Meatballs with Pasta Cooked in a Hot Pot

That little hot pot, meant for warming up canned soup,  can do so much more with some planning.  Here we've made Italian dinner for two!  Just add salad, some crusty bread with olive oil, two candles and a bottle of wine.

Meatballs and Pasta cooked in a hot pot

In a mixing bowl, mix together by hand:

2/3 pound lean ground beef
1 small can tomato paste
1 egg
[breadcrumbs, optional]
Italian seasoning blend, to taste
1 tsp salt

Other ingredients will be needed:

1 bell pepper
1 small can tomato paste
1//4 lb pasta - spirals, bowties, or similar small shape

Form meat mixture into walnut-size meatballs

Insert a steamer basket into the hot pot, and add about 1 - 1/2 cups water under it.

Cut a bell pepper into 1-inch strips, and line the bottom of the basket with half the strips. Cover the pepper strips with half of the meatballs.  Then another layer of bell pepper and the remainder of the meatballs.

Plug in the hot pot and bring it to a boil.  Because the meatballs are not down in the water but are above it, steaming, they won't cook except when the water is boiling.  Turn the dial down a bit when the water boils, then back up when it stops boiling.  Trickle water down the spout when you can hear it boiling but can't see water in the spout.  You want to keep the water level about the same as it was at the start.

Meatballs on a steamer basket in the hot pot

Half an hour or so later the meatballs will be done.   Gently lift the meatballs out of the pot with tongs. Slice the cooked peppers into small pieces and set them aside for the sauce.

Liquid from under the steamer basket is brothy and flavorful, a good base for the sauce.  Pour it into a small bowl and add to it one can of tomato paste. Salt and season to taste.

Clean the pot and the steamer basket, then fill with water to about 2 inches from the top.  Salt, and bring the water to a boil.  Pour in about 1/4 lb. of pasta.   Leave the lid ajar, or open!  Otherwise it will boil over.  Boil until the pasta is cooked but still firm "al dente", stirring occasionally.  Water must be added as it rapidly boils away!

Unplug the pot, close the lid, and pour out the hot water.  Add an ounce or two of cold water to cool the bottom of the pot and then let it stand for a few minutes to drain.  Pour out the water again and dump the pasta, steamer basket and all,  into a bowl, then lift the basket off of the pasta.

Boiling pasta in a hot pot, with steamer basket

Return sauce with cooked pepper pieces and meatballs to the pot.  Heat gently to a simmer.  Spread the cooked pasta over the meatballs and continue to heat on "low" for a few minutes. Turn off the pot and serve.

Serves two generously.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).