Instant pot macaroni and juicy meat sauce is a recipe that you will get to love for its time-saving and table-gathering effect. Ground meat, macaroni, and your favorite spices all cooked in the Instant Pot – what can be easier yet more inviting?
Pasta and meat sauce is everything you need to create a cozy atmosphere in the kitchen. This recipe can speak a thousand words when being served. It is loaded with passion, freedom of mind and freedom of action. It is filled with so much desire to feed the loved ones and to give them the home-like feeling.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Ground meat Macaroni
I adore such recipes where I can free my fantasy and get driven by my mood and by the ingredients I find in my kitchen. For this absolutely delicious meal, I used some turkey and pork ground meat I had in my fridge and then this recipe popped up to my mind. It was one of those experiments that become a success.
Then, you can do magic with the instant pot and all the programs it delivers. So for this recipe, I combined what I had in the fridge and it turned out delicious. It is part of my clumsiest tries that got a top appreciation at the table, and my family adores it. Here is what you need for this clumsy lazy Instant pot ground macaroni recipe as a base:
- Ground pork – 200g
- Ground turkey – 200 g
- Macaroni shells – 300 g
- Cheddar cheese – 200 g
- Bacon – 150 g
- Bell pepper 1 piece
- Yellow onion 1 piece
- Garlic 2-3 cloves
- Water 1 cup
Then you need the flavoring part of course. The spices that give flavors which add character to the plate are the following:
- Chilly flakes ½ teaspoon
- Granulated garlic ½ teaspoon
- Worchestershire 1 tablespoon
- Paprika ½ tablespoon
- Tomato paste 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
These are the ingredients that did a great job for me, but you can add or take out anything you like, adapt it to your tastes. If you cannot tolerate that amount of spiciness in your plate, make it milder. Personalize it, name it after you, cook it and love it!
How to cook the lazy ground meat macaroni
Although the list of the ingredients may give the impression it takes some effort and time to prepare the recipe, I promise it doesn’t. It is one of those recipes you do when you’re not in the mood of spending too much time at the stove. It is one of those splendid recipes that Instant Pot will cook it for you in about 30 minutes of your time.
Start by washing the vegetables that need to be washed and by peeling the ones that need to be peeled. When you have that done, chop or slice the onion, the bell pepper, and the garlic cloves in the shapes you like most. I felt like chopping everything in little cubes, and you can follow my example.
Turn on your instant pot and select the saute regime. Pour in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and drop in the chopped veggies. Let them absorb the perfumed olive oil for about one minute and get the light golden color. Then, pour in all your spices along with the Worchestershire sauce and the tomato sauce and mix gently with the instant pot spatula.
Then immediately add the ground meat to the flavored consistency that is opening-up at high heat. Now it is time to stir as to avoid the formation of big chunks of ground meat. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes with the lid closed.
How to get the perfect macaroni “al dente”
Add the shell macaroni, or as the Italians call them – le conchiglie, and mix. Finally pour in the water or some stock if you have it in your fridge and close the lid of the instant pot. Let it simmer until the macaroni cook to the “al dente” consistency. That is somewhere around 10 minutes; it is indicated on the package if the pasta, follow those directions.
When the pasta is ready, drop in the cheddar cheese in smaller pieces and mix well. Let it melt into the macaroni and become one – deliciousness.
Finally, fry some bacon separately and ornament the plate with as much delicious bacon as you want. See the instructions below on how to get the perfectly fried bacon. Also, some chopped fresh parsley will open up the taste and the green color is such a must to this meat dish. That is all it takes to prepare a super delicious and nutritious meal for you and your family or friends.
Why use shell macaroni for ground meat macaroni recipe?
Shell macaroni is perfect for recipes with small pieces of meat or vegetables. That is because the shape of this type of pasta allows the sauce and small pieces of recipe ingredients to remain inside it. The conchiglie, or the shells, are mostly used with meat sauces. You can substitute the shells with penne, hey can also retain the meat sauce. Italians are indeed culinary geniuses.
How to fry bacon for any recipe?
For this recipe of hearty and lazy ground meat macaroni, I wanted to fry the bacon separately, out of the instant pot. I adore fried bacon for its crispiness and specific greasiness. Therefore, I wanted to add the fried bacon on top of the macaroni as a bonus, as a decoration.
Place a non-stick pan to heat. Do not add any oils or any other grease such as butter. When the pan is hot, carefully lay the pieces of bacon and let it evaporate the liquids and get fried in its own melted grease. The slices shall be left on the stove for about 2 minutes on both sides. Never cover the pan if you want the bacon stripes to be perfectly crispy. The steam will prevent a good grilling effect.
Specifically, this kind of frying is the best to get the famously delectable bacon.
Instant Pot Lazy Macaroni with Juicy Meat Sauce
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 200 g ground pork
- 200 g ground turkey
- 300 g macaroni shells
- 200 g cheddar cheese
- 150 g bacon
- 1 piece bell pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 cup water
Seasoning and spices
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Chop the onion, the bell pepper, and the garlic cloves
- Turn on your instant pot and select the saute regime
- Pour in 2-3 tablespoon of olive oil and drop in the chopped veggies. Let them absorb the olive oil for about one minute
- Pour in all spices along with the Worchestershire sauce and the tomato sauce and mix
- Immediately add the ground meat and stir as to avoid the formation of big chunks of ground meat.
- Let it simmer for about 15 minutes with lid closed
- Add the shell macaroni
- Pour in the water or some stock. Let it simmer until the macaroni cook to the “al dente” consistency. Follow package instructions
- Add the cheddar cheese and mix well. Let it melt into the macaroni
- Fry some bacon separately and ornament the plate with it
