Taco Spaghetti with Mozzarella Cheese

Serves 6 in about 40 minutes. The pressure cooker brings ground beef and tomato paste together.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 (1.25 oz) packet taco seasoning (or 3 tablespoons homemade)
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (or beef broth, or water)
• 8 oz spaghetti noodles**, dry (broken in half)
• 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles such as ro*tel (or plain diced tomatoes for less spicy)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¾ cup mexican cheese blend, shredded
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or use more of the mexican blend)

Method

1. Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the oil.
2. Tip in the onion and cook, while stirring now and then, until starting to turn translucent.
3. Stir in the ground beef or turkey, and cook, breaking up the meat, until the pink is gone.
4. Mix in the taco seasoning. Mix well.
5. Tip in the broth or water. Stir.
6. Stir in the spaghetti noodles, fanning them out in a random pattern (this helps prevent them sticking together). Do not stir.
7. Tip in the can of diced tomatoes and chiles evenly over the pasta, covering as much of it as you can. Do not stir.
8. Tip in the tomato paste on the top. Do not stir.
9. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
10. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 7 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
11. When the cook cycle has finished, immediately turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to Quick Release the steam/pressure. The pin in the lid will drop back down when all pressure is released.
12. Leave it to sit for 2 minutes, then open the lid.
13. Mix the spaghetti well, breaking up any noodles that may have stuck together. Then let it sit for 2 or 3 more minutes while you get the cheese ready (Pasta recipes made in the pressure cooker benefit from sitting just a few minutes before adding cheese so they can absorb any leftover liquid and thicken up just a bit).
14. Stir in the cheese, if using, and stir.
15. When the cheese has melted, serve.
16. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, avocado, or with any of your favorite taco toppings.

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.