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!

instant pot spaghetti

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!

instant pot spaghetti

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!

instant pot spaghetti

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

 

Make sure you follow along with us on Facebook where we always share the tastiest recipes!

 

4.94 from 830 votes

Instant Pot Spaghetti

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!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Total 15 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients 

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

NOTE:  This spaghetti may appear to be a little liquidy right after cooking.  Be sure to stir well to incorporate all of the liquid into the noodles before serving.
NOTE:  Some people have had an issue with their noodles "clumping" together.  Try crisscrossing the noodles when you add them to the instant pot, instead of adding them in one big chunk. Some clumping is normal, simply use a fork to pull any noodles apart that have stuck together. 
NOTE:  This spaghetti will have as much flavor as you put into it!  Make sure that you add extra seasoning to taste and also use a flavorful spaghetti sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 63mg, Potassium: 430mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 2.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

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**


Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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974 Comments

  1. Can I use other types of pasta? Like elbow macaroni, bows or rotini? I know they are a bit denser than regular spaghetti, so not sure… THANKS!

  2. 5 stars
    We have made this twice and love how easy it is, this is truly a one pot meal!! Thank you for this!!

    Quick question on the end to end cook time. It takes more than 8 minutes for us, I feel that it takes 8 minutes for the pressure to build then it needs to release. Is that about right? What’s the true end to end cooking time? Perhaps we are something wrong? I’m only asking this because my kids start smelling the spaghetti and cannot wait for it so I have to listen “I’m so hungry, when will it be ready” non-stop for 15 or so minutes lol

    1. 5 stars
      Your message was left a while back but I thought I would give you my 2 cents worth on this topic. In the Instant Pot you set the Pressure cook Time (8 min).

      I don’t brown the meat first, I use a leaner cut so there is nothing to drain. That meat browning time is not included in my time here. The end to end time is determined by the cooker. Mine takes about 20 min total. It’s heating up to pressure for 7-9 min (6 qt Duo+) and then the timer counts down the 8 min cook time. At the end of the cook time, you release the pressure valve, which may take another minute or two until the pressure disc drops down. After it drops, you open the pot and stir it up well before you test the pasta for doneness. Altogether mine took about 20 mins end to end. Parmesan cheese makes a great thickener that you can add at the end if you like it.

      I don’t always use jarred spaghetti sauce as my wife doesn’t care for much sauce on pasta. I often sub Rotini, Orecchiette, or Bow Tie pasta for the Spaghetti. I like the way they cook and I prefer the De Cecco brand. Angel Hair cooks too fast for this method. The important thing is to maintain the proportion of liquid to pasta so the pot and the noodles have enough moisture to reach pressure and to cook. Overall cooking time MAY be affected a little by the time of day and the city power structure in your neighborhood.

      The end to end time is pretty much based on how long it takes to get up to the pressure you set and your cook time setting. When the pressure/temp is reached, the timer starts counting down for the 8 minutes you set on the timer. The only timing options you have are setting high or low pressure, how long you set the cook timer for, and how long you stir and heat after opening the pot to absorb remaining moisture.

  3. Wondering if anyone has used gluten free noodles in this recipe? Curious about cooking time. I know flavor is just fine. Thanks!

  4. 5 stars
    This was SO tasty. I used ground turkey and followed the recipe exactly aside from adding in the tomatoes, I don’t love tomatoes (but love spaghetti- weird, right?) and it still turned out PERFECT. I used a 6 qt 🙂 the noodles were perfect and if you mix it well the liquid all stirs in just perfectly. Thank you!

  5. 5 stars
    this recipe was very good. After making exactly per the recipe, and tasting at at the end of eight minutes, I added more spices and then added red pepper flakes since I wanted it a But spicy with some more flavor. I also only had linguine on hand so I added two minutes to the cooking time. After letting the steam release I noticed the pasta was not completely Al Dente so I reset for another minute and let it sit for another two or three after I Did a quick release again. I am in Denver so adding a few minutes to any recipe Is a definite must. Overall great meal for something that you need made quickly.

  6. 5 stars
    I have made this twice now. The first time my noodles stuck a bit but it was still great. This time I really mixed up the noodles but then they weren’t covered with liquid so I added more water. I had to add two cans of tomato paste when it was done but we liked it better this way. My girls ages 14 and 11 say it is better than traditional spaghetti.