Pasta with Beef and Mushroom Sauce (Instant Pot)

Super flavour-packed, al-dente one pot pasta that is so satisfying to eat. Perfect quick and easy, kid-friendly weeknight meal your family will love.

½ lb ground beef (227 g)
1 lb penne rigate pasta (454 g)
12 white mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
dash sherry wine
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried basil
kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground
olive oil

Simple Umami Pasta Sauce:
1 cup chicken stock (250 mL)
1 (5½ oz) can tomato paste (156 mL)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (30 mL)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (15 mL)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (15 mL)
2 cups cold water (500 mL)

Brown Ground Beef:
Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté, then adjust to go to Sauté More). Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT).

Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil in Instant Pot. Ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot. Add in ½ pound of ground beef and season with kosher salt and black pepper, freshly ground.

Pro Tip: Meat juice begins to come out of ground beef. Let the moisture evaporate. Browning begins due to maillard reaction.

Remove and set aside.

Sauté Onion, Garlic, Celery, Mushrooms:
Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil in the pot. Add sliced onion, sauté. Add a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, freshly ground to season. Stir occasionally until slightly browned. Then, add minced garlic and stir for roughly 30 seconds until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms, celery, chopped, a pinch of dried oregano, and dried basil. Cook for another minute.

Taste seasoning and adjust with more kosher salt and black pepper, freshly ground if necessary.

Deglaze and Make Pasta Sauce:
Pour in a dash of sherry wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Add browned ground beef, 1 cup chicken stock, 2 cups water, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything together.

Pressure Cook Pasta:
Pour 450 g Penne pasta into the sauce. Place 156 mL tomato paste on top of the pasta. Taste and adjust with more kosher salt and black pepper, freshly ground if necessary.

Pro Tip: Ensure all the Penne pasta are completely submerged into the sauce.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes, wait 5 minutes before doing a Quick Release. Open the lid carefully.

Serve: Give it a quick stir and everything should blend together.

Pro Tip: Taste one of the Penne pasta. If you find the texture too hard (ours came out al dente), close the lid and let the leftover heat cook them until the desired doneness.

Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to kick it up a notch. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Dump-and-Go Option: Dump all ingredients into the pot for a fast and easy one pot meal. Be mindful that the flavour will take a hit. Ensure to add the penne pasta and tomato paste last. Also, start the cooking cycle immediately.

Scorching: Mixing 156 mL tomato paste with 3 cups of liquid should be completely safe. But if you're afraid of scorching, avoid mixing the tomato paste, just place it on top of the pasta.