important! And NOT stirring is also important.
7. Next, break the spaghetti noodles in half, and place into the water. Tip: I do 3 hand fulls, broken in half. This equals about 6 halves, and I alternate the angle with each hand full so that each hand full criss-crosses the last at about a 90 degree angle. It doesn't have to be perfect or precise, but this simply helps to prevent some of the sticking.
8. I use my spoon and kind of press down to make sure all the noodles get some water on them. They don't need to stay in the water, but just get all of them wet.
9. Add the cooked beef back to the pot, right on top of the noodles.
10. Pour the jar of pasta sauce on top, and again, do NOT stir at all.
11. Place the lid on the pot, and set to high pressure for 4 minutes.
12. Let the pot release naturally for 5 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure with the manual pressure release.
13. After the pressure indicator has lowered, remove the lid carefully. It will look pretty watery at this point.
14. Use tongs to stir well, and pick apart any stuck pieces. There will be a few stuck pieces.
15. Allow the spaghetti to rest for 5 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate. You can give it a stir a time or two during this to help it out. The liquid will reduce after a few minutes.
16. Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese, if desired.