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.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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 is a delicious one-pot meal. This pressure cooker spaghetti and meatballs is easy to make and is ready in under an hour.
- 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
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Parsley or Basil
-
Put meatballs in the bottom of the inner liner pot.
-
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.
-
Pour the water/broth over the noodles.
-
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.
-
Put on the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
-
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.
-
The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure. Cook time begins when pot is at pressure.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Serve with some bread, and garnish with parmesan cheese, mozzarella, or whatever you like!
You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart pot.
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.
Katie
The sauce is incredibly watery.
I weighed out the pasta, drained the tomatoes, and added precisely 24oz of water. Straight to the trash…
Sandy
Did you even give it time to thicken? Sounds like you were too impatient.
Joanne
I haven’t even finished eating yet and I had to write this review! Fantastic! We have tried the “orange book” recipe and it was so hard after 5 minutes.. I was so discouraged about cooking spaghetti and meatballs in the IP until I found your recipe. I can say we don’t like our spaghetti al dente so 9 minutes was perfect! Very few noodles stuck together and my kids loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Adeline
This was interesting. One thing you might want to consider, use Spaghetti noodles. I didn’t have any so figured that Fettucini noodles would work fine. Nope. Bad sticking together, I think because there weren’t enough spaces between them.
And it was a bit runny. So I was disappointed a bit.
But the next day after spending the night in the fridge, WOW. It kicked buds! Taste buds. Can’t wait to try with actual spaghetti.
Sandy
Yeah, different pastas cook differently. I’m glad you liked it!
Tiffany
Delicious! I used 2c water and didn’t drain the can of tomatoes. 9 minutes was perfect. I have tried a couple IP spaghetti recipes and this is now my favorite. I love that this can be done in the time it would take me to boil water. Thank you for sharing this!
Jim
Thank you for this easy, delicious recipe. I can’t tell you how nice it is to eat a meal that feels “real” after a hard day’s work. Just wanted you to know how much your work and instructions are appreciated.
Sandy
Thanks, Jim! It means a lot to me that my recipe gives you comfort after a hard day.
AngelaD
Your spaghetti with meatballs is awesome!!! My kids loves it!!! It’s a keeper
Kyle
Amazing recipe!! Used angel hair pasta and frozen meatballs! Pressure cooked for 4 minutes!! Absolutely perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Tracie
Made this for dinner tonight. Turned out great! I was amazed at how the sauce thickened up and cooked into the noodles!