This Instant Pot Spaghetti is a quick, easy, and flavor-packed dinner that comes together in one pot! Tender pasta cooks right in a rich, savory meat sauce, creating a perfectly comforting meal with minimal cleanup. Ready in a fraction of the time, it’s a busy weeknight lifesaver the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 450g ground beef (or Italian sausage)
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika optional
- 3 cups 24 oz / 680g marinara or pasta sauce
- 3 cups water or low-sodium beef broth
- 12 ounces 340g dry spaghetti, broken in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- Fresh parsley or basil chopped (optional garnish)
How To Make Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Sauté the meat
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add olive oil, then ground beef and diced onion. Cook for 4–5 minutes, breaking up the meat until browned. Drain excess grease if needed.
- Add garlic and seasoning
- Stir in minced garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Layer the ingredients
- Pour in marinara sauce and water (or broth). Stir gently to combine.
- Add spaghetti (do not stir)
- Break spaghetti in half and lay it in a crisscross pattern over the sauce. Gently press the noodles down so they are mostly submerged, but do not stir.
- Pressure cook
- Secure lid and set valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- Quick release
- Once done, carefully perform a quick release. Open lid and stir everything together. The sauce will thicken as it sits.
- Finish & serve
- Let rest for 2–3 minutes. Serve warm topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.