Simplify a classic dinner favorite by making spaghetti in your Instant Pot. Everything is done in a single pot in just 30 minutes! The noodles cook perfectly every single time and the flavor in this comforting dish is off-the-charts delicious.
Last month I visited my mom in Palm Springs (ohhh sunshine! I need you!) and together we made our first batch of Instant Pot Spaghetti. It was DELICIOUS! We devoured the pot in its entirety, but after every morsel was in our bellies we made some tweaks to the recipe to make it even more delicious.
Here you go, friends, our twice-revised Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe. Comfort food perfection. Perfect dinner in minutes. Easy peasy pasta. Call it what you must. The sauce in this recipe is packed with boldness and flavor, the noodles cook perfectly every time and the leftovers? Mmm-mm-mmm! My family loves this recipe!
WATCH THIS QUICK VIDEO TO SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO MAKE SPAGHETTI IN AN INSTANT POT!
Enjoy the step-by-step video tutorial we have created for this recipe! Our goal is to make your time in the kitchen as easy as possible and to ensure that your version of this recipe is a success. See our full collection of cooking and baking videos on YouTube!
HOW TO MAKE SPAGHETTI IN A PRESSURE COOKER!
STEP 1
Set the Instant Pot to saute function. Add the ground beef, 3 cloves garlic and 1 chopped yellow onion and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot if it seems too dry while cooking the veggies. Drain pot, if needed.
STEP 2
Add one jar of spaghetti sauce, one can of diced tomatoes, two cans of beef broth, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of fennel seed, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the pot. Mix well. Break 8 ounces of spaghetti noodles in half and criss cross them in the pot, separating them as much as possible using fork tines. Make sure they are completely covered with the meat sauce. Do not stir mixture after this point!
STEP 3
Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 8 minutes on high pressure (use the pressure cook setting). It will take the pressure cooker around 10 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
STEP 4
When your timer beeps, do an immediate quick release. Remove the cover, stir with a heavy or wooden spoon and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired. YUM!
RECIPE NOTES
Follow these tips to make the BEST Instant Pot Spaghetti your lips will ever taste!
- Use ground pork in place of ground beef for an even more flavorful meal (or a combination of the two!). Other possible ground beef replacements: meatballs, bacon, clams, shrimp, diced chicken breast or ground turkey.
- Once you add the spaghetti noodles to the pot, carefully separate them using fork tines but do not stir the noodles into the sauce at this point. This could cause the noodles to sink to the bottom of the pot and cause the BURN notification to alert you in the middle of cooking.
- Add more veggies! If you love veggies in your spaghetti, add mushrooms, green bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, black olives or english peas to the onion-garlic mixture along with the garlic and onion.
- Instead of spaghetti noodles, consider using angel hair thin spaghetti, farfalle, cavatappi or penne pasta. Also, you can use a whole wheat pasta or rice noodle for a healthier option!
- Replace the beef broth with 2 cups of water in a pinch!
- Replace diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes if desired.
- Use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder as a replacement for minced garlic if you don’t have fresh on hand.
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder would be a great addition to the recipe, as well!
- Use regular or wheat spaghetti noodles for this recipe. Also, you can easily make it gluten free by using GF spaghetti noodles!
HOW MANY CALORIES IN SPAGHETTI
One cup of this spaghetti recipe equals approximately 585 calories. To decrease the amount of calories, use a leaner meat such as ground turkey or chicken.
CAN DOGS EAT SPAGHETTI?
Plain cooked pasta is safe for most dogs to eat, although some dogs have wheat allergies. Also, if spaghetti sauce contains onion or garlic like this recipe does, both of those foods are toxic for dogs. It is recommended NOT to feed this spaghetti recipe to your canine friends.
CAN YOU FREEZE SPAGHETTI?
Spaghetti is a great dinner option to freeze and it thaws well. Place into resealable freezer bags and freeze for 3 to 4 months. When you are ready to enjoy the spaghetti, let it thaw completely (preferably in the fridge overnight). Reheat in a 250 degree F oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Microwaving individual servings in the microwave is another good option for reheating.
INSTANT POT BURN NOTICE
If you see that dreaded burn notice flash on your Instant Pot, do not fret! Know that your pressure cooker is keeping a good eye on your food. It has sensed that the temperature toward the bottom of the pot is too high and has therefore turned it off temporarily. It is giving you a chance to fix the problem! This can happen especially with thick sauces like the one in this recipe because of the heaviness of the contents inside the pot. It can also happen if there is not enough liquid inside the pot.
If you see the burn notice, press CANCEL as soon as possible. Do an immediate quick release and wait for the silver float valve to drop. Transfer the inner pot to a hot pad holder. Scrape any bits of food that may have adhered to the bottom of the pot using a spoon.
If there are no burned bits:
- Add 1/2 cup of additional beef broth to the recipe that will thin out the consistency. Stir the contents of the pot thoroughly and resume cooking.
If you see burned pieces in the mixture:
- Pour the contents into a saucepan and clean out the pot using soap and water, making sure any charred pieces of food are removed from the bottom of the pan. Remove visible pieces of burnt food and pour it back into the pot.
- Stir the contents of the pot thoroughly and resume cooking.
HOW TO AVOID SEEING THE DREADED BURN NOTICE ON THE INSTANT POT
- Stir well before placing the cover on the pot for cooking. You will want the heaviest ingredients toward the top in order to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom and burn.
- Make sure your pot contains enough liquid! Add extra beef broth or chicken broth if it is already an ingredient in the recipe. If the recipe does not contain a thin liquid (e.g., a recipe that requires a trivet), add 1 1/2 cups of liquid to the bottom of the Instant Pot before cooking.
- I do not use an 8-quart IP, but from what I have read this size is much quicker to burn than the 6-quart version. The 8-quart Instant Pot may require more liquid than the 6-quart does.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SPAGHETTI
I love eating TONS of spaghetti all by itself, but if you are looking for a little something to serve alongside it, consider these options:
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Chopped Salad
- Bread sticks or garlic bread
- A simple Caesar salad
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE
If your pasta is already cooked and you just need a delicious, savory sauce to top your noodles with, consider making this Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce!
WHAT IS A GOOD HOMEMADE RECIPE FOR PASTA SAUCE?
STEP 1
Set your Instant Pot to the saute function. Add 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground sausage, 4 cloves minced garlic and 1 chopped yellow onion and cook until meat is no longer pink; drain, if needed.
STEP 2
Add two 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes, 1 jar marinara sauce, a 6-oz. can tomato paste, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon fennel seed, 2 bay bay leaves, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the pot; mix well. Deglaze the pot (remove bits from the bottom with a spoon).
STEP 3
Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 10 minutes on high pressure (use the pressure cook setting). It will take the pressure cooker around 10 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
STEP 4
When cook time is done, do a natural release for 10 minutes then do a quick release.
STEP 5
Remove the lid, stir and remove/discard bay leaves. Serve this delicious meat sauce with your favorite pasta and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge!
RECIPES TO MAKE USING PASTA SAUCE
Aside from the obvious reason (the amazing FLAVOR!), my favorite thing about pasta sauce is that it is so versatile. Here are a few ideas for ways to enjoy it!
- Pour it over the top of cooked noodles of any kind.
- Use it in place of store-bought sauce in your next pan of Baked Spaghetti or Baked Ziti!
- Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Lasagna and Cheesy Manicotti are both sooo good when made with Instant Pot spaghetti sauce!
- Use it as an ingredient to stuff spaghetti squash with!
- Add it to your morning eggs because everything tastes great with eggs.
- Top scrambled eggs with a few spoonfuls!
- Use it as a dip for bread sticks or garlic bread.
BEST EASY RECIPES TO MAKE IN AN INSTANT POT
The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! It can act as a slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, rice maker, yogurt maker and pressure cooker. It can cook soup, chili, pasta, meat, potatoes, veggies, cake, beans and so much more. Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot recipes:
HOW TO CLEAN AN INSTANT POT
Keep your Instant Pot shiny, clean and scent-free by following these simple steps:
- EXTERIOR – Use a clean, damp cloth to wipe down any grease or gunk on the outside of the Instant Pot. Use a brush or the edge of a clean cloth to reach inside the rim to remove food that may have gotten stuck in the grooves. The exterior “housing” should never ever be immersed in liquid or run underwater.
- INNER POT – The stainless steel inner pot can be hand-washed OR run through a dishwasher. See below tips for deep cleaning when needed.
- COVER – The inside of the IP cover can usually just be wiped down with a clean cloth after use. If there is food stuck to the inside of the cover, remove the sealing ring and run the cover under hot water and scrub with a brush or cloth.
- SEALING RING – The sealing ring can be easily removed from the Instant Pot and hand-washed with warm, soapy water OR run through a dishwasher when needed.
- TRIVET – The trivet that is inserted into the Instant Pot can be scrubbed with a brush, hand-washed with warm, soapy water or run through a dishwasher.
- DEEP CLEAN – If the inner pot starts to show signs that it needs a deep cleaning (cloudiness or discoloration), pour either 2 cups of white vinegar OR 2 cups of water plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the pot. Place the cover on the pot and set to STEAM for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and remove the cover. Remove sealing ring and inner pot and allow to air dry.
WHY DOES IT TAKE MY INSTANT POT SO LONG TO HEAT UP?
The time leading up to actual cook time may seem long and even confusing (“What is going ON in there?!”), but it’s an important part of the process! The Instant Pot is working on building up the appropriate amount of pressure that it will be cooking the food at. It handles liquids and solids differently and also fresh and frozen differently, so the time can vary. Most recipes take between 10 and 25 minutes to build up pressure.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 15 oz. cans beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti noodles
- Parmesan cheese for topping, optional
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute. Add the ground beef, garlic and onion and cook until meat is no longer pink; drain, if needed.
- Add the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, brown sugar, seasoned salt, salt and pepper to the pot; mix well. Break the spaghetti noodles in half and place them in the pot, separating them as much as possible with fork tongs and making sure they are completely covered with liquid. Do not stir mixture after this point!
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 8 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 10 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking is done, do an immediate quick release.
- Remove cover, stir and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
I have quartz countertops and I want to know if I can use my instant pot directly on them or should I put something under it to protect the quartz. Thank you.
Your quartz should be fine. An instant pot can sit on traditional counter tops without issue.