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When dinner needs to happen fast, instant pot spaghetti is your new best friend! Perfectly seasoned beef, tender pasta, and a rich, saucy finish, all in one pot and ready in less than 15 minutes.
A Reader’s Review
This is my go-to recipe for Instant Pot spaghetti and I love it. This recipe always turns out right. Thanks for publishing it.
– Regina
Why This Dish is a Dinner Win
- One Pot, Zero Hassle: Everything (pasta, meat, and sauce) cooks together to make cleanup a breeze.
- Weeknight Wonder: Ready in just minutes, which means no dinnertime stress and more time to relax, enjoy, and dig in!
- Budget-Friendly Feast: This delicious meal is as easy on your wallet as it is filling and full of flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- Switch Up the Pasta: Spaghetti is classic, but you can use other pasta shapes too. Just add an extra minute or two for thicker varieties. However, skip angel hair because it cooks too fast and can turn mushy.
- Mix Up the Meat: Ground turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage all work beautifully for a flavorful twist on the original.
- Make It Creamy: Craving a richer sauce? Stir in a couple tablespoons of cream cheese after cooking and let it melt into silky perfection.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti
The magic of this instant pot spaghetti recipe? The pasta cooks right in the sauce, no boiling, no extra pots. Just one pot, quick cleanup, and a tasty dinner on the table in record time.
- Cook Beef: Set a 6 quart instant pot to saute mode and add olive oil, ground beef, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook and crumble until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off any grease and return the meat to the instant pot.
- Place Pasta: Break the uncooked spaghetti noodles in half, then layer them on top of the meat in a crisscross pattern so they do not stick as they cook.
- Add Pasta Sauce and Pressure Cook: Pour the jars of marinara sauce and all the water on top of the noodles. Make sure they are fully submerged, then secure the lid and close the valve on the Instant Pot. Cook on manual for 5-7 minutes.
- Quick Release and Stir: Once the cooking time is finished, use the quick release and wait for the float valve pin to drop before unlocking the lid. Stir together and serve instant pot spaghetti with parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and garlic bread if desired.
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Spaghetti
Before you hit “start,” check out these handy tips for dinner success.
- Avoid sticky noodles: Break pasta into halves or thirds and layer in a criss-cross pattern. Pour the sauce and water on top without stirring. Stirring releases starch and causes gumminess.
- Undercooked noodles? Check that the noodles were fully submerged and not stirred. If still too firm, use the sauté function to cook a few extra minutes.
- Looks watery? Give it a good stir and let it rest for 3–5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it sits.
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Instant Pot Spaghetti
No time, no energy, and still need dinner? This Instant Pot Spaghetti is your answer. One pot, fast and easy, and totally kid-approved.
Equipment
- 1 6-quart instant pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound uncooked spaghetti noodles
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Set a 6 quart instant pot to the saute mode and 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Cook and crumble until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off any grease and return the meat to the instant pot.
- Break 1 pound uncooked spaghetti noodles in half. Layer them on top of the meat in a crisscross pattern so they do not stick as they cook.
- Pour 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce and 3 cups water on top of the noodles, ensuring they are fully submerged.
- Secure the lid and close the valve on the Instant Pot. Cook on manual for 5-7 minutes. Once the cooking time is finished, use the quick release and wait for the float valve pin to drop before unlocking the lid.
- Stir the spaghetti together and serve with parmesan and chopped basil, if desired.
Video
Notes
How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring often, or microwave in 45–60 second bursts.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Slightly undercook the noodles if you plan to freeze. Cool completely, portion into freezer-safe containers, then freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 29gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 1330mgPotassium: 1121mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 997IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
If you loved how quick and tasty this Instant Pot spaghetti turned out, you’re going to want to try these other easy Instant Pot favorites next!
Love love love this recipe! It’s the best of both worlds between traditional spaghetti and baked spaghetti. Soooo easy to make, it’s my go to spaghetti and on an added note I cut Italian sausage into coins and browned that with my ground beef, yum! Thanks for the perfect spaghetti recipe
I tried this with Barilla GF pasta and after 7 mins they weren’t quite done so I stirred it up a bit and pressure cooked it for another 6 minutes and it was absolutely PERFECT! Thank you!
Thanks for saying this! We use Barilla GF, so this will probably help us a lot!
I Will Probably NEVER Make Another Spaghetti ? Recipe Again BECAUSE THIS 10 Min. Instant Pot One Turned Out Absolutely PERFECT ! TY So VERY Much For Posting This Recipe. EASIEST Spaghetti I’ve Ever Made. Tasted BETTER Than All My Other Spaghetti Dishes B/C I Followed the Instructions & Had Everything in My Pantry 🙂 xoxoxo
I made this recipe tonight it was really good only thing I changed is I didn’t have spaghetti noodles so I used a box of Panini Noodles turned out great cooked it the same time and everything didn’t change anything else but the pasta
Cooked to recipe but the noodles were still hard .
Same here add more water and tried again. Still not super tender but enjoyable.
Awesome! I used leftover meat sauce from a prior meal and added only half the quantity of noodles and 1 jar of sauce including half of the spices and water. This was plenty for 2 people.
Thanks for posting this recipe!
This was my first attempt at cooking pasta in my stovetop, 8 qt pressure cooker and I am hooked! I used Capellini pasta with a 6-minute cook time/quick release. I did have a little burning at the bottom of the pan but it did not affect the taste of the meat or the pasta. Had I read your instructions more carefully, I would have seen the tip about adding the cup of water and scraping the bottom of pan after the meat has browned. Thank You Alyssa for an easy and delicious recipe!
Made the recipe ?…Why did my pasta stick together. I broke them in half criss-cross. Please help
Easy and so smooth
I made this in a 8 quart instant pot and it turned out really good I was going to show a picture of it but can’t figure out how to add a picture in the comments here. I still used the same amount of time and sauce and water it was really good fixing to make it again tonight for supper.
My instant pot won’t come to pressure with this recipe
That’s interesting! This shouldn’t work any differently than any other recipe! Was your Instant pot turned to sealed?
I just tried this recipe and the pot wouldn’t come to pressure either. And yes, it was on seal. ???
I have a 8 quart cooker can I still use the same recipe for this spaghetti?
Do you mean that you have an 8-quart slow cooker? This is for an instant pot so the recipe would have to change. I haven’t tried this recipe for a slow cooker before!
I have a 8 quart instant pot
I made this in a 8 quart instant pot and it turned out really good I was going to show a picture of it but can’t figure out how to add a picture in the comments here. I still used the same amount of time and sauce and water it was really good fixing to make it again tonight for supper.
This seems super easy! Does the time differ if you use angel hair noodles? Since it cooks faster??
No, those are fine to use instead!
I’m going to try this tonight. What is the reason for the variance of 5 to 7 minutes? Not sure how to choose.
Try cooking it for 6 minutes and it should work fine!
I know this is a long shot, but I’m hoping to get an answer, as I am going to make this for dinner tonight! Question, I am making your recipe for the Homemade Marinara sauce to make with this recipe. Do I have to cool the sauce off before adding it to the instant pot?
No! You can put it straight into the instant pot after you cook the sauce!
Thank you so much for the quick response! You saved the day/dinner! 1 more question… Do I still add the chicken broth to the pot, being there is already broth in the sauce? I did a double batch to make it somewhat equivalent to 2 jars of store bought sauce. BTW the sauce so far is DELICIOUS!! May never buy store bought sauce again!
Yes, cook the rest of the recipe as directed! I hope that you love it! Oh and yes, that marinara sauce is to die for! 🙂
I want to 1/2 the recipe. Do I use 1/2 (1.5 cups) the water with 8 oz of pasta or still use 3 cups of water?
I would only use 1.5 cups of water, that should work just fine!