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This easy and tasty Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner can be on the table in under an hour! Using frozen, pre-cooked meatballs, and a jarred pasta sauce, you can let the Instant Pot do all of the work for a pressure cooker meatball pasta dinner!
Originally published 9/13/2017
Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner
I love to cook. I mean, I do have a food blog! But there are those days. You know what I mean. Days that get busy with so many commitments that you finally get home and just have a stare down with your stove. Yep. Been there.
Sometimes you get take out, but if you have more than one or two mouths to feed, it can get expensive. Not to mention the time it takes to order and go get it, or have it delivered.
If you have a box of pasta, a jar of sauce, and some frozen meatballs, you can make a tasty and filling dinner for the family that won’t take too long, and won’t break the bank! This recipe makes a lot!
Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner is all about layers. You just layer the ingredients in the order I’m going to show you. Don’t stir it. Set the pot and go do something else for about 30 minutes (**It can take about 20 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, but that’s no biggie as it only cooks for about 5 minutes!).
When it is done, you Quick Release the pressure, stir it. Eat dinner!
Step 1) Put frozen pre-cooked meatballs in the pot.
Step 2) Pour in a 1 lb box of pasta.
Step 3) Open a can of diced tomatoes and pour it over the pasta.
Step 4) Pour a jar of pasta sauce (Marinara is my favorite) on and completely cover the pasta.
Step 5) Fill that pasta jar with water or broth 1 and 1/4 times and pour the liquid down the inside of the side of the pot so as not to wash the sauce off of the pasta.
Step 6) Sprinkle on the spices you want. I use Marinara sauce, so I use more.
DO NOT STIR!
Just close the lid and set the time for 5 minutes, or half of what the package says to do. 5 minutes works perfect on Penne, which is my favorite! **Due to the frozen meatballs, the pot can take 20 minutes to come to pressure. But it only cooks for a few minutes, so it’s still a fast meal!** When it’s done, do a Quick Release of the pressure. Stir it. Add cheese if you want. Eat it! EASY and TASTY!
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner
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Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Frozen Cooked Meatballs (small size)
- 1 lb Uncooked Pasta (I like penne or rotini best)
- 1 (24 oz) Jar of Pasta Sauce (I use Marinara)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 3 ¾ cups Broth or Water (fill the sauce jar 1 and ¼ times with broth or water)
If you use Marinara, Season it with These Spices - Your Chosen Sauce May Not Need Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 3 teaspoons Dehydrated Onion
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Optional Toppings
- 1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded (optional)
Instructions
Layer the Ingredients in the Pot - Do Not Stir!
- Add the meatballs to the pot.
- Pour pasta on top and spread out in an even layer.
- Pour the can of tomatoes over the pasta, evenly.
- Pour the jar of pasta sauce over, evenly, covering the pasta entirely.
- Pour the jar with the broth or water along the inside of the pot, making sure you don't pour it over the sauce and expose the pasta. Exposing the pasta may cause it to be undercooked in those areas (Remember to use 1 ¼ jars of liquid, which is 3 ¾ cups).
- Sprinkle the spices over the sauce.
Cooking
- Put the lid on the Pot and set the knob to Sealing.
- Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button or dial, and then the + or - button to choose 5 minutes (or half of the cooking time on the pasta package directions).
- **The pot may take up to 20 minutes to get to pressure, due to the frozen meatballs!**
- When the cooking cycle has ended, do a Controlled Quick Release* of the pressure until the pin drops.*A controlled quick release means you release the steam in short bursts, then longer bursts, until you can be sure none of the sauce spews out of the vent with the steam from the intense pressure. Then fully open the vent and let it go.
- Carefully open the lid, facing it away from you.
- Stir contents and mix in the Parmesan cheese.
- Taste and add more salt & pepper if needed.
- Top with the Mozzarella cheese, if using, and cover the pot with a lid (or just use a plate) to help the cheese melt.
- Serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner recipe and more
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What are the ingredient measurements and times if you have the mini? This seems too big for just 1 or 2 people. Thanks.
Just cut the recipe in half, and keep the cook time the same.
Just Grand! Thank you.
Hi Sandy –
Awesome recipe, thank you for sharing! I made this last night using fresh meatballs and it turned out great as you speculated above with Tina, so you can take that info to the bank.
My notes: I used the low sauté setting to soften about a cup of onions and a couple cloves of fresh minced garlic in butter for about 5 minutes, then added the meatballs just to brown for another ~5 minutes. At this point, I poured in the water to cover (thanks to Anna), and proceeded with your order of layering. BOOM! This turned out great. I am brand new to the world of IP so have been enjoying finding and testing recipes like yours, so this was a VERY welcome find. I’m still skeptical of the timetables involved (not being able to see inside throws me off my game!) so I kept the pressure timer at 10 minutes just due to my own paranoia. The dish was complete, balanced, piping hot, and easy to execute.
P.S. I’m so happy that I came back to write this review b/c I then noticed the recipe for Cheesy Taco Pasta, which I will tackle this weekend for a football party 🙂
Made this tonight and it was awesome! Super easy as well!! Thank you for this recipe! It will definitely be on our weekly meal plan!!!!
That’s great, Melissa! Thank you for your review!
Just got this on my birthday and have only made rice and shredded chicken breast. I have lentil bean pasta, so it probably has more fiber sort of? Will it take longer? (we don’t mind having the pasta more softer, as my preschooler likes it.
I would try half the time the package directions say.
Thanks Sandy ~ it turned out perfectly ~ I might make this every day 😉 but if I do & balloon up to 400 pounds I’m blaming you ~ bwahahahaha!
Hahahaha! I’ll probably beat you to it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Hi Sandy ~ decided to do this marvelous looking recipe for my first ever Instant Pot recipe ~I’m using a 6 quart duo but I see nothing in your recipe about HIGH versus LOW ~ so let me know fior my next attempt! Thanks ?
Sorry. My recipes are all High Pressure unless otherwise stated!
Just tried this tonight and it was awesome. I was a little skeptical about the amount of Water diluting the sauce, but it was not the case.
Thanks, Kathy! I’m happy it worked out for you!
Thank you! So simple, so good! I was busy and missed the beep, so it went 3 minutes after cook time before I released pressure. This made it a bit overcooked, but still delicious.
That’s great, Betty! I’m so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your review!
I never leave comments but: This was the first meal my spouse and I made in our brand new Instant Pot and it was a total success. We’ll definitely make again and it was a fantastic way to break in our IP.
Awesome, Rebecca! You are off to a great start, and I’m very glad you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for your review!