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Instant Pot Pasta and Meatballs is an easy one pot dinner made entirely in the pressure cooker. Add the ingredients, cook and eat — perfect for busy days!
Easy pressure cooker penne pasta and meatballs is one of the easiest Instant Pot recipes you can make. It’s definitely one of the easiest Instant Pot dinner recipes I’ve ever made! Seriously, you just dump everything into the Instant Pot, pressure cook it, and eat!
So, I’ve been testing out the easiest possible dinner recipes lately. I’m thinking about easy dinners that you can make when you are on vacation or away from home — with only a few ingredients. See, as much as I love to eat out and try new restaurants when we’re on vacation, that gets expensive very fast!
I’m also thinking about easy dinner recipes for crazy busy days or those days when you’re tired, the kids are wired, and you can’t deal with making dinner from scratch. You get it, right?
The other day I made super quick and easy spaghetti and meatballs in the Instant Pot so that one of the girls could have a quick dinner before heading out to a competition. We liked it, but we like Instant Pot spaghetti with meat sauce more.
So when I needed a quick lunch before another one of our girls was going out with some friends, I switched things up and made meatballs with penne pasta instead of spaghetti. And you guys, my whole family practically inhaled it!
How to make Instant Pot pasta and meatballs
You can use fresh homemade meatballs in the Instant Pot, but like I said, we’re all about quick and easy dinners today. I used frozen meatballs, jarred sauce, pasta, spices and a little bit of tomato sauce for extra flavor.
I added a little bit of olive oil to the pot first. Then I put the meatballs on the bottom and layered the uncooked penne pasta over the meatballs.
Next, I added an entire jar of marinara sauce, a can of tomato sauce and some spices. Don’t mix the sauces — Just add the water around the sides and over the pasta.
Add some spices for extra flavor, pressure cook the meatballs and pasta, and you’ve got a delicious one pot dinner! in just a few minutes! I tossed in some Parmesan cheese at the end, but it’s optional.
This Instant Pot pasta is really all about the meatballs!
You could add some mozzarella or even a little bit of cream for a completely different pasta dish! And a little bit of fresh basil is the icing on the cake.
But since we’re talking about the easiest dump and go Instant Pot dinners in the universe today, you can leave out the extra spices, cream and all that, although the fresh basil does add a nice touch. Just saying.
Looking for more quick and easy Instant Pot dinner recipes?
- Instant Pot creamy kielbasa tortellini
- Instant Pot creamy shells and beef
- Instant Pot macaroni beef casserole
- Instant Pot creamy taco pasta
- Instant Pot Mom’s best chili recipe
Recipe for Instant Pot Pasta and Meatballs
Instant Pot Pasta and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 16 small meatballs (frozen)
- 1 16-ounce box penne pasta (uncooked)
- 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce (no salt added)
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Spread olive oil evenly over bottom of Instant Pot, and add meatballs
- Add pasta over meatballs, and add marinara sauce and tomato sauce over pasta
- Pour water around sides and over the pasta, and add Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Do Not Stir
- Cover with lid, and turn vent to Sealing position
- Hit PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes cook time, do a quick release
- When pin drops, carefully open lid and stir pasta and sauce together. Top with Parmesan cheese, if using, and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I hope you enjoy this easy Instant Pot pasta and meatballs as much as we do!
Hi – So, even though the meatballs are frozen the cook time is just 4 minutes? or does it need to go longer than 4?
The cook time is 4 minutes for both frozen and fresh meatballs. The pot will just take longer to reach pressure with frozen ones, and they will thaw as the pot pressurizes.
I am new to the instant pot family and I was wondering if I could double it. I have a 6qt. We have a family of 7 so I find the recipes don’t make enough.
I don’t know if a double batch would fit in the 6 quart, but it might work as long as it doesn’t go past the fill line.
This recipe came out perfectly!
So glad to hear this, Catherine. 🙂
Just made this in 6 Qt Lux. I used garden rotini and Great Value Jar of sauce, Ia 15 oz can of Great Value diced tomatoes. I used Aldi’s Brand frozen meatballs. I filled the sauce jar with water and added spices on top. It was perfect!!! First time cooking pasta in my IP. I am very impressed! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I will definitely be making this again.
I love making pasta in my IP. So happy to hear you liked it! 🙂
Could I use homemade meatballs instead? They wouldn’t be frozen.
Can’t wait to try this recipe out. Thank you
You can definitely use homemade meatballs, but they need to be cooked or browned first so that the time remains the same.
Why don’t you mix everything together? What would happen if you did?
What is a good brand of frozen meatballs?
If you mix everything together before pressure cooking, the thick tomato sauce can burn. I personally like Cooked Perfect brand if I don’t have any homemade meatballs on hand.
I tried cooking it for the 4 minutes, but the noodles were not completely cooked for some reason.
So sorry to hear that, Christy. I’ve never had that problem. Are you at a higher altitude?
I made this with more meatballs and elbow macaroni. My family loved it and it will be kept in my back pocket when we are on the run.
So glad you liked it, Rhonda! Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂
Can this be done with an Alfredo sauce?
If you’re using a jar of Alfredo, you’ll want to add it after pressure cooking since dairy can curdle under pressure.
Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Vikki. Sounds delicious!
This was great. I did not have ziti so I used rotini. I used vodka sauce because that’s what I had on hand. It was really watery looking when I first opened it up but the sauce thickened up nicely once I started to cool. The entire family gobbled it up which is shocking since I have 3 kids. My son loved how tender the meatballs were (he’s picky with meat) and I enjoyed that the pasta was not overdone. (It certainly wasn’t al dente but it wasn’t soggy either). I served it with peas and a loaf of garlic bread so the whole meal only took 25 min. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
That sounds like a wonderful dinner! So glad you liked it. 🙂