Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce Recipe

Bowl of Instant Pot spaghetti with ground beef.

Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce Recipe

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is a 20-minute pressure cooker meal that's easy, budget-friendly, and satisfies the whole family.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Resting time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 355kcal

Author Erin @ Suburban Simplicity

Equipment

6-quart Instant Pot
Spatula or cooking spoon

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef or ground chicken, turkey, or Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried basil or Italian seasoning
24 ounce jar marinara sauce
2 cups water
8 ounces spaghetti pasta or whole wheat spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese optional to taste

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot, and let it heat up. Cook your ground beef and onions, making sure to break the meat into small chunks as you go. It takes about 4-5 minutes. Drain the extra fat. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add a little water and stir to deglaze the pot so you don't get a burn notice.
Press cancel, and then add the marinara sauce, water, basil/Italian herbs, and spaghetti to the pot. Break the spaghetti noodles in half to fit into the Instant pot, and make sure there is enough liquid to cover the noodles. Press down if necessary, but don't stir. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
PRO TIP: Cover your pasta in the liquid to make sure it cooks properly.
Close the lid and seal, then cook on the high pressure setting for an 8-minute cook time. When done, do a quick pressure release of pressure (not a natural release) so the pasta doesn't continue to cook. Finally, give it a quick stir and serve it topped with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

- Some electric pressure cooker models have very sensitive burn sensors. To prevent this burn notice from going off, when using the sauté function, always deglaze the pot with a tablespoon or two of water or broth before adding other ingredients.

- It may seem like too much liquid after cooking your Spaghetti in the Instant Pot, but give it a quick stir, and it will be the right consistency.

- If using fresh ground beef, drain the fat before adding the remaining ingredients. It will be healthier and tastier.
- Whole wheat spaghetti or regular is great in this recipe.

Instant Pot Spaghetti with Frozen Meat:

Place the trivet/steam rack into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Place the frozen ground beef on top of the rack, then pour 1 cup of water into the bottom. Pressure Cook on high for 20 minutes. (1 pound = 20 minutes, 2 pounds = 25 minutes)

Allow the pressure cooker to NATURALLY RELEASE for at least about 5 minutes, then turn the steam knob to VENTING. Carefully remove the steam rack with a pair of kitchen tongs.

Drain the fat/water from the pot and then break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon.

If it’s still pink, you can saute it until it’s cooked through, then follow the directions for the remainder of the recipe.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used. It does not include the optional Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition