Instant Pot Spaghetti Wellplated Com

While I’ll ever be a fan of spaghetti and Baked Turkey Meatballs, cooking spaghetti in a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot has distinct advantages. In fact, I’d argue Instant Pot spaghetti tastes better than stovetop spaghetti. Here’s why:

As the pasta noodles cook, they release starch.Similar to Crockpot Lasagna, since the water isn’t drained off when making pasta in a pressure cooker, those starches become a part of the sauce, making it thick and silky.Everything for Instant Pot spaghetti cooks in ONE POT (including both the pasta and the meat sauce).The cook time is QUICK.The taste is supreme.

You might not ever want to make spaghetti (or Instant Pot Mac and Cheese) any other way again!

How to Cook Spaghetti in the Instant Pot

The general ratio of water to pasta in an Instant Pot is 2 parts water to every 1 part pasta.

This means that for every 4 ounces of pasta, you need 8 ounces (1 cup) of water.Thus, if you are cooking 8 ounces of pasta, you will need 16 ounces (2 cups) of water.

We love spaghetti Bolognese, so I made this recipe with ground meat, but it is optional.

Tomato-based sauces are more prone to triggering the Instant Pot’s burn warning. The water helps reduce that risk. You can drain away the excess.

The other key to avoiding the dreaded “burn” warning when making Instant Pot spaghetti with jar sauce is DO NOT STIR THE NOODLES.

You can put dry noodles in an Instant Pot. Start the recipe with the aromatics and sauce, lay the dry noodles on top, then pour on the water. Do not stir.

You can use this same recipe to make Instant Pot spaghetti no meat by omitting it, swapping meatless crumbles, or stirring in a can of rinsed and drained white beans at the end.

The Ingredients

Whole Wheat Spaghetti. Twirl away! Packed with extra fiber and protein, whole wheat spaghetti noodles help make this dish more nutritious and satisfying. Ground Beef. Lean ground beef adds wonderful, rich flavor and heartiness. Ground beef is packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Marinara. Since the Instant Pot spaghetti sauce is a major flavor component, the quality of the sauce is important. We like to make this as an Instant Pot spaghetti with Rao’s sauce or DeLallo sauce. Kale. Because I wanted this recipe to be a one-pot pasta meal, I also threw in several handfuls of kale. Like my Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, the veggies are sneaky in this spaghetti and almost seem to become a part of the sauce.

Spices. Simple spices like salt, dried parsley, onion powder, and red pepper flakes add flavor to the meat, which leads to a more flavorful spaghetti sauce after cooking. Feel free to play around and add other spices, such as garlic powder or Italian seasoning.Parmesan. No spaghetti is complete without a topping of freshly grated Parmesan!

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate spaghetti in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days. To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. To Freeze. Freeze spaghetti in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Instant Pot. Ideal for making this recipe. Wooden Spoon. Perfect for breaking up the meat and stirring. Spaghetti Server. Makes it easy to serve long noodles.

This Instant Pot spaghetti recipe is that magical place where the easier way turns out to be the more delicious way.