Instant Pot Spaghetti
Dinner will be on the table in no time with this super easy Instant Pot spaghetti! Everything cooks together for a simple, flavorful, hands-off spaghetti dinner.
Hello my favorite friends! How is summer treating you so far?
I know we are mid-June and deep in the land of summery food. Grilling, BBQ’s, great salads.
But around here, some nights, the masses have to eat quickly without a lot of fuss, and truthfully no one cares whether dinner fits into the “warm, summery, lazily, eat-out-on-the-back-patio” theme.
They just want dinner. And they want it fast. And yummy. So do I, if I’m being perfectly honest.
Enter this Instant Pot spaghetti. It’s become a fast favorite. And it can still be eaten out on the back patio if that’s important to you (no one call the back patio eating police, ok?).
If you would have asked me months ago how I felt about the idea of Instant Pot spaghetti, I would have said I wasn’t really interested.
Why? Because I have this favorite-ever homemade spaghetti sauce that has basically met all of my spaghetti needs for the last decade. It’s amazing.
And I also have this weeknight spaghetti sauce that is pretty much perfect when you need spaghetti dinner FAST.
Plus, I haven’t had the greatest luck with other pasta recipes in the Instant Pot (burning, unevenly cooked pasta).
But after so many of you begged and pleaded…and yes, bribed…on Instagram, I decided to get to work on an Instant Pot spaghetti recipe.
I mean, after all, the appeal of cooking the noodles and sauce all in one pot won me over for convenience and happiness. The trick? Making sure it tastes amazing, too.
I can honestly say after testing and making and eating this Instant Pot spaghetti numerous times, it’s a winner.
The noodles are tender…not mushy. The sauce is thick and flavorful…not thin and watery.
And all of it cooks to perfection together in the almighty Instant Pot (I’m sure other electric pressure cookers will work, too!).
There are a couple tricks to keep in mind for spaghetti success:
-Use spaghetti noodles with an al dente cooking time of about 11 minutes, break them in half and alternate directions as you layer them over the browned meat (see the little visual below).
-it’s important to use a sauce that is thick with a flavor you love. I rarely buy jarred spaghetti sauce, but it works great for convenience in this recipe (although I bet you could use a combination of crushed tomatoes and dried oregano and basil if you want a homemade route). I’ve listed my preferred brand in the notes of the recipe.
While this Instant Pot spaghetti may not surpass a really great, classic, homemade spaghetti dinner, it’s fabulous for when you need a no-fuss dinner with a totally hands-off cooking approach.
It’s not necessarily faster than that weeknight spaghetti I told you about above, but being able to throw the noodles and sauce in together and walk away while it cooks (in one pot! no washing multiple skillets and pasta pots!) is pretty golden.
Like all good pasta recipes, the finished spaghetti benefits from resting a couple minutes after cooking…but it’s also best to not let it rest too long.
There’s a pasta-eating window that promises tender, saucy pasta without any gloopy, mushy noodles or watery, thin sauces. Lock in to that timeframe, and you’ll love the result.
This is one of those recipes that makes the Instant Pot worth it, in my opinion (along with all of these other pressure cooker faves, of course).
I grew up eating spaghetti with the noodles and sauce all tossed together in one big stockpot before serving – it was one of my favorite meals.
The idea of serving the noodles and sauce separately honestly never occurred to me until college (thanks to my roommates thinking I was the weird one); I haven’t enjoyed the mishmash of pre-combined noodles and sauce since thanks to converting over to a lifestyle of separate noodles and spaghetti sauce.
I’m honestly not sure what spaghetti method is authentic or not, but eating this Instant Pot spaghetti with the tender jumble of noodles already coated in the rich, flavorful sauce brings me back to my down-to-earth, simple spaghetti roots.
And I love it.
What to Serve With This
One Year Ago: My Go-To Brownie Recipe {One-Bowl Deep, Dark Chocolate Brownies}
Two Years Ago: Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers with Yogurt-Hummus Sauce
Three Years Ago: Spinach, Apple & Gouda Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Four Years Ago: Vanilla Funfetti Mug Cake {Egg and Dairy Free}
Five Years Ago: Berries on a Cloud {Best Dessert of the Summer!}
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Salt and pepper
- 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti noodles (see note)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 40 ounces jarred spaghetti/marinara sauce (see note)
- 3 ½ cups water
- Freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil, for serving (both optional)
Instructions
- Select the sauté function on the Instant Pot and add the ground beef or turkey, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook the meat, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until it is no longer pink, 4-5 minutes.
- Cancel the sauté function so the meat doesn’t burn, and drain any excess grease. Give the meat a good stir to distribute evenly over the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Break the spaghetti noodles in half and layer them on top of each other in 5-6 layers, alternating directions (see picture in the post for a visual) so they don’t clump together while cooking.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce over the noodles and sprinkle the dried basil on top. Pour the water around the edges of the pot. Don’t stir.
- Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set the valve to seal. Select high pressure/manual and dial up or down to 7 minutes. The Instant Pot will start on its own.
- When the cooking time is finished, quick release the pressure. Remove the lid and toss the noodles and sauce together. The sauce may seem thin at first; let the spaghetti rest for 4-5 minutes before serving so it thickens up a bit. Serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
This was a complete fail for me. The Kitchn recipe worked like a charm, but this resulted in uncooked pasta.
Love the recent instant pot recipes!!!
Has anyone made this early and left it warm for a few hours? (I’m thinking of Mel’s amazing mashed potatoe instant pot recipe). I have a pot luck, and am hoping to do this in the morning and sit until 12…..but don’t have time to trial it!
I have used a similar technique in a recipe for creamy crockpot spaghetti (Google it) that cooks in about 3-4 hours and is delicious.
This is also really good if instead of ground meat, you put a layer of Costco’s Italian Style Beef Meatballs!!
Someone suggested that on Instagram – such a great idea!
I’m glad you shared this! That’s my plan for tonight and I was hoping someone else had already tried it!
This was so easy and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Have no Costco here or nearby. What name brand would you say is comparable? Thank you.
I’ve heard Rao’s brand is pretty good.
This was the most delicious spaghetti, I was shocked how tasty it was. It had so much more flavor than the usual spaghetti I make. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!!
Can you cut this in half and will it still turn out?
I haven’t tried halving the recipe but it should work pretty well.
Once AGAIN….we loved it! Another winner!!! I made the recipe as-is and it turned out perfect. I used spaghetti from the LDS cannery…I went to my pantry and was out of spaghetti noodles so we dug our the food storage. The texture was perfect!!
I made this without meat and it turned out great!
We love this recipe and use it regularly in our meal rotation. We do the printed version, as well as reducing it by half.
I am thinking of making it for a crowd- do you know if you can double it?
Yes, you can! But I’ve only ever doubled in my 8-quart…I don’t know if a double batch will fit in the 6 quart??
Taste was amazing. I added Italian seasoning. The noodles were definitely on the mushy side but otherwise a decent recipe .
This was such an amazing recipe! I’m new to the Instant Pot and this was fool proof! The spaghetti was the perfect consistency and I was able to find an amazing sauce to go with it that was low in sugar due to dietary restrictions (Trader Joe’s). I’m excited to try out some other recipes of yours! Everything I’ve made from your web site has been a hit in the family! Much love and Merry Christmas!
So happy this worked out well for you!
Easy, delicious, crowd pleaser. I only had 24 oz. Of spaghetti sauce and 16 oz. Of alfredo the second time I made it and it was very good, more of a lasagna vibe.
Tried this recipe tonight! Was hesitant because my last instant pot spaghetti try was really lacking in flavor but this recipe turned out phenomenal!! I’m so glad my friend recommended this recipe!
Glad you loved it, Stephanie! Thank you!
I am so excited to find a recipe that calls for 40oz sauce. Then as I am reading you have the same sauce I have. I found it at Costco when there sampling last week. It was the best sauce ever and I am so excited to try it on my spaghetti tonight! I will report back.
Loving this! I haven’t done it with spaghetti but I have done both Rotini and Penne with huge success! This is something my fiance is willing to eat multiple days in a row so that’s a bonus!
Just want to thank you again for another wonderful recipe! I was a little nervous to try this since I don’t love store-bought spaghetti sauce but thanks to your wonderful notes my whole family loved the white linen sauce from Costco! You’re the best when it comes to truly making fail-proof, delicious recipes! Thanks, Mel!!
Thanks, Marcie! Glad it worked out!
Checking in again to say Barilla thin spaghetti works great if you adjust it to 4 min high pressure. Possibly even three minutes if you like your noodles on the firmer side.
Thank you! I used the great value thin whole wheat and did 5 minutes and it was perfect!
It was easy. It was good. Thanks
My new favorite!!! I have to eat gluten-free, so pasta has not been in my life much for the past few years. Let’s face it; cooking with gluten-free foods is NOT the same as wheat. So, when I saw this recipe I thought I would experiment. I used Barilla brand GF spaghetti noodles and followed the recipe exactly as far as cooking time and measurements goes; I had to use two boxes of pasta and measure out the second box to make 16 oz. total of pasta. I also added 3 minced garlic cloves to the meat and onion mixture, and I sprinkled Italian seasoning blend on the meat mixture right before I piled the noodles on top. The results? Gluten-free spaghetti PERFECTION. I was so happy I could have cried!!! Cooking with GF pasta always seems to end up in dry and crunchy noodles the next day and so I stopped making it for that reason. This recipe is groundbreaking for me! The noodles are perfectly cooked and moist and the next day haven’t changed one bit in texture or flavor (I’m actually sitting here with a bowl of it right now as I type!) and I am in spaghetti heaven. It literally took me 4 minutes to assemble this dish (using cooked beef I had in my fridge, ready to go). My husband and I have officially declared Thursday nights as “spaghetti night” with this recipe (for the unforeseen future, anyway). Game changer, for sure! I am so grateful for this new awesomeness in my GF life!!! Thanks a million, Mel!!!
This was delicious and so easy! I was a bit worried about pasta in the instapot but spaghetti was on my menu and I figured I would give this method a try! I cooked italian sausage on saute, layered whole wheat spaghetti (cook time 8-9 min) as instructed, poured a jar of sauce (Dave’s Gourmet pumpkin sauce) and a can of diced tomatoes (for 40 oz total) and some herbs, added water and cooked for 4 min (since my pasta cooked faster than the recommended one). When it was done cooking I was a bit disappointed to find everything was kind of soupy and the pasta was still a bit hard. But after putting the lid back on and letting it rest for a few minutes everything thickened up and the pasta softened to a perfect al dente. Hooray! Everyone loved it and cleanup was so easy with just one pot! I will definitely make this again.
I made IP spaghetti today and used your tip about how to lay the pasta, it worked great no clumps of pasta.
I halved the recipe and used whole wheat noodles (labeled with a cook time of 9-11 minutes) and it turned out great!
Mel you are my favorite recipe blogger!! I have loved all of your recipes (with the exception of a cauliflower casserole- and I am probably an outlier). I loved this spaghetti! I used what I had for sauce in the cabinet. I was a little skeptical. This was not as good as what I typically would make, but I loved the convenience of using the Instant pot. When I first opened the pot, I didn’t think the spaghetti was done enough. After letting it sit for 5 minutes, it was perfect. I would also emphasize spreading out the pasta so it doesn’t clump. Thanks so much
Thanks, Sara!
This turned out perfectly even though I had to improvise and made a few mistakes!
I used noodles with a cook time of seven minutes and cooked on high for 4 mins.
Used 48 oz jarred sauce and the same amount of water.
Used sausage instead of ground beef.
The first time I made it, I forgot to add the water. Then I forgot to close the valve! But I finally got it to pressure fort 2 mins and it was perfect.
I made a batch of your perfect spaghetti sauce recently and I’d like to use the leftovers to make this. How much would you suggest using given that there is already meat in the sauce?
If it were me, I’d nix the meat from the IP spaghetti recipe and just add the homemade spaghetti sauce (same amount as in the recipe – 40 ounces, so about 5 cups).
This is why I love your site. No fuss recipes for those crazy days when it is a miracle I even got dinner cooked! And all of my children gobbled it up!! THANK YOU>
Yay!!
I’m only making this for my husband and I so I want to halve the recipe. Does that mean I also half the water and half the IP cooking time as well? (I’m a new-comer of the instant pot)
If you halve it, you’ll want to halve all the ingredients, but I’d keep the cooking time the same (maybe decrease by 1 minute but that’s all)
How many calories with ground beef?
I haven’t calculated the nutrition facts, sorry!
My friend passed along a very similar recipe
That I’ve made a few times. I usually use rotini, but like your tips for the long spaghetti noodles. My 5 year old is always sad when I use other pasta shapes and really wants the spaghetti.
The recipe she gave just says to adjust the time manually and do half the cooking time the package recommends, this might be helpful if your noodles have a longer cooking time (I’ve used whole wheat successfully)
I love the Kirkland signature organic marinara sauce, comes in a 3 pack at Costco. Just a few ingredients which I prefer and not a lot of added sugar
This was a hit! So easy!
PS, this should be 5 stars. It wouldn’t let me fill in the last star all the way for some reason.
Glad you loved it, Kelsey!
This was awesome!! I LOVE that it’s one pot and walk-away and also tastes delicious! Thank you, Mel!!
Thanks, Moriah!
I made this last night without meat after a last minute change in evening plans. It was great! I poured the water in first, then pasta (the spiral kind) and topped with 1 jar (24oz) of Betolli sauce and a regular size can of diced tomatoes. It was perfect! I can wait to try it again with meat! Also- I have always added the sauce to the noodles as it is served so I was not sure how the kiddos would react to the change but they loved it that way! Thanks Mel!
Made this tonight! Here is my experience in case it helps someone else! So since I typically only stock thin spaghetti in my pantry, I ordered regular spaghetti noodles in my weekly grocery delivery. Unfortunately, what I got was fettuccine! (Barilla) Since it has a cook time of 12 minutes, I threw it in anyway and crossed my fingers. I should have added at least one extra minute to the cooking time, but I figured I’d experiment. Using the 7 minute cooking time, the noodles were still very firm, so I decided to pressure cook for 2 additional minutes. Because I had stirred everything up, the IP had a hard time pressurizing— this can happen in dishes with noodles where everything is really thick and touching the bottom— so the countdown started before it sealed. The good news is, this additional cooking fixed the problem and the noodles are perfect now. If anyone else ends up using a different type of noodle, esp one with a cooking time of 12 minutes, I’d suggest trying at least 9 minutes of high pressure. Thanks again for a recipe that is wonderful and easy to adapt, Mel! I will definitely be back to try this again once I get my hands on regular spaghetti noodles. 🙂
Thanks for the additional feedback, Megan!
Can I just say, “Wow!” I hate the man was spaghetti makes and I’ve tried many one pot versions over the years. The texture is never quite right, but this was perfect! I like a saucier spaghetti, so I used a jar of Aldi’s organic marinara and a can of tomato sauce. I put the dried basil on top as called for along with some extra garlic powder and some Trader Joe’s onion salt. It was perfect!
Thanks, Stacy! So happy you loved it!
Made this last night after coming home from church and it was perfect! I used GF spaghetti and it worked a treat. Also added diced carrot on top of the meat and they were cooked perfectly! Thanks for this amazing recipe! So quick and easy 🙂
So, so happy to hear GF spaghetti noodles worked here!
Did you sautee the carrot with the meat? I was wanting to add more veggies next time?
I just finished making this. I used bulk Italian sausage instead of ground beef. I also used a mix of 25 oz. jar of Trader Joe’s organic marinara and measured 15 ozs. Of TJ’s vodka sauce to make 40 ozs. as called for. Sauce is delicious. Unfortunately, the noodles totally stuck together even though I fanned out in many layers and directions. And they are still super al dente even after about 7-8 minutes of sitting.
That being said, I think my sealing ring may be dying, so maybe it didn’t have quite the pressure it needed.
Anyhoo, love everything I’ve made of yours and am so happy that you posted this! For me, it just needs a little tweaking, but the flavor is spot on.
Thanks!
Thanks for detailing your experience/thoughts, Rachel!
I think I’ve made nearly every IP spaghetti recipe there is! Though I’ve found a couple that i love, this was the easiest one I’ve found that actually tastes great! The other few that are great are more from scratch. I love how easy yours is and the pasta layering technique. This was probably the most successful IP Spaghetti I’ve made yet even though I’ve made so much!
Thanks, Tara! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I tried this last night and it really was great! Using one pot was the best and it just cooks itself once you put everything in.
Thanks, Marisa!
Yum! I’ve tried a few spaghetti recipes for the Instant Pot, and this was by far the best. Definitely a keeper.
Yay!
Made this tonight and the kids loved it.
Thanks, Kari! So happy you loved it!
Thank you for doing this! I’ve made it multiple times but can never get the noodles.cooked quite right. For meat I do like to use the pre-cooked frozen meatballs on the bottom layer. I don’t saute first but I’m thinking it might be worth a shot. Without your site I would never cook!
Meatballs is a great idea!
That looks delicious. I am such a fan of that weeknight sauce though. One of these days I may buy an instant pot. But my favorite jarred sauce to buy is Rao’s. I learned about this from Ina Garten and it is awesome. Recipe is from the legendary NYC restaurant. It has a lot of olive oil in it which I love and tastes really homemade. I use it as a shortcut in certain recipes. I find it in all the regular grocery stores.
That’s good to know, Teresa! I’m going to look for that brand.
Yay! Super excited to try this. Bring on the prep-and-go crock pot and especially Instant Pot recipies for summer. Thanks a bunch!
I was just pondering what I was going to make for dinner. Now I know! Thank you. I am going to try with Rigatoni pasta. Will it work the same as it is the same cooking time? Thank you again.
Hey Ali – take a look at the cooking time on the back of the rigatoni pasta and if it’s about 10-11 minutes for al dente, it should be fine. If not, adjust a minute or two, up or down, on the IP.
I just made this for lunch today- we have a swim meet and basketball tonight and I wanted a hearty meal for lunch since dinner will be a grab and go. I used Prego and Ronzoni Garden Delight Rotini and it was perfect!! So easy! Thanks Mel for another winner!
I plan to bake Sugar Cookie Bars for the bake sale at the meet tonight…
I can’t believe you made it so fast, Jennifer! Thanks for reporting back!
So I’m doing the no carb thing and use zoodles. How do you recommend adjusting this recipe to allow for the zoodles?
Yeah, I honestly don’t know. It would be a whole different recipe since the zucchini noodles don’t absorb liquid the way pasta does…and they cook much faster. I think it would be easier to make zucchini noodles and pour spaghetti sauce (storebought or homemade) on top vs making it all in the Instant Pot.
I think I’ve tried everything in the Instant Pot except spaghetti. Today’s the day! I’m a little worried about getting the right spaghetti sauce. Maybe I’ll try crushed tomatoes.
A no-fuss/hands off dinner is pretty much my criteria for every dinner, lol. Love that you gave two spaghetti sauce options and love that this is a classic and a quickie. Looks amazing!
Thanks, Carissa!
Definitely going to try this. We just got an InstantPot and I am always on the lookout for good recipes for it. So nice not to have to heat up the kitchen during the hot Texas summer!
Also, I grew up with the noodles and sauce served all in one bowl and didn’t do otherwise until I married my husband who is a separate sauce and noodles guy. Spaghetti in my house also meant meat sauce ALWAYS, but not so with my husband. I’m not a huge fan of sauce and noodles only, but I will tolerate it if there is a delicious sauce! (Still prefer it all mixed together before serving though!)
So interesting how we all kind of come at life from different spaghetti backgrounds!