Instant Pot Spaghetti - An easy meal just got even easier! Family favorite spaghetti and meat sauce can be made in just one pot. Brown the meat, simmer the sauce and cook the noodles all in the Instant Pot.
Spaghetti in the Instant Pot? I know some might be saying “but it’s so easy to make spaghetti on the stove-top why would I make spaghetti in the Instant Pot?” because it’s even easier! Everything cooks in one pot and it’s pretty much hands off, and clean up is a snap! For those nights when you just need things to be super simple and something the whole family will eat...here you go!
Or, if you want to meal prep some healthy comfort lunch food to take to work..totally got you covered there too.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE mode and cook the ground beef, sausage and spices. Break spaghetti in half and layer over the beef mixture in a criss cross pattern ( to help keep noodles from sticking together).
- Cover noodles with Marinara sauce, diced tomatoes and water and set Instant Pot to MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE for 9 minutes cooking time.
- When cooking cycle is complete, open the lid and stir the noodles (to absorb all the sauce) and serve. Garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
Can this Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe be made with Whole Wheat Spaghetti or Gluten-free pasta?
Yes, absolutely! with one caveat. This recipe works best for packaged pasta that has a recommended cook time of 9-11 minutes. You may need to adjust the cooking time if the pasta you are using takes more or less time to cook.
Recipe Notes:
1. Make sure to break spaghetti noodles in half so they fit in the bottom of the Instant Pot (if you are using an 8 qt. model you may not need to break the noodles). Layer noodles in a crisscross pattern to help make sure they don’t clump together.
2. Once the cooking cycle has completed, toss noodles with tongs or two forks to incorporate. The sauce may appear runny at first but once you stir the noodles they will incorporate the sauce to make a thick perfect batch of pasta. Some noodles may be stuck together, gently work them apart with the tongs or two forks.
3. Cook time is 9 minutes for al dente noodles, if you like your noodles cooked more thoroughly extend cook time to 10 minutes, or use the sauté setting after cooking to cook noodles a bit more. When purchasing spaghetti noodles for this recipe check to make sure the cook time is between 9-11 minutes (most are).
To make this recipe Vegetarian/Vegan:
Substitute 2 cups cooked green lentils, ½ onion (diced ) and 2 cloves garlic (minced) for beef/sausage. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE mode and add a splash of olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions begin to brown and turn translucent. Add cooked lentils and stir to mix with onions and garlic. Follow the rest of the recipe beginning with step 2 (breaking the spaghetti noodles over the lentil mixture) All other ingredients and cook times stay the same.
More Instant Pot Noodles? You might like:
How to Cook Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- ½ lb. lean ground beef ( or ground turkey)
- ½ lb. ground Italian sausage (or ground turkey sausage) mild
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder or ¼ cup diced onion
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 12 oz. spaghetti noodles
- 1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
- 1 14oz. jar diced tomatoes
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 cups water
- Grated Parmesan cheese (or Vegan Parmesan Cheese) for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add the ground beef, sausage, garlic powder, onion powder and salt & pepper; using a wooden spoon to break up any ground beef/sausage as necessary to evenly brown. Turn Instant Pot off and drain any excess grease, if necessary. Return meat to Instant Pot.
- Break spaghetti noodles in half and place half on top of meat. Layer the other half in a crisscross pattern (so the noodles don’t stick together). Add Marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using) and water. Making sure liquid covers spaghetti. Use a spoon if necessary to submerge noodles in sauce.
- Seal Instant Pot lid, set vent to SEALING. Set pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK, to high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Once cooking cycle is complete, do a Quick Release. Carefully open Instant Pot and toss noodles. You may need to let noodles set for a minute or two after completing the cooking cycle and being tossed to fully incorporate pasta sauce. Serve, and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.
Jim Adams
I made this tonight with fresh garlic and onion and it turned out great!! The smell before it seals up while cooking brought everyone to the kitchen. Try this recipe, you won't be disappointed! Thank you Susan!
Susan
Jim- oh yeah! so glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave your comments and tips for adding fresh garlic and onions!
Melissa
This is the best spaghetti I’ve ever eaten! It’s better than homemade!
Thank you for sharing!
Susan
Melissa! oh yeah! so happy to hear that! and I appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
Chris Sundgren
So easy! I made the mistake of not really separating the noodles (I did lay them cross wise as instructed) but I just kinda put them in as a clump and that's what I got when I took the lid off. No problem, just used two forks to separate. I was using fresh mushrooms for another recipe so just added some during the browning phase.
Is the serving size correct, just 1g?
Susan
Hi Chris..I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Serving should be "1 serving" which is 1/8 of the recipe (not 1 g) I just updated to make it clearer. Thanks! I've found the same with the noodles...if they ever do clump together just using two forks to separate them works perfectly.
Jen
Looks delicious! No need to add extra water?
Susan
Hi Jen, Yes, you do add water (2 cups) at the same time you add spaghetti sauce etc. The specifics are in the recipe (step #2) . Hope you enjoy!