A recipe for Greek spaghetti with meat sauce offers a way to bring Mediterranean flavors into the home kitchen. The dish, created by Kelly Jaggers and featured in her book The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook, uses an Instant Pot to prepare a filling and fragrant meat sauce.
The recipe calls for Greek myzithra cheese to achieve the full intended flavor, though Parmesan cheese can be used as a substitute. Bay leaves are included to provide fresh, aromatic notes. The meal is described as suitable for a Mediterranean-diet-approved dinner.
Greek Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
Serves 5
Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
4 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
½ pound lean ground veal
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup white wine
½ cup tomato sauce
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled
¼ cup grated aged myzithra or Parmesan cheese
Method:
Add pasta, water, and 1 tablespoon oil to the Instant Pot. Close the lid, set the steam release to Sealing, press the Manual button, and set the time to 4 minutes. When the timer beeps, quick-release the pressure until the float valve drops, open the lid, and drain. Press the Cancel button. Set aside.
Press the Sauté button and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add veal and crumble well. Keep stirring until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, wine, and tomato sauce, and mix well.
Stir in the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and garlic. Press the Cancel button. Close the lid, set the steam release to Sealing, press the Manual button, and set the time to 5 minutes. When the timer beeps, quick-release the pressure until the float valve drops, and open the lid. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
Place the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and spoon the meat sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information per serving: 550 calories, 22 grams of protein, 17 grams of fat, 72 grams carbohydrates. To make this meal higher in protein, increase the veal portion to 1 pound per recipe or opt for a high-protein pasta.
Nutritional info is an estimate and may vary depending on ingredients used. Use it as a general guide, not a guarantee.
Excerpted from The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook by Kelly Jaggers. Copyright © 2020 by Simon & Schuster Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
