This Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe cooks the pasta right in the sauce, and it does it in a pressure cooker for maximum convenience. A two-ingredient, 20-minute dinner you’ll put on frequent repeat!
Being a parent changes you in a lot of ways. And for me, it changed the way I look at recipes. If I’m browsing for ideas and something takes a long time or has a list of 20 ingredients, I nope out of there really fast. On a busy weeknight, I need easy, speedy, and kid-friendly, and this Instant Pot spaghetti checks all of those boxes! Add some Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs for a winning (and super fast) dinner.
What Makes This Instant Pot Spaghetti a Game-Changer
Meet your new favorite way to cook a spaghetti dinner! Here’s what makes this recipe so awesome.
- TWO ingredients. Okay, you also need water and salt, but I know you’ve already got those in your kitchen!
- Easy to make your own. Serve it as-is, make my ground beef variation, or find other ways to jazz it up. You can use this recipe as a starting point and make it your own with different additions.
- Done in just 20 minutes. No waiting for water to boil! The spaghetti and sauce cook together and the whole thing is done in 20 minutes. (Clean up is quicker too since you just have one pot to clean instead of two!)
What You’ll Need
With such a short ingredient list, quality matters for this Instant Pot spaghetti. Use a good pasta (I love bronze-cut) and quality sauce for the best flavor. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Spaghetti – Break this in half.
- Marinara sauce – Or another jarred sauce you like for pasta, like arrabbiata, puttanesca, etc.
- Water
- Salt
Meat Sauce Version:
- Olive oil
- Ground beef – Ground turkey or even crumbled Italian sausage are options too.
- Garlic
- White onion – A yellow onion will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
How to Cook Spaghetti in the Instant Pot
Dinner’s almost ready! You’re just 20 minutes away from Instant Pot spaghetti. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Combine. Stir together the spaghetti and sauce in the Instant Pot, then add the water and salt to stir again.
- Cook. Seal the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Do a natural release for 5 minutes, then a manual release.
- Serve. Stir the pasta and sauce, then serve with your favorite toppings.
Topping, Add-Ins, and Other Variations
Obviously, you can’t go wrong with a shower of Parmesan on top of your Instant Pot spaghetti! But here are some other ideas.
- Fresh basil adds a bright, fresh finish. I like to stir some into the cooked pasta before plating it and then also adding some to the plated pasta.
- Kalamata olives are rich and briny; quarter them and stir them into the pasta before serving.
- Butter might sound like an odd addition, but if you’ve ever tried Marcella Hazan’s famous pasta sauce recipe, you know. Add the butter with the water.
- Mushrooms, green bell peppers, onions, or zucchini would be awesome additions too if you want to work in some extra veggies. Use the sauté function to cook them in oil, add the sauce and scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot, then stir in the pasta, water, and salt. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed.
- You can't go wrong with meatballs either! Try my Vegan Meatballs or keep it easy with frozen meatballs.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Spaghetti
Serve this spaghetti as a side with Garlic Parmesan Chicken, or make the pasta your main course and round things out with greens tossed with Italian Dressing. A simple veggie side like 5-Ingredient Sauteed Garlic Green Beans or roasted broccoli would be great too!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftover Instant Pot spaghetti to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as the pasta will get mushy.
- To reheat: Warm leftovers in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave.
More Instant Pot Dinner Ideas
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti broken in half
- 1 (24 oz) jar of marinara sauce (or your favorite jarred tomato sauce)
- 3 cups water
- Generous pinch of salt
Meat variation:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup diced white onion
Instructions
- Place the spaghetti in the instant pot and cover with tomato sauce. Give it a good stir until the pasta is covered, then add the water and salt. Stir again to be sure the pasta is fully submerged.
- Put the lid on the instant pot and set the pressure to high for 8 minutes.
- Once complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release it the rest of the way.
- Give the pasta a good stir and serve with your favorite spaghetti toppings.
Instructions (for the meat version):
- Turn the instant pot to the saute setting. Heat the oil then add the meat, garlic and diced onion. Break apart the meat as you cook and continue sauteeing until the onion is translucent and the meat is fully cooked.
- Follow the instructions above for the rest of the recipe.
Nutrition
