This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is the perfect easy family meal on the table in 40 minutes! Comfort food for the whole family made fast and easy!
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If you’ve been a reader of The Busy Baker for awhile now you’ll know very well how much I love a good, easy weeknight meal. And ever since I discovered how amazing the Instant Pot is I’ve been having so much fun coming up with all kinds of delicious easy meals my family loves. This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is our family’s latest favourite meal – it’s SO easy to make, it’s way more delicious than traditional spaghetti and meat sauce, and the kids just gobble it up!
Cooking pasta in its own sauce is the perfect way to create the most delicious, silky sauce because the pasta releases its starch as it cooks – and rather than pouring all that starch down the drain with the pasta water, using it to create a thick and velvety texture in spaghetti sauce is just a genius move. As this Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce cooks, the Instant Pot does all the work for you (which is why we love it so much!) and leaves you with perfectly cooked spaghetti noodles in a thick, meaty sauce that’s just to die for. What could be better??!!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrot
- Celery
- Red Wine (optional)
- Italian Seasoning (or dried thyme, oregano, and basil)
- Salt and Pepper
- Tomato Puree (or tomato sauce)
- Spaghetti Noodles
- Chicken or Beef stock
How to Make Spaghetti in the Instant Pot
Making Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce is SO easy! Use my PRO TIPS for the perfect Instant Pot Spaghetti every time!
- Sauté the meat and veggies for extra flavour. Cooking the beef and veggies first makes for a short pressure cooking time and it creates amazing flavour!
- Deglaze the pan to prevent burning. If you want to avoid that dreaded “burn” notice, deglaze the pan with a splash of red wine (or use a splash of stock instead if you don’t cook with wine) and scrape up any caramelized bits before pressure cooking.
- Layer the meat/veggie mixture, sauce, noodles and stock. Before pressure cooking, remove 2/3 of the meat mixture and layer the sauce, noodles, stock and meat mixture until everything is added.
- Do NOT stir before cooking! Resist the urge to stir before cooking. Stirring makes the noodles clump up and causes the noodles and meat mixture to sink to the bottom where they’ll burn. For even cooking, cook the ingredients in layers (as mentioned in the instruction above) and wait until after the pressure is released to stir.
- Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. The noodles only need 6 minutes to cook to al dente and absorb the liquid!
- Quick Release. Release the pressure manually. If you let the pressure release naturally the noodles will be WAY over-cooked.
- Stir well while it’s hot. Using a pair of tongs to toss the cooked noodles in the sauce will help any noodles clumped together to become unstuck, and it will distribute the noodles and the sauce evenly throughout the pot for easy serving.
- Serve immediately. Since the sauce contains a lot of starch from the pasta, it’s best to serve this dish immediately while the sauce is velvety smooth. (To reheat as leftovers, add a splash or two of water to a pan and reheat on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting).
If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet and you’re navigating a busy life while trying to feed a hungry family 7 days a week, I’d highly recommend investing in an Instant Pot. Mine sat un-used on a shelf for 6 months until I finally had the courage to give it a try, but once I did I was hooked. I most often use the 8-Quart Instant Pot Duo (affiliate link) because I’m feeding a family (and we like having leftovers for the next day), but I test all my Instant Pot Recipes in the 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo (affiliate link) as well so you can be sure they’ll work for you too! If you’re looking for more delicious Instant Pot recipes, check out ALL my Instant Pot recipes HERE!
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I hope you love this Instant Pot recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite side dish to serve with spaghetti? I’d love to know!
Kitchen Products I Recommend:
Looking for even more delicious meal ideas? You’ll LOVE these ones I’ve linked below!
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY WEEKNIGHT MEAL IDEAS?
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Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Equipment
- 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine
- 4 cups tomato puree (or tomato sauce)
- 3 cups chicken stock (or beef stock, or water)
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot on saute mode and when heated add the olive oil.
- Add the beef and cook until almost browned.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, spices, and salt and pepper and stir well. Continue to cook on saute mode until the onions soften.
- Add the red wine (replace with a splash of water or stock if you'd prefer) and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Remove about 2/3 of the meat mixture to a plate.
- Break the spaghetti noodles in half. Add about 1/3 of the tomato sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, and 1/3 of the stock to the pot. Repeat the layers again (add 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the tomato sauce, 1/3 of the noodles, and 1/3 of the stock), and then again.
- Do NOT stir. Simply make sure the noodles aren't in big clumps as you add them, and be sure all the noodles are submerged in the liquid.
- Add the lid and seal, turn the valve to sealing and set to pressure cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking is finished, release the pressure manually (be careful!) and remove the lid.
- Use a pair of tongs to toss everything together and serve immediately with some grated parmesan and fresh parsley (optional).
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