Instant Pot FAIL - Spaghetti and Meatballs

I like to meal prep. When I make dinner I try to make anywhere from 6-8 meals so I have enough food for two people for several days. The instant pot has been successful so far in speeding up that process in addition to reducing the number of dishes I have to clean up. However, my last attempt at using the instant post was not so good. In fact it was downright awful.

I found several recipes that all did the same thing:

1. Add sauce
2. Add frozen meatballs
3. Add dry pasta
4. Add water until pasta is covered
5. Cook for 5-6 min with natural release.

DO NOT FOLLOW THOSE DIRECTIONS! What came out of the pot was the most bland, over cooked, and watery sauce EVER!

So, it was (technically) edible. I powered through it. I even divided the monstrosity up into lunch containers for the following day, granted . . . that was before I tried eating it. I will say the reheating process did help the pasta, but not by much.

I will probably try this again but I will do three things differently. First, I will not add as much water, if any. Secondly, I will heat the sauce and meatballs first to reduce the time the pasta is just soaking in hot water and over cooking. Finally, I will reduce the cook time and/or the release method.

I hope to return soon with some more blog posts about crafty things, recipes, and whatever else is going on with my life. I hope this post can help you avoid future failures.

Thanks for reading.