Instant Pot Spaghetti

My daughter is a spaghetti fanatic.  She'd probably eat it every day if I'd let her.  Unfortunately, the rest of us don't feel the same way!  So, to accommodate her desire, I've started making big batches and freezing them in thermos-size portions for her school lunches.  The easiest and quickest way for me to do this is with the Instant Pot.  I've tried a couple of recipes but none came out with thick enough sauce for her, and after some experimenting I've finally come up with a winner!

1 T. olive oil
1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
16 ounce package spaghetti noodles
1 24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 24.5-ounce container crushed tomatoes
3 c. water

With the Instant Pot on the saute setting, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in the olive oil.  Once cooked, turn off the pot.  Carefully drain grease if necessary.  Add seasonings and stir with the meat mixture.

Break the noodles into desired length and sprinkle into the pot (don't put them in in solid handfuls or they'll clump together when they cook).  Pour the spaghetti sauce and crushed tomatoes over, then pour the water over all of that.  Make sure the noodles are submerged in the liquid. 

Seal the Instant Pot and cook on manual for 9 minutes.  After cooking, use the manual pressure release.  Remove the lid and stir thoroughly to make sure that everything is incorporated evenly.  Serve immediately, or freeze in single-serve portions to eat later. 

Enjoy! 

Ranch Beans in the Instant Pot

My daughter loves Ranch Beans - the ones in the can with the black label.  Also chili beans.  Seriously, she'd eat a whole can in one sitting if I'd let her.  I'm slowly trying to wean us off of food in metal cans, and I now have an Instant Pot which makes cooking dried beans a snap (have I mentioned I have more gadgets than kitchen space?), so I thought I'd hit the internet in search of an acceptable recipe.  I found several, and modified the most likely one to fit my daughter's taste and the ingredients I had in the house.

Instant Pot Ranch Beans
Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/123269/ranch-beans/

2 pounds dried pinto beans
2 cups tomato sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1 small head garlic (about six cloves), chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground oregano
2 dried bay leaves
water

Put all ingredients in the liner of the Instant Pot.  Add water to cover by two inches, and stir until combined.  Put on lid, making sure it's set to "sealing".  Set for 45 minutes on the manual setting.  When finished, let pressure release naturally.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

I made a batch of this today and it has gotten my daughter's seal of approval!