Pressure Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs with Air Fried Garlic Bread

Combine the beef, sausage, ½ cup of the cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, 1 ½ tablespoons of the garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons of the Italian seasoning, and ¾ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl and mix gently but thoroughly to blend. (Try not to knead the meat mixture too much -- this will result in tough meatballs.) Form the mixture into 16 meatballs and roll between your hands to form smooth balls.

Pour one of the jars of sauce into the Pressure/Air Fryer *see Note). Add half of the water/stock to the jar and shake to rinse the remaining sauce in the jar; pour into the Pressure/Air Fryer. Nestle the meatballs down into the sauce mixture. Repeat with the remaining sauce and water/stock. Add four sprigs each of basil and oregano and the Parmesan rinds. Sprinkle the pasta pieces onto the top of the sauce. Set the machine to Pressure/Custom/High/8 minutes. When the pressure cooking is complete, allow the machine to decompress naturally for 5 minutes, then open the pressure valve and allow the remaining steam to escape.

While the meatballs and sauce are cooking, combine the remaining ¼ cup cheese, 1 ½ tablespoons garlic, ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and butter. Using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, blend until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Spread the butter onto the cut sides of the bread and cut into pieces that will fit inside the Pressure/Air Fryer.

When the spaghetti and meatballs are done, stir well, and transfer to a large serving bowl. Remove the herb sprigs and cheese rinds. Cover to keep warm while you crisp the bread.

Position the lower metal rack inside the cooker and place an even layer of bread onto the rack. Place the air frying lid onto the cooker, set the machine to the air fry function, and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Repeat with any remaining pieces of bread.

Chop the remaining basil leaves and sprinkle them over the spaghetti. Serve the spaghetti and meatballs in shallow bowls, garnished with additional cheese, crushed red pepper and a drizzle of olive oil if desired. Pass the garlic bread at the table.

*Note:  This recipe was developed for the Emeril Lagasse Pressure Air Fryer by Tristar. If you try the spaghetti and meatballs in another pressure cooker, you may have to adjust the cooktime. Additionally, the garlic bread was crisped in the same machine but can easily be broiled in a regular oven or toaster oven or crisped in another air fryer; if doing so, pay attention to not overbrown since cooktimes may vary.