This Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe is the easiest one-pot meal ready in less than 30 minutes! Add everything to the pot and the pasta cooks right in the homemade flavorful meat sauce.
Our Instant Pot Spaghetti practically cooks itself.
Our Instant Pot Spaghetti practically cooks itself.I love this Instant Pot Spaghetti because everything cooks together in just one pot, which means minimal mess and easy cleanup. It joins the ranks of our other favorite 30 minute meals, and the Instant Pot perfectly cooks the noodles, browns the meat, and blends it all together with a rich, flavorful homemade sauce. And, who doesn't love spaghetti for dinner?
Don't miss my other instant pot recipes like Beef Gyros, Instant Pot Short Ribs, Instant Pot Pasta and Meatballs, and Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
How to make Instant Pot Spaghetti:
Cook Meat & Assemble: Brown the meat in the Instant Pot on sauté, drain grease, and stir in onions and spices. Break pasta in half and place on top. Make sauce by mixing crushed tomatoes and tomato paste together then pour over noodles. Add water.
Cook & Serve: Pressure cook on Manual for 5 minutes, allow a 5-minute natural release, then turn valve for a quick release. Toss and serve with fresh parmesan, red pepper flakes (optional), and parsley. I love to serve this with homemade breadsticks or garlic knots and a wedge salad.
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Recipe
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- salt , pepper,
- 1 small yellow onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , for topping
- fresh chopped parsley , chopped, for garnish
- crushed red pepper flakes , optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown meat: Set the Instant Pot to saute. Add the ground beef and sausage, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook the meat, breaking the meat up into pieces until it’s browned. Drain grease.½ pound lean ground beef, ½ pound ground Italian sausage, salt
- (Optional: I like to put the meat in my food processor and pulse it 2-3 times to break it up into very small pieces. I think it makes the sauce smoother and yummier. Then add it back to the IP).
- Add onion to the pot and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, garlic powder, sugar, basil, Italian seasonings, and red wine vinegar. Turn the Instant Pot off.1 small yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 3 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil leaves, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and sugar, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Add pasta and finish sauce: Break the spaghetti noodles in half and place on top of meat mixture. Stir together the crushed tomato and tomato paste and pour over the noodles. Add water.8 ounces spaghetti noodles, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 cup water
- Pressure Cook: Push the spaghetti down with a spoon if necessary to make they are submerged. Seal the instant pot and set it to manual mode, high pressure, 5 minutes cooking time.
- When the time is up, allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, and then do a quick release. Open IP and gently toss everything together.
- Serve warm topped with fresh parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes, and fresh chopped parsley.⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley
Notes
- Instant Pot Bolognese: Add ½ pound diced pancetta, 1 diced carrot, and 1 diced celery rib when you brown the meat. Pour in ½ cup of red wine to deglaze the pot. Continue with the seasonings, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Only add ½ cup of water. Pressure cook for 20 minutes with a natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release. Add more tomato paste and seasonings, if desired. Stir in ¼ cup heavy cream with fresh parmesan cheese. Boil noodles separately in pot on stove.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs: Instead of browning the meat, add cooked, frozen meatballs to the bottom of the pot first, then continue layering the ingredients as the recipe instructs. Or try my Instant Pot Penne and Meatballs.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti without Meat: Skip the meat, and add the dry noodles in the bottom of the pot. Mix tomatoes and tomato paste together and pour over noodles. Add seasonings and water on top, then cook as directed in recipe.
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2018. Updated May 2021 and August 2025.
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Excellent recipe! I added 1/4 pound of fully cooked, seasoned pulled pork to make it like a Sunday gravy recipe, and it was delicious!!!
I made this today. Some of th noodles stuck together. I think next time I’ll make the sauce in the Instant Pot and the spaghetti on the stove. The time is the same, and the spaghettiwill taste better. Just sayin.
Deglaze is the term you are looking for. Also this should be more than enough liquid to operate the pressurization process. I often use only about a cup and it works fine.
Looking forward to trying this tonight! Can we increase the amount of pasta to a full box? If so, will that affect the amount of water in the recipe? Thank you!
Yes, you’ll need to add more water if adding more pasta.
Love this recipe.? It definitely tastes better from scratch!
Can I double this recipe? I have a 6Qt instant pot.
That should be fine, as long as the mixture doesn’t go above the fill line. 🙂
If we double the recipe, do we still cook it for 5 min and natural release for 5 min?
Yes. The pot will just take longer to come to pressure 🙂
The result was great because the Spaghetti was VERY good. However, I received a
“burned” warning on my Instant Pot.
Maybe because the meat was sticking to the pot. Have you experienced this problem ?
Instead of Crushed tomatoes can you use can? We can our own tomatoes and would like to use them…
Sure, that would be fine!
Thank you. It looks like I had an error in my comment. I meant to say whole tomatoes. Will that still work?
I have used whole, just crush them in your hand or with a spoon.
Outstanding….used all Italian sausage and added 1/2 t. Red pepper flakes.
I’m having trouble every single time I make this with my pot shutting off. It will not come to pressure. The manufacturer says that it is because there is not enough liquid in it. No one else is having that trouble. I have added upwards of 5 cups and it still shuts off. It comes out OK, but any ideas why this happens?
I’m having trouble every single time I make this with my pot shutting off. It will not come to pressure. The manufacturer says that it is because there is not enough liquid in it. No one else is having that trouble. I have added upwards of 5 cups and it still shuts off. It comes out OK, but any ideas why this happens?
If you fried meat first any stuff stuck on bottom may inhibit pressure building. Scrap it loose with some liquid. Process has a name of which I forget