Instant Pot Spaghetti – The easiest spaghetti recipe ever! A quick recipe for spaghetti made right in the instant pot. Get a family favorite meal on the table even faster on busy nights!
Ok, you guys. I resisted as long as I could.
It was definitely time for me to get myself an Instant Pot, and see what all the fuss is about!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll already know I bought one.
You may have been waiting and wondering what kind of dinner concoction was going to come out first.
Well, spaghetti it is!
It might SEEM boring, and unoriginal, but….c’mon, spaghetti is a total crowd pleasing, family favorite, classic.
Why not start there?
I was sitting around reading the manual for said Instant Pot and contemplating what to try first, when my son suggested spaghetti.
He loves spaghetti. Could eat it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, and dinner. Not kidding. If you’re craving more pasta, try out our Stuffed Shells too!
Do any of you have an Instant Pot already? Thinking about getting one? I’d love to hear what you think!
For now, here are my first impressions.
Before I even used the thing my initial reaction was that this thing is BIG. Way bigger than my crockpot, and much heavier.
I got the 8 quart, which I’m happy about. Just saying, if you’re going to get one, make sure you have the room for it!
Definitely read the manual. If you don’t, you’ll probably feel stressed out and confused at all of the different buttons and parts.
My impression during and after making the spaghetti (which I did a few times to make sure cooking time would be accurate for you).
It was strange at first not being able to peek in the top like you can with a slow cooker. Ummmm, is this thing on?
But, you can definitely hear that there is some boiling going on inside.
It really did cook the spaghetti just perfectly!
The noodles weren’t “gummy” being cooked all together with the meat/sauce/water, which was something I was worried about.
I may actually like spaghetti cooked in the Instant Pot now, more than the typical boiling the noodles and putting it all together after!
My last but not least favorite thing is that this is a true one pot recipe. Spaghetti is always easy to make, but it also usually requires a pan for the meat, a pot for noodles, a pot for sauce, and a colander for draining.
One pot, and no colander needed here.
The meat cooks (I get super lean meat so I don’t even need to drain grease) then you toss in your pasta, sauce, water, and seasonings.
Dinner served in about 8 minutes!
How cool is that?!
Enjoy! Check out our video for this recipe below!
~Nichole
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Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Lean Ground Beef, OR ITALIAN SAUSAGE
- 1/2 Teaspoon EACH Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Italian Seasoning, OR MORE TO TASTE
- 1 Pound Spaghetti Noodles
- 1 (24 Ounce) Jar Spaghetti Sauce
- 36 Ounces Water, 1 1/2 Jars
- 1 (14.5 Ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes, OR TOMATO SAUCE
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute' and add the ground beef. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasonings. Cook the meat and seasonings, breaking the meat up until it's completely browned. Turn the Instant Pot off. Drain any excess grease from meat if necessary.
- Break the spaghetti in half and place on top of meat in the Instant Pot. Pour over the spaghetti sauce, diced tomato, and water. Push the spaghetti down with a spoon if necessary to make sure it is completely covered in liquid.
- Seal the instant pot and set it to manual mode, high pressure, 8 minutes cooking time. When the time is up, use manual quick release to open the Instant Pot. Stir the spaghetti well. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Note: I use the 8 quart Instant Pot which you can find by clicking the link (affiliate) below.
**This post may contain affiliate links, all opinions stated here are my own**
My girls won’t do the diced tomatoes – could I just leave them out and use more sauce? Would the water stay the same? I have an 8qt. thanks so much!!!
Carrie, I think using a can of sauce instead of the diced tomatoes would be fine. In that case, I would just add water until all of the noodles can be covered, you may not need the full amount.
Carrie have you tried using an immersion blender to chop up the chunks?
Is the tomato sauce puréed tomatoes or prepared spaghetti sauce? Thanks
The recipe calls for a 24 ounce jar of prepared spaghetti sauce, and a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes. Hope that helps.
First time using it, but I only see quick realease, natural release and 10 min natural… which o e shoud I use? ?♀️
I have an instapot 6 quart; but prefer to slow cook. Would this recipe work? How long should I cook it?
A 6 quart instant pot will work fine for this recipe. However, I have not tried it using the slow cook function. Without further recipe testing, it is hard for me to give an accurate response.
I made this last night for supper will definitely make it again, but with less water. Was a little soup, but still delicious!
This is in my 6 qt now. Nervous because I just saw the comment about reducing liquid. Hope it turns out well!
Tamara, it should still work out just fine! 🙂
I only have a 6 quart….does same recipe apply
Hi Amy! Yes, it should work just fine in your 6 quart Instant Pot. The only thing you may need to do is reduce the water slightly. Just make sure all of the noodles are covered with liquid, and you’re good to go!
I’m new with the Insta pot got a question what about frozen hamburger can you still do that or does it have to be thawed out to make this spaghetti I’m disabled and it’s very hard for me to be able to cook every day and putting stuff in the fridge to thaw out and it goes bad it’s not something I want so be easier if I could go from frozen so is it possible with this recipe
Hi, John! I actually haven’t tried my recipe starting out with frozen meat. So, without further recipe testing, it is difficult for me to give an accurate response. My concern is that starting with frozen meat would cause you to end up with too much liquid, and I’m do think you would need to extend the cooking time as well.
If you start with frozen meat, it still needs to be cooked through, otherwise you will have a block of meat in the sauce when done.
How about trying the method and thawing your meat in your Instant pot, then doing Nicholes recipe from there? 🙂 Good luck John.
I just used frozen meat. It took a little longer to saute– but I put it on the ‘less’ saute button and within about 10 minutes it was all brown. 🙂 I have four small children and have a hard time always remembering to de-thaw things– so cooking from frozen this quick is such a life saver! Happy insta-potting!
p.s. also wanting the corned beef and cabbage recipe earlier mentioned!
Thanks for letting us know how it worked out with frozen meat, Joy! 🙂
Just made this and it is delicious! It’s a keeper. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Thanks Karen! 🙂
This is going to be my first recipe with my instant pot. When making the hamburger how do i know when it’s done? How long do I let it cook for?
You will want to cook the hamburger meat until it is no longer pink. This generally takes me 3-5 minutes or so.
Nicole, I used my 8 qt Instant Pot for the first time today. Looks like this is the perfect recipe to start off, learn the functions, etc. I did as you said, but when I opened the pot, the noodles were not soft. Not sure what I did wrong? So I set it for another 8 min, the pssta was perfect, but the very bottom was charred. Can you tell me what I could have done to not have the bottom burn? Thank you.
Linda,
Any chance you accidentally left it in Sauté mode?
I think LindaF had it on quick release I made that mistake once make sure it is on sealed. Loved this recipe tried it with ground beef log, worked just fine.
If I double the recipe in my 8 qt, does the cooking time or anything else change?
This is in my pressure cooker right now, I can’t wait to try it. I love spaghetti and this looked delicious.
The instant pot is truly amazing. Try corned beef and cabbage. Also do hard boiled eggs. After they cool, they peel so easy.
Hi Polly ….. would you share your CornBeef and Cabbage recipe …… many thanks!
I made this one last year for St. Patrick’s day and my husband is still raving about it.
https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2017/03/instant-pot-corned-beef-and-cabbage.html
Polly…will you shAre your corn beef and cabbage recipe?
I need an easy unrolled corn beef and cabbage recipe. Help me if you can.
The Instant Pot is amazing! I’m always amazed at what it can do!
So far, I’m amazed as well! 🙂
The timing for this recipe is for an 8 Qt pot, I have a 6 qt pot. How do I convert?
I’ve had several reviews that people made this in their 6 quart as written and it turned out great!
If you use the 6qt, should you lessen the amount of water? And if so, by how much? Thanks!
I don’t know how to get a comment in. I bought an XL Power Pressure cooler before the InstaPot craze. Can I use same Recipes? I love my XXL PPC. THANKS.
I just made this tonight in a 6 qt. exactly how instructions stated. Turned out perfectly!! Loved it!
Do you drain the diced tomatoes or just add the entire can?
You don’t need to drain them 🙂
can I use a baking bag for easy cleanup?
good to hear that as I have decided to get a 6 qt IP.
I have always used McCormick seasonings for my sauce. It is made by adding water and tomato paste. Questions: Should I make the sauce first then add it and the additional water? My line of thinking is that would be the case since the recipe is using premade jar sauce.
Hi! Yes, I would go ahead and make the sauce first for best results 🙂
Just made it a few minutes ago in a 6 quart. Tastes great but I only added half the water.
Do you have to use the can of tomatoes
No, you don’t have to use the tomatoes but if you don’t I’d recommend adding a can of tomato sauce instead.
Has anyone made this for 1 or 2 servings? I’m by myself and cooking a pound all at once is way too much. If I cut everything in half would that work? I also have a few packages of thinner spaghettini that has a 5 minute cooking time marked on the bag and some angel hair with a 3 minute cooking time. Thanks for any advice you might be able to advise.
Great recipe. I do most the cooking here! Love the instant Pot!!
The size of the pot should not affect the time.
I use the same instructions as she had for her 8 quart in my 6-quart and it turned out very delicious! Need more hamburg and maybe touch more liquid next time 🙂
In my experience, consistent success comes by completely covering (submerging) the pasta with water/sauce. Cooking time is best at half what is stated on the box or bag. I usually run 7 minutes for 12 to 16 oz. Formed pastas are most successful; strand pastas are not as consistent, but stirring on saute if there are some undercooked strands works well after the pressure cooking.
I have a 6 and 8 at and have made it in both and followed the exact same directions perfect everytime.
I have made this recipe in a 6 and 8 quart as well, with no changes to the recipe. Delicious both times! Thank you so much for helping out a single parent Dad with this wonderful recipe. My kids love it!
The timing is the same for 6 and 8 arts. Only the ingredients may need to be adjusted but in most cases not even that as long as it all fits below the max line.
I have a 6 quart and just followed the recipe. My kids love the taste and I love the simplicity of a dinner quickly made.
I used a 6 quart and it was just fine following the recipe.
Like instant pot safer than my old one though although on most of the settings you just have to adjust the time as little difference in how much pressure is
If I want to double the recipe should I double the water or just add a little extra?
Wanting the same answer. More water? How much more time ? How did it turn out for you? I’m afraid of messing it up. I would love to hear your experience.
Hi, did you double the recipe? If so, was it ok in 8 qt?
I doubled the recipe in my 6 quart by doing the following: (and by the way…this absolutely maxes out the capacity of my6quart). Sauté 2lbs beef with a full teaspoon each of dry spices. 24 oz spaghetti (1.5 boxes), 36 oz sauce (1.5 jars or cans…I used Hunt’s traditional 24oz cans), 2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14oz sized cans), and approx 36 oz of water… it may have been a bit less… I really had to push down on the noodles to get everything to fit under the “max” line in pot. Set the sealed pot to 8 min high pressure and it came out perfectly!
I cook onions and mushrooms in mine… can I throw these in the insta as well?
Yes, you can 🙂
would you add the mushrooms and onions with the meat or when you add everything else?
Love this recipe!
We use rigatoni and increased the time to 10 minutes using a 6quart instant pot. Comes out perfect Everytime!
Hi I’m a new user of the instant pot. I have a favorite dish I make in the oven and would love to try it in the Pot. It’s cooked in layers. Starting with bottom layer: 2 or 3 russet potatoes sliced, then frozen mixed veggies, then 3 chicken breasts and finally a can of cream of chicken soup. Could you tell me how to make these ingredients in the instant pot? Thank you so much for your help.
I would put it in a springform pan that is slightly smaller than the stainless steel pot, use the steamer insert and set the springform pan with your ingredients layered in it on top of the steamer insert. You may want to cover the springform with foil. Put your two cups of water in the bottom of the stainless steel pot before placing your springform pan in it. Make sure the spring form pan isn’t sitting in the water.
Can you use ground turkey? As I don’t make my spaghetti with beef? Should I add water or spray bottom of pot with a non stick spray?
I have a 3 qt IP. How would I adjust the amts. and times?
Thanks, Brenda
I have a 3qt Mini InstantPot too. I have followed the recipe as followed
Did NOT deviate from the recipe or times
The outcome was delicious.
I do know you might have to push down the ingredients to make sure the Noodles are submerged in the liquid
And, It does Not exceed the Full Line