By now, you know that I’m the self-proclaimed king of simple cooking and one-pot meals.

You also know that I remember my mother as being a fantastic cook. How did she feed 7 adults day in and day out? Often with casseroles, soups, and stews. Food that fills you up and stretches a meager portion of meat. My mom made spaghetti more like a casserole rather than the traditional spaghetti with a blob of meat sauce. I recall her making two types: one very mild and the other a bit more traditional. I loved both of them. She would always have me go to our local grocery store called “Grocerland” to pick up some fresh Italian bread to serve with our meal.

This recipe reminds me of my mother’s, but there is a twist: it is made in a pressure cooker. Making spaghetti in a pressure cooker turns a simple meal into an even simpler one. Everything is made in one pot, and the spaghetti is done 8 minutes after the pot reaches pressure. With inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, it is important to stretch every penny, or I guess nickel, since we no longer use pennies. The meal ingredients themselves are very inexpensive. Additionally, using an electric pressure cooker is one of the most energy-efficient cooking methods. Here is this very simple recipe.

Brown the meat using the saute setting on your electric pressure cooker. I’m using 1.5 pounds of ground turkey.

Drain off excess fat and add your spices.

Add the jar of spaghetti sauce.

Use the spaghetti jar to measure the water. Add one and one-half jars of water.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes.

Break 1 pound of spaghetti in half and add it to the pot. Make sure that the spaghetti is submerged and try to separate it as much as reasonably possible (this doesn’t have to be perfect).

Set your pressure cooker for 8 minutes on high pressure. When it is done, immediately release the pressure.

Stir. Initially, the mixture may seem too watery. However, stirring not only thickens it but also breaks up any clumps of spaghetti.

Served with some Parmesan Cheese and some garlic bread. It was delicious.

This meal fed three adults, and there is plenty left for 2-3 additional meals. There was minimal cleanup, as everything was made in a single pot. The original recipe was from “The Salty Marshmallow.” However, there are many variations on this recipe. Try it, especially if you have kids. I think that they would love it.

Peace

Mike