This 25-minute Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe brings restaurant-quality pasta to your dinner table with minimal effort. Perfect for busy weeknights, this one-pot wonder combines lean protein and al dente pasta in a rich sauce, delivering a wholesome meal that’s both nutritious and satisfying.
With just 380 calories per serving and packed with 21g of protein, it’s a smart choice for health-conscious food lovers who don’t want to compromise on taste.
Ingredients Section
- Meat Base: 1/2 lb lean ground beef and 1/2 lb Italian sausage for rich flavor
- Aromatics: Small yellow onion and 2 cloves garlic, brings depth to sauce
- Herbs & Seasonings: Fresh basil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
- Pasta: 8 oz spaghetti noodles, broken in half to fit perfectly
- Sauce Elements: Crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and red wine vinegar for tanginess
- Liquid: 1 cup water for perfect pasta cooking
- Toppings: Fresh parmesan cheese, parsley, optional red pepper flakes
Instructions Section
- Prepare the Base: Set Instant Pot to saute, brown meat with seasoning, drain excess grease
- Optional Texture Step: Pulse cooked meat in food processor for smoother sauce consistency
- Build Flavors: Saute onion until tender, add garlic and all seasonings
- Layer Components: Place broken spaghetti on meat mixture, top with combined tomato sauce and paste
- Add Liquid: Pour water, ensuring pasta is fully submerged
- Pressure Cook: Seal pot, set to high pressure for 5 minutes
- Release Pressure: Natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release with towel over valve
- Final Touches: Gently toss everything, garnish with parmesan, parsley, and optional red pepper flakes
Cooking Techniques
Want to make your spaghetti sauce extra smooth? Try this pro tip: after browning the meat, give it a quick pulse in your food processor. This little trick makes the sauce blend beautifully with the pasta.
And here’s another helpful hint – when you’re layering ingredients in your Instant Pot, breaking the spaghetti in half isn’t just about fitting it in the pot. It also helps the pasta cook evenly and makes it easier to stir everything together at the end.
Quick Substitutions
You can easily switch up this recipe to match what you have in your kitchen! Don’t have fresh basil? Use dried basil instead (just remember: 1 tablespoon fresh equals 1 teaspoon dried). Ground turkey or chicken can replace the beef and sausage for a lighter option.
If you’re out of crushed tomatoes, use whole tomatoes and break them up, or try pasta sauce – just skip the extra seasonings since they’re already mixed in.
Serving Ideas
Make your spaghetti dinner feel extra special with some simple touches! Warm up some crusty garlic bread to serve alongside – it’s perfect for soaking up every bit of sauce. A fresh green salad with Italian dressing makes the meal complete.
Put out little bowls of extra parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and chopped fresh herbs so everyone can top their plate just how they like it. For a fun touch, serve it with kitchen tongs so everyone can give their pasta that fancy restaurant-style twirl!
Storing Your Leftovers
This spaghetti gets even tastier the next day! Let it cool down completely, then pop it in an airtight container. It’ll stay good in your fridge for 3-4 days. When you’re ready to eat, splash a tiny bit of water over the pasta before reheating – this keeps it from drying out.
Heat it up in the microwave, stirring halfway through, or warm it in a pan on the stove. The flavors will have mixed together even more overnight!
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 28 ounce crushed tomatoes 1 can
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, for topping
- fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
- crushed red pepper flakes optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute. Add the ground beef and sausage, and season well with salt and pepper.
- Cook the meat, breaking the meat up into pieces until it’s browned. Drain grease.
- (At this point I like to put the meat in my food processor and pulse it 2-3 times to break it up into very small pieces. I think it makes the sauce smoother and yummier. Then add it back to the IP. This step is completely optional).
- Add onion to the pot and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, garlic powder, sugar, Italian seasonings, red wine vinegar.
- Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Break the spaghetti noodles in half and place on top of meat mixture.
- Stir together the crushed tomato and tomato paste and pour over the noodles.
- Add water.
- Push the spaghetti down with a spoon if necessary to make they are submerged.
- Seal the instant pot and set it to manual mode, high pressure, 5 minutes cooking time.
- When the time is up, allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, and then do a quick release. I place a towel over the quick release spout to catch the steam.
- Open IP and gently toss everything together.
- Serve warm topped with fresh parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes, and fresh chopped parsley.
