Instant Pot Spaghetti (With or Without Meat Sauce)
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Only a few simple ingredients make up this whole wheat Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe that your family will love. You’ll have a nutritious dinner done in about 45 minutes and will only dirty up one pot! You can make it with or without our optional meat sauce (delicious!).
P.S. Check out of our Dump-and-Go Instant Pot Recipes for the easiest family dinners ever.
Why I Make This Recipe All the Time
- Fast and Easy: Sooo easy for a weeknight meal! I can simply dump 3 ingredients into the pot and have a hands-free dinner ready in about 45 minutes.
- With or Without Meat Sauce: While you can enjoy this recipe as meat-free, it’s super simple to make our flavorful meat sauce in the Instant Pot using my instructions below. My family LOVES this with meat sauce.
- Healthy: I used whole wheat spaghetti in this recipe because it is packed with nutrients such as complex carbs, protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, and zinc. And…no one will ever know the difference!
- Large Batch: This meal makes a very large batch and serves at least 8 people–especially if you add the meat sauce. It’s an easy recipe for a group. But you can cut it in half without changing the cook time.
- Budget-Friendly: Just grab a box of whole wheat spaghetti and two jars of marinara from the store and you’re down about $6-7 depending on the brands. That’s less than $1/serving!!
Ingredients
For meatless Instant Pot Spaghetti, you’ll just need water, whole wheat spaghetti, and your favorite store-bought marinara sauce.
However, the picture below shows all the ingredients if you decide to make it with meat sauce…yum! For the meat sauce version, you’ll also need an onion, garlic, ground beef, and a few pantry seasonings.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti (With NO Meat)
Add Ingredients
Add the water. Break the spaghetti in half and spread it out in layers, criss crossing each other. Make sure they aren’t clumped together. Pour the sauce over the top and make sure all the pasta is covered. DO NOT STIR.
Pressure Cook & Serve
Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 4-5 minutes (no longer!). Then do a quick release of the rest of the pressure. Stir and let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes so it thickens up.
Enjoy right away with lots of Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil on top, if desired.
See my Cooking Notes in the recipe below to find out what to do if you get a Burn Notice or if the pasta isn’t quite done. I’ve been there, done that, and figured it out for you!
What to Do If You Get a Burn Notice
Sometimes the pasta can stick to the bottom of your pot and cause a burn notice as it’s coming to pressure. If you happen to get a burn notice, here’s what to do. Press cancel. Add 1/2 cup more water and shift the pasta slightly. Try again. It should work this time.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti WITH Meat Sauce
This is my favorite way to make this! My family loves it. Here’s how to make it with meat sauce in one pot:
Cook the Meat
Turn on the Saute function on high. Heat olive oil. Add diced onion and saute until soft.
Add the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic. If there’s a lot of excess grease, carefully drain off some of it. Turn off the Saute function.
Add Ingredients
Add the water. Break the spaghetti in half and spread it out in layers, criss crossing each other. Make sure they aren’t clumped together. Pour the sauce over the top and make sure all the pasta is covered. DO NOT STIR.
Pressure Cook & Serve
Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes (it will take 15-20 minutes for the pot to build pressure before beginning to cook). Let the pressure naturally release for 4-5 minutes (no longer!). Then do a quick release of the rest of the pressure. Stir and let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes so it thickens up (this is imperative!).
Enjoy right away with lots of Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil on top, if desired.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Spaghetti
FAQs
Yes, I tested making half of this recipe (8 ounces pasta, 1 jar marinara, 2 cups water), and it works the same way. Just cut all the ingredients in half but cook for the SAME time length. This will serve 3-4 people.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free pasta but from the articles I’ve read I would not suggest it. Instead, make our gluten-free Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce and cook your gluten-free pasta on the stove top instead.
Leftovers will last 3-5 days in an air-tight container.
If for some reason your pasta is not fully done after releasing the pressure, turn on the Saute mode on low and add a 1/2 cup water (or more as needed). Stir and let it cook for a few minutes. It will soften up.
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Instant Pot Spaghetti (With or Without Meat Sauce)
Only 3 ingredients make up this nutritious dinner recipe that your family will love. You’ll have this done in about 45 minutes and will only dirty up one pot! See Cooking Notes for how to make this with a delicious meat sauce.
Ingredients
For Optional Meat Sauce:
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef (sub: ground turkey)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
For Meatless Version:
- 4 cups water
- 16 ounces (full package) whole wheat spaghetti
- 2 (24-ounce) jars marinara sauce (I used our Homemade Marinara)
- Optional, for serving: freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped parsley or basil
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Instructions
To Make WITH Meat Sauce: (skip this part if you want to make a meatless version)
- Turn on the Saute function (on high) and heat 1 teaspoon olive oil.
- Add 1 diced small onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add in 4 minced garlic cloves and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add in 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey. Break it up with a wooden spoon while it cooks and season it with 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Saute until cooked through. Drain off excess grease, if desired.
- Then follow the rest of the recipe below.
To Make WITHOUT Meat:
- Add water to the Instant Pot. Break the spaghetti in half and add to the pot, spreading it out in thin layers over the liquid, criss crossing each layer. Make sure it’s not clumped together. Pour the marinara over the pasta and make sure all the pasta is submerged. DO NOT STIR.
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes (it will take about 15-20 minutes to come to pressure before starting to cook). When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 4-5 minutes (meaning, do not touch). Then, quick release the rest of the pressure by turning the valve. (If the pasta isn’t done enough, turn on the Saute function, add 1/2 cup of water or more as needed, and stir for a few minutes until it’s softer.)
- It will seem soupy at first. Simply stir and let the pasta sit for a few minutes. It will absorb more of the liquid and thicken up a bit. Serve warm and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and/or fresh chopped herbs like basil or parsley.
Notes/Tips
- How to Cut This Recipe in Half: I tested making half of this recipe (8 ounces pasta, 1 jar marinara, 2 cups water), and it works the same way. Just cut all the ingredients in half but cook for the SAME time length. This will serve 3-4 people.
- What to Do If You Get a Burn Notice: Occasionally the pasta can stick to the bottom of your pot and cause a burn notice as it’s coming to pressure. If you happen to get a burn notice, here’s what to do. Press cancel. Add 1/2 cup more water and shift the pasta slightly. Try again. It should work this time.
- The longer the pasta sits in the pot, the softer it gets. So I suggest eating it right away and/or turning off the “warm” mode. You may also want to transfer it to another dish instead of letting it sit in the Instant Pot (because of the residual heat).
- I have not tested this with regular (not whole wheat) spaghetti. Please let me know if you do.
- I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free pasta but from the articles I’ve read I would not suggest it. Instead, make our gluten-free Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce and cook your gluten-free pasta on the stove top instead.
I made half of this recipe using regular spaghetti. It came out perfect. So easy!
Yay! Glad to hear this Toni. Thanks for leaving a review.
I love making it and my family loves eating it. Tastes better than when I make it on the stove.
So glad this is a winner recipe for your fam Julie! Thanks for leaving a review.
This recipe is so creative and easy! I tried both versions and the meat option is my favorite! I love how the pasta cooking in the sauce makes everything so silky – it has a great texture. Makes weeknight spaghetti so much faster cooking everything in one pot – with no pasta water facial required!
Hi Whitney! So glad you enjoyed this recipe… my family likes it best with meat too! I hadn’t thought about the lack of pasta water facial. 🙂 I just love how quick it is to make and having one pot for clean up! Thanks for leaving a review.
Easy recipe to use. I used thin spaghetti & it was perfect. Definitely a recipe keeper.
Hi Johanna. So glad you found a keeper! Thanks for leaving a review.
I made it with whole grain thin spaghetti used about 3/4 lb of pasta 1 lb of ground turkey and one jar of sauce with one jar of water. I have the ninja foodi xl and I put it on high pressure for 5 minutes. The pasta was cooked perfectly even though it clumped together it was still cooked Al dente. This was a good recipe to play with! I can’t wait to make more stuff!
Thanks for the tips and feedback, Elva! Glad you liked it!
If I want to double the recipe do I double the marinara sauce and water as well? What about the cooking time?
I haven’t tried doubling it, Lori, so I’m not sure. It seems to me that this is one Instant Pot recipe, though, where you would double the liquid. You don’t necessarily have to do that when doubling a cut of meat or something like that.
I don’t think you need to increase the cook time, so I’d start with what is written in the recipe. If that pasta isn’t al dente, however, then cook another 1 minute.
If I add frozen meatballs to this, should i increase my cook time?
I haven’t tested meatballs in this recipe, but if they are pre-cooked frozen meatballs, they would take 3-5 minutes in sauce by themselves. So, I think they should work in this recipe. Let us know if you test it and what your thoughts are!
This looks wonderful but I wish you had instant pot directions on how to make the marinara as well vs it having slow cooker directions and this having instant pot directions.
It’s a good idea. We’ll try to get a recipe for that eventually.
I use a stovetop pressure cooker. Would you have any idea how the amount of time would compare with an electric pressure cooker? I’m not sure about when an electric cooker cooks for 4 minutes; is that the entire time it is on, or is that the amount of time at pressure? (with a stove top cooker you count the time when it is at pressure, so the warming up time is not counted, if that makes sense.)
Hi Brenda. I’m so sorry, but I’ve never used a stovetop pressure cooker. To answer one of your questions, when we say “cook at high pressure for 4 minutes” that is NOT including the amount of time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes for this recipe to come to pressure. The 4 minutes begins when the valve seals. Not sure if that helps or not.
I am ahving difficulty finding a whole wheat pasta my family will eat. They don’t seem to like the texture.
I know, it’s hard to switch once they’re used to white pasta. Sorry! There are some brands that add in some whole grains and/or added protein but it still looks like white pasta.