Instant Pot Spaghetti

Instant Pot Spaghetti is a classic one-pot pasta dinner for busy families. This mostly hands-off pressure cooker spaghetti uses jar pasta sauce and is ready in 30 minutes. It's a must-have for your Instant Pot collection.

Why we love Instant Pot spaghetti

• One pot spaghetti means one pot to wash - No more pots and pans to clean up after cooking this meal. Heck, you don't even need to boil water.
• Everyday ingredients - Simple pantry ingredients make Instant Pot spaghetti taste like you cooked the pasta sauce all day.
• Versatility - Don't like onions? Leave them out. Want a vegetarian pasta dish? Skip the meat. Want spicy spaghetti sauce? Add some crushed red pepper.
• Easy for any cooking level - Anyone can successfully make this instant pot pasta recipe. This is a great dinner recipe for beginners. I'm giving you step by step recipe instructions with photos.

Instant Pot spaghetti recipe key ingredients

Visit recipe card below for printable amounts and instructions

• Olive Oil - or any kind of oil can be use to saute our ingredients.
• Onion - this aromatic vegetable adds a sweet, savory flavor to the sauce.
• Garlic - fresh garlic (recommended) adds a traditional Italian flavor to any saghetti and meat sauce recipe.
• Pasta Sauce - use your favorite brand of jar pasta sauce.
• Seasonings - we're adding oregano and Italian seasoning, but you know that sky is the limit here.
• Water - 4 cups might seem like a lot of water in this recipe, but trust me, the end results is the perfect consistency. Substitute any kind of broth if you prefer.
• Spaghetti- I use classic spaghetti noodles for this recipe.

How to make spaghetti in the Instant Pot

1. Saute the onions, garlic, and beef. Deglaze the pot, if needed.
2. Whisk together pasta sauce and water in a separate container.
3. Break pasta noodles in half and criss-cross in stacks over the beef.
4. Pour pasta sauce mixture over noodles and press them under the surface.
5. Pressure cook followed by 10 minute natural pressure release.
6. Open the lid, toss everything together, and serve warm.

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Pressure cooker spaghetti is convenient

This is a great recipe for busy people, or people who don't want to spend a lot of time cooking.

Less dishes - My favorite part of making pressure cooker spaghetti is the reduction of dishes. Traditionally cooking spaghetti and meat sauce produces at least three large pots to clean: the pasta pot, a frying pan, and a large sauce pot. This recipe is all cooked in the instant pot so you only need to clean one pot.

Easy cooking level - Lastly, there is very little hands-on cooking with this recipe. Beginner level cooks can use the saute and pressure cook features with ease, and those are the key features in getting this recipe made.

30-minutes start to finish - Of the 30 minutes, only the first 10 and the last 2 minutes are hands on. Use the free time to make a salad, toast up some garlic bread, or pour enjoy a beverage and a break.

Instant Pot spaghetti recipe tips

• Instant Pot model - I use my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo for this recipe. If you use an 8 quart pot, there are no adjustments needed since this recipe calls for 4 cups water (see reference here).
• Pasta type - This recipe is made with semolina spaghetti aka plain, boxed spaghetti. Any modifications from the recipe (such as different shapes or gluten free pasta) may result in varied results.
• Pasta amount - If you want saucier pasta than what you see in my photos, I recommend using 12 oz pasta instead of 16oz. You can eyeball this amount ... doesn't have to be exact.
• Pasta stacking - To avoid pasta clumping, make sure the pasta is broken in half and stacked in groups using criss-cross patterns on top of the cooked meat.
• Meat - Use ground turkey or Italian sausage in place of ground beef (changing these won't affect consistency).
• Deglaze the pot - If any browned bits are stuck to the bottom of the pot after sauteing the beef, this is totally normal. Add a splash of water and scrape with a stirring utensil, releasing them into the pot (this adds flavor).
• Go meatless - Make it vegetarian spaghetti by simply omitting the meat and following the recipe as is.
• Jar pasta sauce - If using a seasoned pasta sauce, feel free to leave out the seasonings listed in this recipe.
• Excess liquid - When you open the lid after pasta cooks, there may be a little extra liquid on the surface. If so, simply stir it into the pasta and it will get absorbed in minutes.
• Reheating leftovers - When you reheat spaghetti leftovers, you'll likely need to add liquid to revive the creamy consistency. Don't worry, it hasn't dried out, the noodles have simply absorbed the moisture.

How to avoid a "burn notice" with Instant Pot spaghetti

A properly-developed, well-tested pressure cooker spaghetti recipe shouldn't trigger a burn warning. In real life though, sometimes the ratio of liquid to solid ingredients gets knocked out of balance, contents start overheating, and the cooker says "burn". To prevent this imbalance ...

1. use caution when modifying this recipe ingredients (because you are also modifying the outcome)
2. double and triple check the cooker settings
3. confirm that the lid, seal, and pressure valve are properly set

I recommend reading all about Instant Pot burn warnings and solutions from this Instant Pot safety guide.

Recommended Tools

• chef knife and cutting board
• measuring cup
• 6 quart Instant Pot
• stirring utensil or slotted spoon
• tongs
• airtight food storage container

What to serve with Instant Pot spaghetti

• Easy French Bread
• Crostini
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Lemony Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Avocado
• Lemony Baked Asparagus
• Strawberry Salad [Spring Mix Salad]

More Instant Pot pasta recipes

I have tested and perfected these Instant Pot pasta recipes so you can get reliable dinners on the table.

• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
• Lasagna Soup [Instant Pot or Stove]
• Instant Pot Taco Pasta
• Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
• Ham Alfredo Pasta [Instant Pot or stove]
• Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta In Lemon Cream Sauce