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.
Cindy says
No matter what I do I still can’t get it to stop the burn warning. This was my first try to do spaghetti and I chose this recipe. After the third warning, I finally just gave up, turned it off and let it sit for a while. I’m waiting to see how it turns out but this was really frustrating.
Not a fan. says
I followed the recipe exactly and had the same issue. On top of the burn warning there is a ton o liquid left in the pot. I wish I had not tried this out during an actual dinner run because I guess we’re ordering pizza now. 0/5, no stars.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Sorry to hear that! It is a bit difficult to troubleshoot, but I can try and guess how to help it turn out better. Did you stir? I never stir. Also, which model IP are you using? Is it an 8 quart by chance?
Kristin Roof says
Can I use frozen hamburger or have to be thawed?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I would recommend using thawed/ fresh.
Donna says
Thank you, I cut your recipe in half for my new ultra 3qt mini, it was easy and delicious 😋
i’ll never boil water for spaghetti again.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Donna! I haven’t made spaghetti any other way since we started making it in our Instant Pot. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback too!🙏🏻💖
Mitzi says
has anyone tried this recipe using a gluten free pasta based on rice, corn, or quinoa?
Lauren Morse says
I have used the Heartland Gluten Free pasta in the Instant Pot. It works really well. I liked it cooked that way better than on the stove. I always cook pasta for half of the time on the package plus 2 minutes (this particular brand says to cook for 9-11 minutes. So I cooked in the IP for 7 minutes.)
Bob says
Made this tonight and it was very good. We used Bucatini pasta (big spaghetti with a tiny hole in it). I think next time I’ll have a little extra sauce to top the pasta. Maybe use some meatballs too.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am glad you enjoyed it!
Robin says
Can this recipe be doubled?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I have not tried this, but I would probably not recommend it in a 6 quart model. Everything else I am about to say is pure speculation since I have not tested any of this. Maybe it would work if you had an 8 quart model? If that is the case, I would still reduce the cook time a little, since I know larger quantities take longer to come up to pressure (and cook a little during this time. Maybe try 2 or 3 minutes of cook time with 5 minutes natural release? Hope this is helpful! Let me know if you try it.
Mamasquama says
Hello! Thanks for this recipe, I did actually double it and honestly it turned out pretty good! The time was not correct because I have no clue what I am doing with this instant pot I just got for Christmas and honestly it might taste better had I gotten the timing right but for taking a half hour roughly to make, this looks and tastes yummy! If I knew how to post a picture I would but I have no idea lol happy new year!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! I am so happy you enjoyed it.💖
Lauren frydman says
I made this yesterday and it came out great! Just wondering What is the serving size for the nutritional information?
sKRATAZOID says
very easy recipe that did not take much time or attention. mINE TURNED OUT GREAT, THE PASTA WAS PERFECTLY TENDER, BUT MY MARINARA SAUCE DISAPPEARED… i THINK IT GOT ABSORBED BY THE PASTA, SO I ADDED ANOTHER 1/2 JAR WHEN IT WAS DONE COOKING TO GET IT HOW i LIKE IT. sO, WOULD IT BE OK TO ADD EXTRA MARINARA AT THE BEGINNING, OR WOULD IT DISAPPEAR TOO? LOL
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Sure, you can add extra if you wish. Also, that liquid (water) is what is thinning it out. If you let it sit a few minutes with the lid off, stirring a few times…it will evaporate and reduce back down.
dENISE says
bOTH TIMES i’VE MADE THIS, THE POT HAS SHOWN “BURN”, AND i HAD TO STOP IT MID-COOKING, TRY TO LOOSEN THE PASTA FROM THE POT. tHE FIRST TIME, CANNOT REMEMBER HOW i RESET IT, BUT IT CAME OUT FINE. i’D FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FIRST INCIDENT AND AM MAKING IT AGAIN. i STOPPED THE COOKING, STIRRED THE PASTA AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM BEST AS i COULD AND AM HOPING FOR THE BEST.
aNY THOUGHTS ON WHAT i AM DOING WRONG? i FEEL i HAVE FOLLOWED YOUR DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER.
Jenni says
The Same thing happened to me. I stirred and started it back up and the burn notice came back on. This time after stopping it I noticed the bottom is quite charred. The pasta cooked and tasted fine, but hopefully I didn’t ruin the inner pot…I will let is soak for awhile and see how it comes out.
Tracy Latour says
This recipe was amazing. I have to do a few tweaks like ‘DO NOT’ USE ANGEL HAIR PASTA. IT WAS SLIGHTLY OVERCOOKED AND USE A LITTLE LESS PASTA. YOUR RECIPE ASKED FOR SPAGHETTI AND I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED. lol thANK YOU FOR SUCH A GREAT WEBSITE.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad you enjoyed it!💖 Yes, angel hair would be overcooked. You’ll like traditional spaghetti pasta much better in this recipe.👌🏻