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angle view of spaghetti and meat sauce in the instant pot
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5 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Saucy and beefy, this Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce cooks up together in under 30 minutes! The pasta absorbs a ton of flavor from the sauce, and there's only one pot to clean up.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Time to pressurize10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 305kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef see note 1
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 8 oz spaghetti see note 2
  • 1 jar marinara sauce 650ml/ 24oz
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded

Garnish

  • fresh basil
  • more parmesan

Instructions

  • Sauté beef + seasonings- Select the 'sauté' function of your Instant Pot. Add the ground beef, basil and salt to the stainless steel insert of your Instant Pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking the beef up with a spatula, and stirring frequently. Beef is cooked through when it's no longer pink.
    sauteeing beef in the instant pot
  • Add garlic, then water- When ground beef is cooked through, add the garlic. Cook for one minute, until fragrant. Then add the water, using your spatula to scrape anything off the bottom of the pot.
    ground beef, seasonings and water in instant pot
  • Add spaghetti- Grab 8 oz of spaghetti, and break it in half. Scatter evenly in the Instant Pot.
    spaghetti in instant pot before cooking
  • Add marinara sauce- Lastly, add the marinara sauce, pouring it evenly over the spaghetti. Use a spatula to gently press the spaghetti noodles into the liquid below. DO NOT STIR
    spaghetti and sauce in instant pot before cooking
  • Cook- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the steam release handle to 'sealing', and pressure cook for 6 minutes. When the Instant Pot completes the cooking cycle, perform a quick pressure release: carefully transfer the steam release handle to the 'venting' position to release the pressure.
    Remove the Instant Pot lid- the pasta will look soupy at first, but as it cools, everything thickens up nicely.
    instant pot with 6 minutes on timer
  • Finishing touches- Using a set of tongs, gently work the spaghetti noodles apart, and stir into the sauce. Add parmesan cheese, and stir in. Taste the pasta and decide if you want to add more salt or parmesan.
    instant pot spaghetti with parmesan cheese on top

Video

Notes

1- you may swap for ground turkey or plant-based crumbles; if you use a fattier blend, you'll need to drain the fat before adding the water to the pot.
2- you may swap for your favorite pasta, though whole wheat, chickpea or alternative pastas have not been tested. To change pasta shapes, take the half the cook time on the package and add one minute onto it.
Storage + reheating
  1. cool completely, then portion out into meal prep containers
  2. store in the fridge for up to 4 days
  3. reheat in the microwave until steaming hot

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1146mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 4mg