Vegan Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese
Author:The easiest Vegan Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese! Everything (vegan meat sauce and spaghetti) gets cooked together in the Instant Pot in 8 minutes, and I promise it works and is delicious. Dinner does not get any easier or more convenient than this!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , use water to saute for oil-free
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 2 medium carrots , diced
- 1 pack vegan ground beef pack sizes vary but between about 340 to 450g (12 to 15 oz) (or use 2 cups of canned/pre-cooked green or brown lentils NOT RED & NOT DRY/UNCOOKED)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste/puree
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon or 2 stock cubes , or similar
- 6 cups (1440 ml) water , divided (or 5 cups water and 1 cup red wine)
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning , or any mixed dried herbs like parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme combos
- 1 tablespoon cane or white sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1lb (16 oz or 453 grams) dried spaghetti , (uncooked)
- 1 x 28oz (798ml) can crushed tomatoes , (use passata in the UK)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set Instant Pot to saute (normal). Let it warm up for a couple of minutes, then add the olive oil, onion, and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, for a couple of minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Now add the vegan ground beef (if using lentils instead leave them out for now). Cook for another couple of minutes until the “meat” is browned, then turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add the tomato paste and the garlic. Stir it in and let it cook for a further minute in the residual heat.
- Pour in about 1 cup (240ml) of the water and scrape the bottom of the pot absolutely clean with a metal spoon. This step is important. Don’t skip it!
- Add about half of the remaining water, the Italian seasoning, sugar, bouillon paste/crumbled stock cubes, salt, pepper, and lentils (if using instead of vegan ground beef). Stir well to combine.
- Break the spaghetti in half and add it in criss-crossed layers onto the top of the liquid, separating the strands as much as possible. Do not stir it or push it down!!!!
- Over the top of the spaghetti, gently pour the crushed tomatoes and the remaining water. Leave it just as it is. Don't stir it or push anything down.
- Place the lid on the pot, close the vent, and set the cook time to 8 minutes on high pressure (manual or pressure cook setting, depending on the model). It takes about 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, so it will be about 18 minutes total.
- When it’s finished cooking and the Instant Pot beeps, do an immediate quick pressure release. Don’t leave it any longer or the spaghetti will overcook. It doesn’t tend to spatter, but I recommend placing a clean dish towel over the vent as you open it, just in case.
- Remove the lid and give it a stir then let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving up. It will look a little runny at first, but will thicken up nicely as it sits.
NOTES
It’s very important to use standard spaghetti and not thin spaghetti or spaghettini.
Do not add any extra ingredients to this recipe. Any extra solids (of any kind) may trigger the burn error.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 965mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2821IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3mg
