Instant Pot Spaghetti

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Instant Pot Spaghetti is an easy and delicious weeknight meal the whole family will love! Just as good as the classic recipe, this spaghetti cooks in under 20 minutes and makes for great leftovers.

Instant Pot Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a nostalgic comfort food that is always there when you need it — after a hectic day at work, in between wrangling a bunch of kiddos, or even just because it’s simple and delicious. I also love that spaghetti lives on a spectrum ranging from authentic to store bought. Depending on time, you can always make your own homemade spaghetti sauce (and noodles, too). Or, if you’re like me, you can always just have a jar of your favorite store-bought sauce and a pack of noodles waiting in the pantry!

To make things even easier, I decided to adapt my favorite, easy recipe into this Instant Pot spaghetti dish. All the same ingredients and flavors of the traditional recipe you love, but with just a little less time in the kitchen.

Instant Pot Spaghetti Ingredients

• Ground Beef – I used a pound of ground beef and actually cook it in the Instant Pot. You can always substitute ground turkey or a vegetarian substitute, like tempeh or tofu.
• Seasonings – Most of the seasonings for this Instant Pot spaghetti recipe are likely already in your pantry! You will need ½ teaspoon EACH of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.
• Noodles & Sauce – You can use any combination of store-bought and homemade sauce and noodles. For this recipe, I used one 24-oz jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce and a 1-pound box of normal-sized spaghetti noodles.

How to make Instant Pot Spaghetti

Step 1: Season

First, set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the ground beef and the seasonings –  salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.

Step 2: Brown the Beef

Now, allow the meat to cook until it’s completely browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon for about 5-7 minutes. When the beef is cooked, turn the Instant Pot off and drain any excess grease from the meat.

Step 3: Add Noodles and Sauce

Next, break the spaghetti in half and place it on top of the meat in the Instant Pot. Then pour over the spaghetti sauce and water. Take a moment to push the spaghetti down with a spoon if necessary to make sure it is completely covered in liquid.

Step 4: Cook

Finally, seal the Instant Pot and set it to manual mode, high pressure, for 8 minutes.

Step 5: Enjoy

When the time is up, use the manual quick release to open the Instant Pot. Stir the spaghetti well and serve immediately with a light side salad!

Tips for Making Instant Pot Spaghetti

• Sauce does not count as a liquid – Contrary to (somewhat) popular belief, the spaghetti sauce in this recipe does not “count” as your “liquid” ingredient. Whenever you’re cooking anything in the Instant Pot, liquid — like water or broth — is key.
• Use dry pasta – You do not have to pre-soak or boil your spaghetti noodles before cooking. Just be sure to stir it into the liquid mixture well so it’s not sticking out while cooking.
• Avoid burned spaghetti – If your spaghetti is burning, that means that you did not include enough liquid (remember, water or broth — not sauce) before cooking.

More Delicious Instant Pot Recipes:

• Tortellini
• Hot Wings
• Beef Stroganoff
• Whole Chicken
• How to Hard Boil Eggs in an Instant Pot