• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simply Happy Foodie
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures / Disclaimers / Copyright
    • Contact Me
    • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug
  • Cook's Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
×
Home » Blog Recipe Posts » Dinner

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

July 30, 2018 by Sandy 148 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is a one-pot meal that is so easy to make! If you have some frozen meatballs and sauce on hand, this pressure cooker spaghetti and meatballs recipe will be ready in under an hour! It is delicious, easy, and no need to boil the pasta separately.

Spaghetti and Meatballs on a white plate

 

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Making pasta dishes in the Instant Pot is not something most people would think of doing, but it's really great! No pot of boiling water or draining to deal with. The noodles get a chance to soak up the flavors of the sauce. Dinner ready in under an hour!

Top view of Spaghetti and Meatballs in a pressure cooker pot

When making Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, just remember to layer the ingredients in the pot and don't stir it until after pressure cooking. This helps keep things from sticking, and ensures that the noodles get cooked.

Here is how to make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs:
four process images showing the addition of meatballs, noodles, liquid, and sauce into a pressure cooker pot before setting the cook time

If you prefer your spaghetti with meat sauce, check out my recipe here. You cook the meat in the pot and add the rest of the ingredients in layers like this recipe, before pressure cooking.

Spaghetti and Meatballs o a white plate

You don't have to use spaghetti noodles in this recipe. If you prefer penne, macaroni, or even shells, that's fine. You may need to adjust the pressure cook time for the type of noodles you choose.

The rule of thumb for pressure cooking pasta is half of the recommended time on the package. So if the package directions calls for 9 minutes, you will cook for 4 or 5 minutes in the pressure cooker.

blue banner with the words you might also like
Instant Pot Meatball Pasta Dinner
Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli
Instant Pot Pizza Pasta Casserole

Pin This Recipe

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs with the recipe title and Simply Happy Foodie.com logo

4.9 from 59 votes
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Print
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
9 mins
Total Time
29 mins
 

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is a delicious one-pot meal. This pressure cooker spaghetti and meatballs is easy to make and is ready in under an hour.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: pressure cooker spaghetti and meatballs recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 382 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Meatballs, raw, cooked, or frozen
  • 12 oz Spaghetti Noodles
  • 1 (14 oz) can Diced Tomatoes (optional), drained
  • 1 (24 oz) jar Spaghetti Sauce (or marinara sauce plus Italian seasoning)
  • 3 cups Water (fill the 24 oz jar once) or use broth
Garnishes
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • Parsley or Basil
Instructions
  1. Put meatballs in the bottom of the inner liner pot.

  2. Break the spaghetti in half and sprinkle over meatballs in a random pattern, so not too many are side by side. This helps prevent them sticking together.

  3. Pour the water/broth over the noodles.

  4. Pour the diced tomatoes, if using over the noodles, and then the spaghetti sauce over the noodles, and cover as much of them as you can with the sauce. This helps them all get cooked.

  5. Put on the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.

  6. Press the Pressure Cook (Manual) button or dial and then the +/- button or dial to select 9 minutes (7 minutes for al dente). High pressure.

  7. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure. Cook time begins when pot is at pressure.

  8. After cook time has finished, turn off the pot and turn the steam release knob to the Venting position, and do a Quick Release of the steam so the pasta doesn't overcook.

    Watch it closely, and if sauce starts to spew out with the steam, close the vent and release the steam in bursts until it looks like no more sauce will be spewing out.

  9. After the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid and give the spaghetti a stir. If any noodles stuck together, just use a fork to separate them.

  10. Serve with some bread, and garnish with parmesan cheese, mozzarella, or whatever you like!

Recipe Notes

You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart pot.


pink button with the words follow my pinterest board

Resources to make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe and more

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

More Dinner

  • Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes with Kielbasa in a black crock
    Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes with Kielbasa
  • Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole in a pot with wood spoon
    One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
  • Easy Baked Salsa Chicken in 3 tacos on a plate with garnishes
    Easy Baked Salsa Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken on a green plate with rice
    Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken

Sharing is caring!

57218 shares
  • Tweet
  • Share

My Instant Pot Cookbook is Here!

Instant Pot Cookbook Cover

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Jennifer

    March 17, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    Great recipe! I followed the spaghetti and sauce measurements accurately, but did 2.5 cups of water, since I used frozen meatballs. 8 minutes, and it turned out perfectly - no need to sauté to thicken.

    Reply
  2. Pam

    January 24, 2022 at 1:58 am

    This is Pam again regarding how much water to use for 16ozs of spaghetti. I've read where some said that their attempt was too watery. It's been a while since I've used this recipe but I remember it originally called for 8 ozs of spaghetti so I just halfed the spaghetti box amount. Has the recipe been changed recently from 8 ozs to 12 ozs? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 24, 2022 at 11:35 am

      Hi Pam, for 16 oz of pasta you want to use 4 cups of liquid. This recipe did change as there were some people having issues. But I think they didn't measure their pasta correctly.

      Reply
  3. Linda Wondra

    January 02, 2022 at 12:17 pm

    This is my go-to recipe when I want a shortcut spaghetti dinner. 😉 My regular IP version of spaghetti is a little more time consuming to make, but both are great! I modify by using my own home canned (put away) marinara sauce and I substitute water with low sodium V8 juice. I add in diced carrots, onion, sun dried tomatoes and diced pepperoni. All in all, this is a GREAT recipe, just as it is (without modifications)! Thx for sharing!!! Lunch will be served in short order!!!

    Reply
  4. Alicia Matheny

    June 23, 2021 at 6:31 pm

    Hi Sandy, this is my go-to Instant Pot Spaghetti & Meatball recipe. I've been using it for over a year, and it as been delicious each time. I saw someone mention a Tuna Casserole recipe, I'm going to try & find when I'm done here. Thanks for all you do.

    Reply
    • Sandy

      February 06, 2023 at 7:47 pm

      That's great! Here's the Tuna Casserole recipe: Instant Pot Tuna Casserole

      Reply
  5. Steve

    February 08, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    Round 2 tonight. 1.5 lb pkg meatballs. 1 lb Penne, chopped and sautéed an onion for more chunkiness. Vodka Sauce. Smells soooo good. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Steve

    January 30, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    Hi Sandy! This came out very well. I used Sorghum noodles and substituted 1/2 cup wine (for swishing the jar) for 1/2 cup water. YUM!

    BTW, recognized you when I found the recipe... been making your Tuna Noodle Pot (Casserole) for quite a while.

    Reply
  7. Cortney

    January 27, 2021 at 4:50 pm

    Turned out perfectly! Followed your recipe as written. The spaghetti looked a tiny bit watery initially but it turned into a nice sauce in the next few minutes after stirring. So easy and delicious - will definitely be making again! Huge time saver. Thank you!

    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Primary Sidebar

Hi there! I’m Sandy - foodie with a passion for cooking and sharing my tasty recipes. My hubby Paul, our Pug Gizmo, and I live in Washington.

Sandy wearing a black shirt and a red apron

More about me →

Reader Favorite Recipes

  • Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf on a white plate garnished with parsley
    Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf
  • Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
    Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
  • Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
    Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  • Short Ribs over mashed potatoes on a black plate next to a bunch of fresh parsley
    Instant Pot Short Ribs

More favorites

Footer

↑ back to top

Copyrighted Content
This website and its contents are the copyright of Simply Happy Foodie LLC – © 2016-2025.  All rights reserved.

Disclaimers

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

About

  • About
  • Contact
  • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs