Although you can find lots of recipes for “Spaghetti and Meatballs in an Instant Pot,” this one builds it all up from scratch. The zesty sauce starts with sautéed shallots and garlic, and each serving has a generous garnish of whipped, herbed ricotta.
You’ll need almost-uninterrupted attention once you start the Instant Pot, so get all your prep out of the way before you start cooking.
Ingredients
- For the herbed ricotta:
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 Tbs shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs milk
2 generous tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef or pork
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
1 large egg
- For frying
2 Tbs olive oil, for frying
- For the sauce:
1-3 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp red wine vinegar
3-1/2 cups of water
1 lb. mostaccioli
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Directions
- Make the herbed ricotta:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk all the ricotta ingredients until smooth, and then give it a few more whisks for good luck. Scrape the mixture back into the ricotta container. Cover and set aside.
- Make the meatballs:
- Gently by hand, in the same (unwashed) bowl you used for the ricotta, mix together all the meatball ingredients just until everything is evenly distributed. Form into a dozen balls, a scant 1/4-cup mixture per ball. Lay them out on a the (unwashed) cutting board you used to prep the veg.
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ, more (25 minutes). Once you get the hot indication, add oil. Working in 2 batches, brown meatballs, turning every 2 minutes, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer meatballs to the (unwashed) bowl you used to mix them.
- Make the sauce:
- With the SAUTÉ function continuing to run, cook shallot, salt, basil, oregano, and thyme, stirring frequently with a sturdy wooden spoon, 1 minute, making an effort to loosen anything that stuck to the bottom of the pan while you were browning the meatballs. Add garlic, red pepper, and black pepper, and cook until fragrant, no more than 1 minute. Immediately add tomatoes, and thoroughly deglaze the pan. Cancel SAUTÉ function.
- Add vinegar. With the water at the ready, set the pot to SAUTÉ, less (10 minutes), and cook, stirring constantly, until the machine shuts off. Whenever the sauce reaches a boil that you can’t stir down, or feels like it might scorch, add a healthy splash of the water. Once the machine shuts off, stir in remaining water. (At this point, nothing should be stuck to the bottom of the pan. If there is, you may get a burn notice in the final step.)
- Move the meatballs back to the (unwashed) cutting board but leave any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl. Add pasta to the bowl. Drizzle oil over pasta and toss to coat. Pour the pasta into the Instant Pot. Gently spread it into an even layer but make no effort to push it deeper into or mix it with the sauce. Top with meatballs.
- Twist on the lid, and set the pot to PRESSURE COOK, less (5 minutes), high (pressure). Once it’s done, quick release. (If you get a burn notice, quick-release, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula, and re-set the pot to cook for 4 minutes instead of 5.) Gently stir in Parmesan as you ensure that the pasta isn’t stuck together and you test the consistency of the pasta and sauce. If the pasta needs more cooking or the sauce is too thin, lock the top back on the pressure cooker and let it sit for 5 minutes. Press CANCEL to turn the pot off. Place a scoop of the herbed ricotta into each serving.
Notes
- To avoid overworking the meat mixture (which could result it tough meatballs), it helps if you start by scattering the subsequent ingredients evenly over the meat in the first place. Then, mix by gently pulling the meat apart into smaller and smaller pieces, as you regularly flip the entire contents of the bowl.
- When you add the oil to the Instant Pot, it will pool up at the edge. Brown the meatballs at the edge, in the pool of oil. The easiest way to turn them is with a large, flexible spatula. Edge it underneath, and then flip/roll. To brown that last red spot, you might loosen with the spatula, and then use tongs. You might also use tongs to remove the meatballs from the pot but be careful: they’re delicate at this stage.
- Pour the cooking water into the empty tomato can and slosh it around to gather up any sauce that’s still in the can.
- In Step 2, the Instant Pot cooking time will actually take longer than 10 minutes. The pot won’t start the countdown until you get the hot indication. The pasta will continue to soak up liquid, even after you’re done cooking it. If you allow the “keep warm” function to run for any length of time, you’re liable to find scorching at the bottom of the pot. If you nonetheless want to use the “keep warm,” be sure to add water from time to time.
- I developed this recipe using a six-quart Instant Pot. If your Instant Pot is a different size, you may have to make modifications.
The Backstory
This recipe doesn’t come together in an instant, nor does it make much use of the Instant Pot’s hands-offedness. This begs for the question, “Why in an Instant Pot?” It’s a good question.
Can you use the term “spaghetti and meatballs” when you’re using a different pasta shape? Obviously, I think so.
You can do this with spaghetti noodles, if you break them in half, but I did it with mostaccioli, because my husband, who loves pasta, doesn’t love spaghetti noodles, and swears that they taste different than other pasta shapes. It’s OK, though. I’m sure I have eccentricities of my own that he has to put up with, although God help me, I can’t think what any of them could possibly be … except, maybe I use too, many, commas.
I really like the way this dish came out. The sauce is delicious. The meatballs are just about perfect. The ricotta gives the dish an almost-lasagna feel, but it’s much creamier. My husband says it’s one of my best pastas. I say it can’t beat Lidia’s incredible spaghetti and meatballs, but I do agree with him. It’s tasty, satisfying, and smile-inducing. The pasta isn’t as al dente as I’d prefer, but it has a sort of comfort-food quality. It will likely become part of my usual pasta rotation.
Social Learning
The four servings are generously filling without being indulgent. You could get six small servings out of it without them seeming paltry; but in that case, you’d want to serve substantial sides or other courses.
Everybody says to cook garlic “until it’s fragrant,” and I say it too. The thing is, no one bothers to acknowledge that garlic is pretty fragrant right from the get-go, even before you cook it. So, how do you cook something that’s already fragrant, until it’s “fragrant?” Garlic takes on a different scent when you sauté it. Knowing what that is, is something that comes with experience; if you pay attention, you’ll find it. The other thing you’ll discover along the way is that when garlic is burning, it takes on a very distinctive scent. It is wholly unpleasant, and it will soak into every nook and cranny in your house. You will want to move to a new city, just to get far away from that smell. But if you get right back up on that horse, one day soon enough, you’ll find yourself standing in front of a pan of sizzling garlic, and you’ll know exactly when it’s ready by the scent. Until then, the only thing I’ll say is, garlic cooks quickly.
This makes beautiful leftovers. You may need to drizzle 3-4 Tablespoons of water over each serving, tossing both before and after microwaving. Interrupt the microwave when you have 30 seconds left on the clock and add the ricotta.
This recipe makes a good deal more ricotta than you probably need, especially if you plan to divide this dish into four servings. Realize, though, that the ricotta will make six servings substantial enough that two meatballs per person may seem perfectly reasonable. Leftover herbed ricotta is delicious on thick toast, or a bagel. I also like it on a ham sandwich, even if it is a bit loose for that purpose.
Beef vs. pork: they make very different meatballs, and I like them both. I also like a beef-pork combination … not in a best-of-both-worlds kind of way, but in a third-alternative kind of way. Change it up!
Spaghetti and Meatballs in an Instant Pot with Herbed Ricotta
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor and Capitalize My Title. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Blue Jean Chef, NYT, Southern Living, The Kitchn.
Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #15 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. Keep up with us on Bloglovin’.
A. You can never use too many, all-placed commas… or hyphens… or ellipsis.
B. Spaghetti does taste different, but that is why I love it.
C. When I could eat garlic, there was nothing as pleasing as the “fragrant” aroma when it hit hot butter or oil.
D. A few seconds past fragrant, it was easily burned, and that was NOT a good.
E. If I had an instapot, I would make it this way.
Point B! It does? I hope my husband doesn’t read these comments. I’ll never hear the end of it!
Okay, maybe not a different flavor but I like the wait it holds sauces and, thus, takes on the flavor.
I don’t have a lot of instant pot recipes, so I’m glad that you have shared this recipe. Who doesn’t love a good spaghetti and meatball recipe and especially when you can make it in an instant pot. Looking forward to trying yours. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
I usually don’t use IP to saute or braise since I could easily use the pan to do them. IP serves only as pressure cooker for me. This is a fun and delicious recipe to try other functions of IP.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Wild Garlic Pullman Sandwich Loaf
I know what you mean. I had seen some similar recipes that skipped the browning, and, well, you can imagine what I thought of that. So I figured I’d brown in the IP, and then get that fond going for me. I’d suggest that if you start off in another pot, you just stick with it, because I don’t think the IP saves you a whole lot of time on this particular recipe.
This dish would indeed be smile inducing Jeff. Using ricotta is a great idea and new to me with a pasta dish. I don’t have the instant pot but could improvise with what I’ve got I’m sure. I like a beef and pork combo, just love your spin on such a popular meal. Thanks for the great ideas. Have a nice week.
Pauline McNee recently posted…Orange and Barley Salad followed by Coconut Lime Syrup Cake, it’s a citrussy kind of day
You’re welcome, Pauline. Yes, you could do this in any kind of pot, I’m sure.
That looks incredibly delicious. And that herbed ricotta just takes it over the top!
I use too many exclamation marks!!!
Burnt garlic is brutal. May I tell you about Lampe Berger? It was developed for hospitals in France in the 1700’s to clean the air in the wards. Can’t vouch that it removes pathogens but I can vouch that it thoroughly removes odours from the air. The liquid they use is a highly fragranced alcohol which I find overwhelming, so I use a mixture of 99% rubbing alcohol (Costco) with a tablespoon or two of their fragrance (it’s much more economical too). I was deep frying in the kitchen and had put the Lampe Berger on when I started heating the oil, JT didn’t smell a thing upstairs! You can use it without fragrance, but I find it a little too anticeptic-y.
Thanks, Eva! 1) Yes, ricotta really makes it special. 2) To my way of thinking, three exclamation points in a row is the out-and-out limit, so I think you’ve used just as many as you can – but not too many. 3) No! Lampe Berger sounds like a miracle. Some smells, I don’t mind at all. If every time I walk in the door, it still smells like bacon, I will never complain. But sometimes – and just sometimes, not all the time, but I can’t see why sometimes and not other times – I’ll cut onions, and the house will reek of raw onion for DAYS. I could use some Lampe Berger then. I’ll have to look for it.
Sorry, not 1700, it was 1898.
I want to say your husband is weird because all pasta is pretty much the same, right? Then again, I find that I think lasagna noodles aren’t as tasty as other pasta noodles, so he may not be that crazy after all.
We are huge pasta lovers so this recipe is right up our alley. I’ll have to dust off the Insta Pot and give it a whirl soon!
Theresa recently posted…Fruit & Nut Tea Sandwiches
Haha! Well, two things: 1) I tried to meet him half-way and suggest that maybe he’d had some really bad spaghettis, and transferred all the blame to the noodles, but he wasn’t buying that. He just doubled down and said that he also didn’t care for elbow macaroni. This from someone who claims that “pasta” is his favorite kind of food. 2) I was once with a friend at an Italian restaurant, and she asked me what I was thinking or ordering, and I said, “Well, isn’t it all just pasta and tomato sauce?” And she gave me a look that took years off my life. So I’m willing to concede that I may be the one who’s on the wrong side of history here.
I’m with you on the beef + pork meatballs. I learned that method from my mother-in-law, who learned it from the Italian side of their family. It’s the only way I make meatballs now! Moving on, though. This sounds like the ultimate kind of comfort food. The kind that I want to curl up with on the couch with a good Netflix show on in the background. The only problem is I need to get one of those new fangled Instant Pot thingamajiggers. Also, I like your commas. They complete you.
David @ Spiced recently posted…Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread
Ha, hah, ha. You crack me up, David. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m not really sure why I made this in an Instant Pot. You could pretty easily do it in a long-timey pot.
You simply cannot go wrong with pasta and meatballs!
Loving the herbed ricotta idea, too.
Right? Thanks, Ben!
I almost never make meatballs! Weird, because I do like them. I’m more of a meat sauce type when it comes to pasta, I guess. Love that whipped ricotta — so nice. In fact, the whole recipe is so nice! 🙂 Thanks.
John+/+Kitchen+Riffs recently posted…The Knickerbocker Cocktail
Thanks, John! I know what you mean, though … there are some things that I really like that I never make, too.
My favorite way to make pasta now is in the Instant Pot. Pasta and meatballs was a staple in my home growing up. Who doesn’t love it???
Right?
Complimenti per questo gustosissimo e ricco piatto!
Thank you!
Your husband’s love of one pasta shape over the other reminds me of my husband insisting that bundt cakes are always better than other shaped cakes. Haha!
Seriously though, this dish is my favorite sort of comfort food, and the herbed ricotta — oh my! Dreamy. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you! That’s funny about bundts.