Rigatoni with Meat Sauce
Servings Prep Time
4-6servings 15minutes
Cook Time
18minutes
Servings Prep Time
4-6servings 15minutes
Cook Time
18minutes
Ingredients
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3cloves garlic
  • 3.5ounces white mushroomsfinely chopped (pulse in food processor or chop by hand)
  • 1 onionfinely chopped
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2teaspoons basildried
  • 2teaspoon oreganodried
  • kosher saltto taste
  • black pepperto taste
  • 16ounces italian sausagea combo of sweet and hot tastes delicious
  • 28ounce tomatoes1 can
  • 14.5ounce tomato puree1 can
  • 3 1/2cups Water
  • 1pound rigatonidried
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in your Instant Pot on sauté mode. When display reads “hot” add in and saute the onions, mushrooms, garlic and a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper until softened, at least five minutes.
  2. Stir in the oregano, basil and tomato paste and cook another minute, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add in the sausage meat that you have removed from the casings and brown, breaking it up with your spoon, until no pink remains.
  4. Pour in the water, the tomato puree and, using your hand, squish the tomatoes in to break them up and then pour in all of the liquid from the can.
  5. Give the pot a good stir to make sure you get up all of the fond on the bottom of the pot and then add in the dry pasta.
  6. Give it one more good stir, lock on the lid and and program it for 6 minutes using the manual setting at high pressure.
  7. When the time is up, quick release the pressure and open the lid.
  8. Let it sit for another minute or two , giving it a couple of stirs, to thicken up a bit. If the sauce seems too thin, you can turn the saute feature back on and simmer it for a couple of minutes as well.
  9. Serve in big bowls with freshly grated parmesan.
Recipe Notes

Variation: When you have the extra time, you can make the sauce right up to the point where you would add in the dry pasta. Instead, close up the Instant Pot and seal the vent, hit manual and cook the sauce for 15 minutes on high pressure. Release the steam, add in the dry rigatoni at this point, close it back up and then program it for 6 more minutes at high pressure and proceed as instructed. The extra 15 minutes of cook time give even deeper depth of flavor to the sauce.