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Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is an easy dinner ready in just 30 minutes. Your family will love this simple one pot ground beef and pasta recipe!

instant pot spaghetti and meat sauce in white bowl

If you’re new to the world of pressure cooking, this easy Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce is a terrific starter Instant Pot recipe to try. This was the very first dinner I made in the Instant Pot, and it was a huge hit with my family. One bite, and we were hooked!

Actually, Instant Pot jasmine rice was the first thing that I cooked in my new pressure cooker. I wanted to play it safe, so I chose an inexpensive side dish for the maiden voyage, so to speak. I just followed the recipe that was in the little booklet that came with the Instant Pot, and the rice was perfect — even better than the rice from our favorite Thai restaurant!

So after that win, I decided to try making spaghetti in the Instant Pot. Now personally, I’m kind of a pasta snob. And I’m usually picky about how I cook pasta, especially spaghetti.

But, I’m also all about quick an easy one pot dinners to feed the family. So after looking at what seemed like a billion recipes for Instant Pot spaghetti, I began experimenting.

I tried different amounts of pasta and different types and amounts of sauce until I was finally happy with the end result. And friends, I really, really recommend experimenting like crazy with Instant Pot recipes. What works for me may not work for you, so it may take several tries before you find that perfect spaghetti recipe — or any recipe, really!

Why this Recipe Works

But this recipe for Instant Pot spaghetti with ground beef definitely works for me, and I think you’ll like it, too! It’s simple, cooks in one pot, budget friendly and picky eater approved!

This time, I added a can of diced tomatoes after a reader told me she had done this with my Instant Pot creamy shells and beef recipe and loved the result. I used an entire 16 ounce box of spaghetti, and the liquid to pasta ratio was perfect.

I also tried using a little less than a whole box of spaghetti, and I got got the same result without using the diced tomatoes. Like I said, it’s all about experimenting.

How to Make Spaghetti in the Instant Pot

To make spaghetti and meat sauce the pressure cooker, just saute some lean or extra lean ground beef. Make sure no browned bits are sticking to the bottom — You can deglaze the pot with a little bit of water if you need to.

Layer the Spaghetti Strands

The trick to cooking spaghetti in the Instant Pot is to break the noodles in half and layering them in sort of a criss-cross pattern. This way, you can get them all under the liquid, and the noodles won’t clump together. Then, add your layered spaghetti, a jar of pasta sauce, the diced tomatoes and water.

layer spaghetti over meat to make in instant pot

How to Avoid the Burn Notice

You may have some spaghetti strands on the very top that stick a little, but they break apart easily once you stir everything up.  I just fill up the empty jar of sauce with water and pour it all around the sides and middle of the tomato layer.

Then, I poke it a little with a spatula to make sure the water gets down through the layers and all the pasta is covered. Don’t stir it all together or it will be too thick, and you may get the burn notice.

instant pot spaghetti and meat sauce with diced tomatoes in pot

After the pot comes to pressure, it takes just 5 minutes for the spaghetti to cook! I like to let the Instant Pot do a natural release for about 5 minutes, and then I release the steam, using a wooden spoon or cooking tongs — don’t want to risk any burns! And that’s it!

There are no messy stoves to clean up and only one pot to wash. Plus, everyone loves the texture of Instant Pot spaghetti!

Tips for Cooking Spaghetti in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

  • Season meat for extra flavor
  • Deglaze pot and scrape up any browned bits after cooking meat
  • Break spaghetti in half and layer in pot
  • Make sure pasta is covered with liquid, but don’t stir it together
  • Stir after pressure releases to break up any clumps

instant pot spaghetti and meat sauce in bowl with side of bread

More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes

Recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

instant pot spaghetti and meat sauce in white bowl

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is a quick and easy pasta dinner made with ground beef and tomato sauce in the pressure cooker. Ready in 30 minutes!
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot, meatsauce, spaghetti
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
pressure time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 89kcal
Author: Dee

Ingredients

  • 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 16-ounce package spaghetti uncooked and broken in half
  • 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups water

Instructions

  • Turn Instant Pot to saute, and when it reads HOT, add the olive oil and onion, and cook until slightly soft
  • Add the meat, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder and pepper, and cook until no pink remains, stirring frequently 
  • Hit CANCEL, and add a little water if needed, to deglaze bottom of pot 
  • Break spaghetti strands in half, and layer on top of meat in a criss-cross pattern
  • Pour marinara sauce over pasta
  • Pour diced tomatoes over sauce
  • Pour water around sides and on top of tomatoes, and push down lightly with spatula to make sure water gets through layers and all pasta is covered
  • Cover with lid, turn valve to SEALING, press PRESSURE COOK or Manuel on some models, and set cook time to 5 minutes 
  • When cooking is done, let pressure do a natural release for 5 minutes, then hit CANCEL, and do a quick release until pin drops
  • Open lid, and stir spaghetti and meat sauce together well before serving

Notes

I use Barilla brand pasta and marinara sauce, but any brand is fine, although results may be different depending upon thickness of the sauce.
For al dente pasta, cook for 4 minutes and do a gradual quick release.
To make spaghetti and meatballs, put meatballs on bottom, and layer remaining ingredients on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcal
Loved this recipe?Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

My family is crazy about this kid-friendly Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce, and they won’t have it any other way now. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Post was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2019

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  7. Miz Helen says

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness , you make it look so amazing! I really do need to get me one of those pots! Happy to see you here at Full Plate Thursday and thanks so much for sharing with us.
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  13. Marjorie Nye says

    5 stars
    I made this last night. All that liquid scared me but I figured I could always call it “spaghetti soup”. But it came out perfect! In fact, we all agreed that the flavor was so much better than traditional method spaghetti because the pasta absorbs all the flavor of the sauce and spices as it cooks. I did sub some bulk Italian sausage (drained) for the ground beef.
    I never imagined spaghetti with meat sauce could get any easier, but you did it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

      • Marjorie says

        5 stars
        I’ve made your recipe many times now–it’s still a top requested dish. One change I made was to substitute 1-1.5 cups of red wine for some of the water. Oh my! You’ll swear you’re eating in an Italian trattoria!

        Reply

  15. Mo says

    5 stars
    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    We are Italian, so I was a bit skeptical, but my husband told me this was a winner and I agree!

    I tried this when very short on time to get dinner prepared. It truly is delicious and the spaghetti turns out perfect. I added a some red pepper flakes that gave it a little spice but not too hot.

    Thanks so much for sharing! My Instant Pot is my favorite kitchen tool!

    Reply

  16. Christina says

    5 stars
    This is a fantastic recipe. I’m so greatful for having found it. I had some mushrooms I needed to use so I roughly chopped them and also half a green pepper. I added them over the meat mixture so they didn’t over cook in the instant pot. It turned out great. I think I will go get seconds now. Thanks again.

    Reply

    • Dee says

      No need to drain the tomatoes. You can use broth, but I don’t — just because I don’t use broth when I make spaghetti on the stove.

      Reply

  20. Karla says

    Can’t wait to make this! Do you think thin spaghetti would get mushy? Should I stick with regular spaghetti?

    Reply

    • Dee says

      I’ve never made it with thin spaghetti, but it might be a little overcooked since it’s so much thinner.

      Reply

  21. Marcia Osborne says

    This was surprisingly good! My husband is a spaghetti snob and he liked it.
    I did use whole wheat spaghetti and 2 large cloves of minced garlic, instead of garlic powder, but I messed up the layering and it still turned out fine. I forgot to put the pasta on top of the browned beef, so it went on top of the sauce, with diced tomatoes and water over all.
    We’ll definitely make this again. It’s so much easier than the traditional stove-top method.

    Reply

    • Dee says

      Thanks! I’m glad you both liked it! I always thought I was a spaghetti snob, but I really love the way IP spaghetti turns out!

      Reply

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