Cooking Lesson #234: Instant Pot "Baked" Penne Pasta

… from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? I thought I would get back to my roots for this blog and bring you one of the simplest pasta dishes ever. When I first met my chef friend, Joe Cochran, he was the executive chef at the Lowes, Santa Monica and was always fun to work with. We invited our ABC audience (The Super Foodies) to a live marathon cooking show at the Lowes where we demonstrated over 40 recipes in 90 minutes. One of Joe’s best dishes is/was his Baked Penne With Spicy Italian Sausage—a recipe that followed him around to all his subsequent assignments. 
 
I wanted to make a similar dish using an Instant Pot. Here is my version of a perfect, stress-free, rich and creamy fool proof recipe. You’ll be calling out penne, penne, penne (The Big Bang) every chance you get.
 
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield:  4 large servings
 
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces uncooked Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine (cheap)
1 (22- to 25-ounce) jar marinara sauce (I prefer Rao’s Marinara)
2 cups water
8 ounces dried penne pasta
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
 
Directions

1. Turn on your Instant Pot to SAUTÉ.
2. Once heated, add the olive oil, followed by the sausage. Break up the sausage into large chunks with a wooden spoon and season with the salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into smaller and smaller pieces, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the garlic and stir to incorporate.
4. Turn the Sauté to OFF.
5. Add the wine to de-glaze the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.
6. Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine well. Scatter the pasta over the sauce-sausage mixture in an even layer. Do Not Stir From This Point On.
7. Rinse the pasta sauce jar with the water (pour the water into the jar, cover, and shake gently) and then pour the water over the pasta. Remember—No Stirring. I know it is tempting, but don’t do it—trust me—everything will come out okay.
8. Put the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the pressure cooker to cook for 8 MINUTES at HIGH PRESSURE. It will take 10 to 12 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.
9. When the cook time is done, immediately do a QUICK RELEASE and turn the Instant Pot off.
10. After the pressure has been released, open the lid. Add the ricotta and mozzarella—stirring quickly to combine.
11. Put the lid back on the Instant Pot again and let it rest for 3 minutes allowing the cheese to melt and the sauce to thicken. Serve immediately.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

ChefSecret: This recipe does not have to be baked—it is perfect right out of the Instant Pot. If you would like to brown the melted cheese a bit, take a portion of penne and spoon it into an oven-safe dish and stick it under a broiler for about 60 seconds—just enough to brown the melted cheese.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks last year, we’d go from Standard Time Zone to the Twilight Zone.
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