Instant Pot Spaghetti

This instant pot spaghetti is one of those meals I make over and over again. It’s quick, easy, and everything cooks in one pot – including the pasta.

The whole thing takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. You brown the beef, add your ingredients, and let the pressure cooker do the rest.

What I love most about this recipe is that the pasta comes out perfectly cooked and the sauce gets nice and thick. It tastes just as good as the stovetop version, if not better.

It’s a great weeknight dinner when you don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen but still want something homemade and satisfying.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

True One-Pot Dinner – The pasta cooks right in the sauce with the meat and seasonings all inside the Instant Pot, so you skip the extra step of boiling noodles separately and end up with way fewer dishes to wash.

Pasta Comes Out Perfectly Cooked – The crisscross layering technique and pouring the marinara on top without stirring prevents the spaghetti from clumping or turning mushy, which is the biggest challenge with pressure cooker pasta.

The Sauce Gets Extra Flavorful – Because the pasta absorbs the seasoned liquid as it cooks under pressure, every single noodle is infused with garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes instead of just sitting under a sauce on top.

Dinner Ready in Under 25 Minutes – From browning the beef to plating the finished spaghetti, this whole meal wraps up faster than it would take to boil water and cook pasta the traditional way on the stove.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 12 oz Spaghetti, broken in half
• 24 oz Marinara Sauce
• 2 1/4 cups Water
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Basil, for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes until browned and no pink remains. Drain any excess grease if needed.

Step 2

Add the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step 3

Pour in the water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the spaghetti, fanning it out in a crisscross pattern so the noodles do not clump together. Press the pasta down gently so it is mostly submerged but do not stir.

Step 4

Pour the marinara sauce evenly over the top of the pasta. Do not stir. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

Step 5

When the cook time is done, do a quick release by carefully turning the valve to venting. Once the pin drops, open the lid.

Step 6

Stir everything together thoroughly, letting the residual heat thicken the sauce for about 2 minutes. The spaghetti will continue to absorb liquid as it sits. Top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil before serving.

Pro Tips

Fan the Pasta in a Crisscross Pattern

This is the most important step in the whole recipe. When you add the spaghetti, lay the first half of the noodles in one direction, then lay the second half across them in the opposite direction so they form an X shape.

If you just dump all the pasta in the same direction, the noodles will clump together into a sticky block and won’t cook evenly. The crisscross pattern keeps them separated so every strand cooks through.

Press them down gently so they sit in the liquid, but don’t force them. Some ends sticking up a little is totally fine – the steam will cook those parts.

Don’t Stir After Adding the Sauce

After you pour the marinara over the pasta, leave it alone. Do not stir it. This is one of those steps where you really have to trust the process.

The sauce sitting on top acts like a protective layer that keeps the pasta from getting direct heat on the bottom. If you stir everything together, the thick sauce sinks down and can scorch on the bottom of the pot, which triggers the dreaded burn notice.

You’ll get to stir everything together at the end once the pressure cooking is done. That’s when it all comes together.

Deglaze the Pot Before Adding Pasta

When you pour in the water after cooking the beef and onions, take 30 seconds to really scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. You want to loosen every single browned bit stuck to the bottom.

If any bits stay stuck, the Instant Pot will detect that as food burning and it will stop building pressure or give you a burn warning. A clean bottom is what prevents that from happening.

Run your spoon across the entire surface – especially the center where the heating element sits. If it feels smooth and nothing is catching, you’re good to go.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
• Instant Pot Mac & Cheese
• Slow Cooker Bolognese
• Instant Pot Chili
• Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you fan the spaghetti in a crisscross pattern instead of just dumping it in?

Laying the spaghetti in a crisscross pattern keeps the noodles from clumping together into a big sticky block during pressure cooking. If you just pile them all in the same direction, they tend to fuse together and you end up with unevenly cooked pasta.

It only takes a few extra seconds and makes a huge difference. Just lay one handful one way, then the next handful at an angle across the first, and you’re good to go.