One Pot Pasta

Ok, now, yesterday I posted a recipe for yummy Pot Roast...

Today's recipe is a super simple IP pasta.  Sort of a Baked Ziti type thing but without the boiling pasta and baking and waiting.  And all the pots and pans.  I hate washing dishes, doesn't everyone?  You never meet anyone who says, "Hey, got any dishes I can wash?  I just don't get enough of that at home."  This is a real "toss everything in the pot and forget about it" sort of a thing, no waiting for water to boil, having your pasta clump all together, having the water boil over while your kid argues with you about math homework.  Not that I would know about that...

But no, none of that drama, this one is fast and easy.  And it's soooooo yummy!  It's a real kid pleaser, too.  And with a couple short cuts you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less. 

Layer 1:  Frozen Meatballs - A small bag, enough to mostly cover the bottom of your Inner Pot in one layer.  (Aprox. 12-14oz)

Layer 2:  1 Box Dry Pasta - Uncooked, Ziti, Bowties, Cavatappi, Rigatoni (I haven't tested spaghetti or elbows yet) (16oz)

Layer 3:  One jar of prepared spaghetti Sauce (24oz)  Spread sauce to the sides of the pot, covering the pasta like you're frosting a cake.  This helps to ensure the pasta cooks evenly. 

Step 4:  Fill the sauce jar 3/4 full of water, pour water down the side of the pot trying to disturb the sauce as little as possible.  

 Plug in your instant pot and set to manual, reduce the cooking time to 3/4 of the cooking time recommended on the box of pasta.  Once the timer beeps, do a quick release to depressurize the pot, open the lid, give it a gentle stir to distribute the sauce and meatballs.  Then sprinkle on about a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  I usually put the lid back on for a couple minutes to melt the cheese.