This is how I make Instant Pot spaghetti all in one pot. It is such a delicious and simple family dinner that you will eat on repeat!
I am happy to bring y’all one of my barely-a-recipe emergency dinners! This one is not made from scratch, but it is part of the reason I love it and make it often. 👍🏻 I make this with staples that I always keep on hand.
You can use any brand items you like. As for me, I am a Trader Joe’s girl.😉🙌🏻
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Convenience versus authenticity
Update: I have had sooo many hard core Italian cooks call me out for this recipe that I would like to respond. 😂 While making spaghetti from scratch may be more ideal, I know my target audience for this particular recipe. And no offense, but this is not written the authentic Italian cook. You guys are awesome, and I love you! 😘
So who is this for? This recipe is for the busy person who is simply just trying to get dinner on the table and cares very little about being “authentic.”
This is written in the spirit of quick and easy, but still yummy. For me, this would be my alternative to hitting up a drive through. Not that I never eat fast food either. I do sometimes.
But most of the time I’d rather throw this in my Instant Pot and call it a day. And after years of blogging (plus seeing the number of page views, pins and shares on this very recipe), I know a lot of you feel the same way.
So if you are offended by broken spaghetti or store-bought sauce, I still love you. 🥰 Promise! But this recipe is simply not for you, friend. Head back to the recipe index, if you wish, and find something you might like better. Okay, back to the recipe!
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I must admit that since I started making spaghetti this way in my Instant Pot, I rarely make it any other way. I am perfectly capable of making it from scratch. And maybe one day I will publish that recipe.
But with back-to-school season right around the corner, I knew y’all would appreciate me keepin’ it real.😎💁🏼♀️ And currently in our house, this is how we rock spaghetti night. 💃🏼💪🏻
First, you brown your ground beef in your Instant Pot. I take the opportunity to season mine up a little too – with some salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then I drain the fat off and set aside the cooked beef. I do not rinse the pot or anything.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti
The next steps need to be followed pretty closely, including the order put into the pot. And no stirring!
First add, water and salt.
Next, you are going to add the pasta. I take a handful and break it in half, and I place the halves in criss cross fashion, as shown below. This prevents some (but not all!) of the noodles from sticking together.
It doesn’t have to be perfect or anything. I would estimate that for a pound of pasta I divide it into 3 handfuls, broken in half, which creates 6 halves. Hopefully this is making sense!😆
Then I use my spoon and gently press the stack of pasta into the water. All of the pasta doesn’t need to stay submerged or anything. This just gets everything wet. Next, I add the ground beef in top.
And then pour the sauce on top of that.
Then cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. It will take ten minutes or so to come to pressure. After the time is up, I let the pot sit for 5 minutes on natural release. Then I quick release the remaining pressure. I always throw a kitchen towel over the top to prevent spewing.
Troubleshooting texture and liquid level
There is a delicate balance here. You want to make sure you have enough liquid for the pot to come to pressure. But when you eat instant pot spaghetti, nobody wants it to resemble spaghetti soup. 🙅🏼♀️Nope! So here is what I do to ensure the best texture and liquid level.
Heads up: When you open the pot, it’s going to look like a mess. It’ll be very liquid-y. 😬
And some of the noodles will be stuck in clumps like this.
No worries! Use your tongs to grab those clumps and stir them up to separate. I stir for a couple of minutes, and then I let it sit for another 5 minutes or so to let that liquid evaporate, stirring a couple times in that 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, it’ll look like this. 😍👌🏻
And congratulations ladies and gents, you have dinner! 👏🏻 If you want to gussy things up a little, add some grated parmesan and fresh basil. 🤩 Yum!
I also want to add that this easily yields eight servings and makes great leftovers.
Tip: I often pack leftovers for my kids’ lunches in vacuum sealed thermoses. It stays warm until lunch, and they love it!
I hope y’all enjoy Instant Pot spaghetti as much as we do!
Instant Pot Spaghetti Recipe
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Instant Pot Spaghetti (one pot)
This is how I make Instant Pot spaghetti all in one pot. It is such a delicious and simple family dinner that you will eat on repeat!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef raw - sometimes I use the 1.25 pound packs, so a little extra is okay!
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles uncooked - do NOT use angel hair, but only standard spaghetti noodles
- 4 1/3 cups water
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce (1 jar - we love Trader Joe's marinara)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
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Set the Instant Pot to sautee, and add the ground beef.
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Use a wooden spoon to break apart the beef into chunks, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
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Cook until fully browned, about 7 minutes, and then remove the inner pot will heat protection, such as an over mitt.
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Remove cooked beef from the pot, draining the fat off. Tip: I use a large plate with a few paper towels, and I just dump everything on the plate to soak up the fat. Leave the meat out of the pot for now. No need to rinse the pot either.
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Wipe off any drips from the side of the pot or from the upper lip. You don't want anything to drip into the heating element of your Instant Pot. Once you are sure the outer part of your pot is clean, put the empty inner pot back into your Instant Pot.
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First, add water to the inner pot, plus remaining salt. Note: The order of ingredients is very important! And NOT stirring is also important.
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Next, break the spaghetti noodles in half, and place into the water. Tip: I do 3 hand fulls, broken in half. This equals about 6 halves, and I alternate the angle with each hand full so that each hand full criss crosses the last at about a 90 degree angle. It doesn't have to be perfect or precise, but this simply helps to prevent some of the sticking.
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I use my spoon and kind of press down to make sure all the noodles get some water on them. They don't need to stay in the water, but just get all of them wet.
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Add the cooked beef back to the pot, right on top of the noodles.
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Pour the jar of pasta sauce on top, and again, do NOT stir at all.
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Place the lid on the pot, and set to high pressure for 4 minutes.
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Let the pot release naturally for 5 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure with the manual pressure release.
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After the pressure indicator has lowered, remove the lid carefully. It will look pretty watery at this point.
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Use tongs to stir well, and pick apart any stuck pieces. There will be a few stuck pieces.
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Allow the spaghetti to rest for 5 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate. You can give it a stir a time or two during this to help it out. The liquid will reduce after a few minutes.
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Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Leftover can be saved in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tongs are extremely useful for separating the spaghetti. (Amazon affiliate)
Do NOT use angel hair pasta for this recipe. Angel hair has a much quicker cook time that standard spaghetti noodles and will over cook and/or burn when used in this recipe.
I would not recommend this recipe for 8 quart models at this time. If you have successfully made this in an 8 quart model, please leave a comment and let me know. For now, I am guessing that most people who are having issues with a burn warning on this recipe are using an 8 quart model. I use a 6 quart model and have made this dozens of times with no issues.
Charity says
I’m going to attempt this recipe, but was wondering if you think I could substitute the ground beef with chicken? In any case, I will definitely try with ground beef but cooked chicken is what I have on hand today lol
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
It should still work with chicken, Charity.👌🏻 If it is already cooked, just add the water, then pasta, then cooked chicken on top, plus the sauce.
Cory says
I am new to using an instant pot, but this was an quick easy meal. My favorite part of the recipe was that clean-up was a snap. I did make a few changes. When browning Italian sausage , I added onions and mushrooms, added more garlic, and less salt. After following the recipe and the natural pressure had finished releasing, I added a little more sauce and two shredded zucchinis. My kids loved it and simply requested I add more meat next time.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am glad you enjoyed it, Cory!
Stephanie says
I got the burn notice after following all directions and I let the spaghetti sit for 15 min instead of 5 to thicken and it did not. Thankfully the people eating were children and not picky.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yikes! No stirring, right? Also, do you happen to have an 8 quart model? I have seen mixed results with these. You might try cooking it on low pressure if you choose to try it again. And with the liquid, it really helps to stir it really well a few times (after it is cooked). This helps the liquid to absorb/ evaporate.
jerickson0423@icloud.com says
Hello! Have you ever tried doubling this recipe? Would be interested to hear of people’s experiences. We are going to use this for a large group. Thank you!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Great question! I definitely would not recommend doubling this in a 6 quart model. It would get way too full. The risks there are (1) having the pot not come up to pressure, or (2) starchy liquid spewing out the top. You might could get away with it in an 8 quart, but I am not even completely sure about that.
Jen says
This is my first recipe in my brand new instant pot (8qt)! I only had ziti, so that is what I used. I didn’t see the note about the 8qt issues until it was already cooking, but mine did not burn. The recipe and the instructions on how to use the instant pot were easy to follow and the kids liked it! Thanks! ☺️
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Jen! So glad to know it worked will with ziti too.
Pamela craddock says
This is by far the best recipe for spaghetti that I have tried. Its now my go-to, we usually have it a couple times a month now. I do use beef broth in place of the water, which gives you a deeper flavor. I also use an 8qt Instant Pot.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Pamela! I am so glad y’all enjoy it. Beef broth is a great way to add extra flavor. Thanks for sharing that tip!
Michele Johnson says
I made this tonight for my family. My son can be a picky eater, so I wasn’t sure if he’d eat it already mixed together. I didn’t see until I had it going that the recipe was for 6qt. Pots and not 8qt. Until I already had it layered in the pot. Also, I used thin spaghetti and hoped it would work since it’s slightly bigger than angel hair. It was amazing!!! My son loved it and I kept telling my family how nice it was to just have one pot dirty instead of three different ones. I did have a little spaghetti stick to the bottom of the pot, but nothing was burned. I’m slowly gaining confidence in making more things!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad to hear it, Michelle!💖
Francine says
I made this dish for dinner tonight and it was a HUGE HIT! Our stove gave out a few weeks ago so we’ve been utilizing our microwave, toaster oven, air fryer and 8qt Instapot. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, marjorie!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Francine!! 💖 I am so glad y’all enjoyed it.🙌🏻
Melanie Barbour says
This was the very first recipe that I tried with my instant pot. it turned out AMAZING! i’m so in love with it.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Woo hoo, Melanie!🙌🏻 I am so glad. And thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a rating.