Here’s an easy 10 minute Instant Pot spaghetti recipe that’s a favorite one pot meal! Dump spaghetti with just a few ingredients to make a one pot pasta that feeds all five of us for under ten dollars! Use a Crockpot Express or make Ninja Foodi spaghetti the same way using high pressure.
One of our favorite easy recipes was cooked tonight. The cook time was much faster than usual though. I am obsessed with my new pressure cooker! I had to make Instant Pot spaghetti with jar sauce to see just how much easier it would be. Here’s how to make this Instant Pot recipe today ๐ (affiliate links present)
Table of Contents
- How to Make Spaghetti in Instant Pot
- How long does spaghetti take to cook in Instant Pot?
- How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti with Frozen Meatballs
- Instant Pot Spaghetti No Meat
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Jar Sauce
- Can you pressure cook with spaghetti sauce instead of water?
- Dump Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Time
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Meatballs
- Which Instant Pot is best?
- Spaghetti in Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- How long does it take to cook spaghetti in Instant Pot
- Can you cook pasta in spaghetti sauce?
- Can you overcook pasta?
- How to Make Spaghetti in a Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Recipe
How to Make Spaghetti in Instant Pot
If you’re new to using this high pressure pot, this is the first recipe you should make. If you follow the directions below you’ll never make it on the stovetop again. It doesn’t matter whether yours is the Crockpot Express brand or you want to make it as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe. All of these pots work the same with high pressure.
We use Ragu jar sauce to make but with our homemade Instant Pot spaghetti sauce is possible too. Include frozen meatballs if you’d like at the same time and they will get tender all in one pot together too. A cheap meal that is family friendly.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
How long does spaghetti take to cook in Instant Pot?
With everything cooked in one pot it came out perfectly in just 10 minutes AND it’s been on the most popular Instant Pot recipes TWO years in a row! So yummy right??!! It’s truly a grab your Instant Pot and set, then GO type of recipe. Even if you choose to use shells or penne pasta the timing stays the same.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti with Frozen Meatballs
Want quicker, instead of browning ground beef at the get go you could instead throw in some frozen meatballs. Don’t worry, during the 10 minute cook time they will not only defrost but warm all the way thru to the middle too. Add in at the same time as your sauce, but no more than 2 cups or ratio won’t work.
You could make it vegetarian without meat, as is stated in the recipe card below, or cook porcupine meatballs in Instant Pot separately first. Then serve them together and enjoy with parmesan cheese.
Instant Pot Spaghetti No Meat
You do not have to add protein to this. Many times I have just used noodles and a jar of sauce to make it faster. Sometimes we aren’t in the mood for meat so there is no issue if you make this vegetarian instead. Add diced carrots and celery instead too if you’d like to make it heartier without proteins.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Jar Sauce
- Ground beef (ground turkey, or the best is to use spicy ground sausage)
- here is how to defrost Instant Pot frozen ground beef
- Spaghetti noodles – either break in thirds or use medium shells, for those I use half the box
- Onion
- Garlic (I use already minced)
- Instant pot or pressure cooker – I have a 6 quart
- I HIGHLY suggest you get a non stick pot too!
- If you get an Instant Pot air fryer lid you can melt cheese on the top too!
Spaghetti sauce (1 jar bottled pasta sauce of your choice) or you can make it homemade instead but we are going for easy peasy. You can certainly use jarred marinara version to make Instant Pot spaghetti no meat or brown some meat free alternative protein source at the beginning like we did for meat free.
Can you pressure cook with spaghetti sauce instead of water?
Yes and no. There is liquid in marinara let’s say but not enough, you need to thin it out with some broth or water too to make a successful pot of 10 minute Instant Pot spaghetti. For every jar add 2 cups more liquid to thin it out.
Dump Spaghetti
There are 3 main ingredients such as pasta, sauce and some water. You can just leave that as is or of course you can add other seasonings or want your sauce a bit chunkier. Optional add ins for this spaghetti Instant Pot recipe are;
- Garlic powder
- Pinch of Italian seasonings
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 c. fresh diced tomatoes
Just in case you get the burn message displayed on your machine here is how to deglaze your Instant Pot so you can resume cooking. If you’ve never cooked spaghetti in one pot before it is so much easier than cooking everything separately. I love how the noodles turn out cooked in the sauce too.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Time
Instead of boiling them all on their own you’re just adding some water to the overall mixture so it absorbs it from there.
- You just set Instant Pot to saute. Add the olive oil, onions and ground beef. Cook meat until it’s no longer pink. That is assuming you’re adding protein.
- Drain if desired, we buy low saturated fat meat so I don’t bother. Turn pot off now. If you add frozen meatballs you can skip this step and just throw them in on the bottom.
- Spread browned meat on to the bottom of the pot. Add your marinara sauce on top. Pour water on top of that. Break the spaghetti noodles into 3 equal pieces and gently submerge into liquid.
Close lid and steam valve. Set to high pressure for 10 minutes. Quick release when done. Stir and serve. Add the ground beef pasta into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Meatballs
Like I said, the protein is up to you. I think it is a heartier more filling meal if you have some in there but that is totally up to you.
I would say this recipe serves 6 comfortably, so for 4 people there may be a bit left over. Of course that depends on who you are feeding. We have 1 man, 3 daughters and myself. This recipe feeds all of us with probably 1 serving for lunch I save for leftovers the next day.
Which Instant Pot is best?
I will tell you that I still have and use the “oldest” and first version that came out way back when. It was only $99 then, no fancy preset buttons, and it still works fantastic 3+ years later. You do NOT need the most expensive “fanciest” Duo, Lux, Plus, Ultra or Smart Wifi versions.
Of course if you’re techie and have to have “all the things” then go ahead but simple is best in my opinion.
Spaghetti in Instant Pot
If you want more than what the recipe calls for I would recommend making two batches separately. I personally prefer it this way though others have said doubling it works fine for them in their 8 qt.
Here are a few questions you might be asking yourself if it is your first time making this. I hope these answers help you to becoming an expert.
Yes of course, we will show you how in the video above and the instructions below. It cooks in just 10 minutes. Quick and easy.
Submerged in spaghetti sauce and water the noodles become tender when they are sprinkled in and broken. I think thirds is the right length so they don’t stick together.
I adjust the time slightly to 8 minutes usually, using the same directions here. Smaller noodles will need less time.
Make sure before you close the lid and start pressure cooking that your noodles are submerged in the liquid. Do not stir or it may trigger the burn message and/or stick to the bottom.
Yes it comes out perfectly every time. My oven and stove are crying lately because I rarely ever use them anymore.
Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Now if you want to do a twist on an already favorite dinner recipe you could make Instant Pot taco spaghetti too!!
- The only difference for this one is you’re going to follow our instructions on how to make Instant Pot taco meat.
- Then continue with the same directions below from steps 4 on.
It will give your traditional pressure cooker spaghetti dish a bit of a kick with a ton of flavor, we love both really.
Throw a loaf of the best garlic bread in the oven and top with some parmesan cheese and it’s one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes. You can find many more easy dishes on my site too if you’re looking for another IP meal!
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
This is one of the most popular cheap Instant Pot recipes too. It costs less than $10 to feed 5-6 people which is pretty amazing. If you include a bag of meatballs it might be closer to $14 but still a bargain.
How long does it take to cook spaghetti in Instant Pot
Cook time for spaghetti depends on the method you decide to take. Using the traditional stovetop method from start to finish including waiting for the water to boil, then the noodles to come to a boil again until tender I would say 20-25 minutes might be accurate.
This takes closer to 16 minutes which may not be a huge difference but there are so many other benefits. One is, the noodles have a lot more flavor because they’re being cooked right in the sauce itself. You don’t have to watch the water or test the noodles a few times to ensure they’re tender and done.
There are less dishes to clean up because all the cooking is done in one pot. Note: Timing is set to 10 minutes, if you want your noodles more al dente set to 8 minutes instead.
Can you cook pasta in spaghetti sauce?
Yes! Using a pressure cooker is the easiest method using these directions below. If using the “old fashioned” stovetop method the instructions are very similar just thin our your spaghetti or tomato sauce with water or broth bring it to a boil add dry spaghetti noodles – I prefer to break them into 3 equal parts so everything is submerged
Cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally so pasta doesn’t stick
Can you overcook pasta?
Yes if you don’t watch it carefully enough in your pot it can, and noodles will become gummy. It is best to cook until al dente. Using this Instant Pot spaghetti recipe will avoid that as it is timed perfectly. I hope if you landed here looking for Instant Pot pasta recipes we have helped quite a bit!
If you have a Ninja Foodi you can follow the same instructions below, the only difference is melting cheese on the top to make a cheesy Ninja Foodi spaghetti.
How to Make Spaghetti in a Pressure Cooker
Here are a few others you might want to try to make this week; If you’d like to use your slow cooker you can try our crockpot spaghetti and meatballs recipe too.
- This Instant Pot lasagna soup is comfort food in a bowl with small noodles and WAY easier to make than using traditional wide pasta.
- More 5 ingredient Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot cheesy chicken spaghetti has a bit of a kick and tons of flavor.
- You’ve gotta’ try this Instant Pot chicken parmesan casserole, it is amazing.
If you let it sit what little liquid is there will get soaked up by the noodles and thicken a bit too. It stays well inside the Instant Pot for quite some time so even if we are all getting home at different times everyone can enjoy this Instant Pot spaghetti dish.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, or 1 lb. spicy sausage is our new favorite instead of ground beef
- 1/4 c onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce, (24 oz)
- 2 c water, I pour into spaghetti sauce jar once emptied, shake to get remainder of sauce and pour in pot, could use beef broth for even more flavor
- 8 oz spaghetti noodles
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt, optional, to taste
Instructions
- Put Instant Pot on saute.
- Add olive oil, onions, and garlic and cook until onions are softened a bit.
- Add ground beef and cook until pink is gone. Drain grease or leave in, your choice.
- Add jar of spaghetti sauce, water, break noodles into 3rds (sprinkle in so they don’t lump together) and push noodles into liquid until they are covered. (do NOT stir)
- Secure lid, close close steam valve and set to 10 minutes (if you want more al dente set for 8-9 minutes).
- Quick release when it beeps, stir and serve. Done!
- ** Do not recommend doubling this recipe as it will not turn out properly. Make two batches separately if you want more.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Didn’t have 24 Oz spaghetti sauce– used some for pizza last night and couldn’t find the other jar I thought I had, so I opened a can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings. Added a little more than 24 Oz total with sauce and tomatoes so they didn’t die in the fridge. Added a full 2 cups of water.
Also used hot Italian link sausage ($.99 this week!) that I cut into 4 pieces each and then sautรฉed in my IP until they were browned and cooked through. Wiped out the grease, then added a little olive oil for its flavor and a spoon of minced garlic and sautรฉed a little more and deglazed with some tomato water from the diced tomatoes (no burn notice). I did add some Italian seasoning and salt to help flavor the diced tomatoes.
I had thin spaghetti, so I set my pot for 8 minutes… came out fantastic! No big clumps of stuck together pasta, plenty of sauce and lots of flavor!
We’d stopped making spaghetti in the ip, but had 2 littles at the house and it was too hot to mess with boiling water and sauce so gave this recipe a shot— so glad I did!!
Oh Yum! Sounds like a spaghetti soap operaโ”As The Sauce Turns.” You took what could have been a noodle nightmare and turned it into a pasta performance worthy of a standing ovation. Bravo, Chef Alsy!
Hi. commented a couple of weeks ago about conversion to slow-cooker. don’t own a pressure cooker or Foodi. anywhere we can find instructions for your recipes using a CROCK POT? sure hope so. enjoy reading your mouth-watering recipes, but can’t make any of them. ๐
Yes on my homepage I have a slow cooker category you can search, in the search bar you can search further and I do have crockpot spaghetti and meatballs on my site to find.
Iโve been making this recipe for a couple years now, and my family & I love it! I have doubled the recipe in my 8-quart Instant Pot more times than not, and it comes out perfectly every time! I stick closer to 7-8 minutes as we prefer al dente. I love that you can adjust the recipe by adding more ingredients if you want – Iโve regularly added veggies and/or frozen meatballs. But I love the simplicity of the recipe as is – itโs perfect for busy weeknights, & uses simple ingredients that we always have on hand. Thank you for this & so many other of your fantastic recipes!
Thank you for the nice note, it means a lot!
Both my young toddlers will eat this. Never making pasta with meat sauce any other way! I used a Ninja Foodie Deluxe XL to make this and worked just as well. Did not make any changes. Forever grateful to find another recipe that the whole family is happy with!
Yay thanks for the sweet note
I have an 8qt unit. Will I regret trying to make this with 12oz of pasta/angel hair, and a little extra water? I don’t need it quite as saucey as it is with 8oz, and I really need to stretch the meat. If I have to make two batches every time, it will get too expensive for me.
Thank you!
It was delicious, and so nice to not have so many dishes to do, counters to clean (from the inevitable sauce spillage)… thank you! I will make again, with more beef because that’s the way my guy likes it.
It’s the only way we have made it now for years
Could you one and a half (12 oz spaghetti, etc) instead of doubling? In the 8 quart.
Probably
Have you modified any of these meals to have the meat cooked then freeze the meat and the rest of the ingredients so you can drop it in the instant pot and cook till done?
Best thing Iโve made in my instapot. Iโll never make spaghetti any other way againโค๏ธ
Agree
I canโt say enough about how tasty and easy this recipe is! Itโs such a time saver because you donโt have to bring water to a boil and only have to wash one thing! My daughters love spaghetti and one of them told me itโs the best Iโve ever made…she liked it much more than the regular way of making spaghetti. I think itโs more flavorful bc the noodles take on the taste of the sauce and spices when cooking. Itโs even great as leftovers! I donโt think Iโll be making spaghetti the old way anymore!
Yep it is a favorite over here too