Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheeseoptional
Instructions
Turn on the Sauté function on the Instant Pot. When the screen says "hot" add the beef and season it with salt and pepper. Sauté until almost cooked through, breaking the beef into smaller pieces, then add the onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the beef is browned and the onion is softened. Drain grease, if needed (I use kitchen tongs and a paper towel to soak up grease, so I don't need to remove the food from the pot).
Turn off the Sauté function and add a small amount of broth. Use a flat-bottomed spatula to deglaze the bottom of the insert (scrape up any bits of food that are stuck to the bottom).
Add the remaining broth, then layer on the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, parsley, onion powder, oregano and red pepper flakes. Evenly layer the pasta on top and push them down into the liquid (it doesn't need to be fully submerged). Do not stir.
Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on Manual High pressure for 4 minutes (your Instant Pot model may have a "Pressure Cook" button rather than a "Manual" button). It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure. See note 2 for how to calculate cook time for different pasta.
At the end of cooking time, do a controlled quick release of the pressure (let pressure out a bit at a time to reduce splatter). Open the lid and give it a stir, then mix in the ricotta cheese and top with grated mozzarella. Set the lid askew on the pot for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve immediately with a fresh parsley garnish, if desired. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Video
Notes
Pasta substitution: you can substitute 12 ounces of any short pasta. Do not use 10 ounces. Mafalda noodles absorb more of the liquid than other short pastas, so if you only use 10 ounces of another short pasta, you will end up with a soupy result.
Pasta cook time calculation: the lowest cook time on the package divided by 2. If it’s an odd number, round down and divide by 2. For example, 7 minutes would round to to 6, then divide by two for a 3 minute pressure cook time.
This recipe was tested in both 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pot models.