This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe is a delicious traditional pasta dish, revolutionized by the convenience of the Instant Pot!
Instant pot spaghetti is amazing with these quick and easy 2 Ingredient Dough Garlic Breadsticks or a green salad with Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing.
I’ve made One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, but of course, I had to make it in my Instant Pot too. Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meatballs is a quick and convenient twist on a classic Italian favorite.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
This dish brings together the timeless combination of tender meatballs, perfectly cooked spaghetti, and a flavorful tomato sauce, all effortlessly prepared in the versatile Instant Pot. This is a fuss-free cooking method for spaghetti and meatballs and is sure to satisfy your cravings for pasta, all while reducing cooking time and infusing delicious flavor into the noodles as they cook!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make spaghetti in a pressure cooker. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Meatballs – fresh or frozen, or you can use my Homemade Meatball Recipe.
- Pasta Sauce – Jarred, any variety.
- Uncooked Spaghetti – can use other varieties of pasta.
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese
- Basil – fresh, for garnish.
How To Make Pressure Cooker Spaghetti
I’ll walk you through the process of how to make spaghetti in an instant pot, and how to layer it correctly so you don’t get that dreaded burn notice!
Layer Meatballs
Arrange the meatballs in one layer on the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Add the noodles in a layer to the pot, then drizzle the olive oil over the spaghetti.
PRO TIP: Olive oil helps prevent the noodles from sticking together as they cook!
Pour in the pasta sauce and water making sure the spaghetti is completely covered. DO NOT STIR.
Cover and set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 10 minutes. When cooking is done, quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid.
PRO TIP: Setting the instant pot to 10 minutes does not mean it will be on the table in 10 minutes! It needs to come to the correct temperature and seal the vent before it begins counting down. Don’t worry though, your pasta will be ready in no time!
After opening the lid, stir pasta and meatballs together in the sauce, then top with parmesan cheese and enjoy right away with fresh basil on top for garnish if desired.
Don’t stress if your pasta looks “watery” after you’ve opened it up. Give it a stir and let it sit for a few minutes and the liquid should absorb into a delicious sauce.
Do I Stir Before Turning On Instant Pot?
NO! You’ll want to make sure you layer your ingredients exactly as described in the recipe below. If you try to stir the ingredients together you’ll end up with pasta noodles on the bottom, giving you a higher chance of having them stick and getting a burn notice.
Quick Release Or Natural Release of Pressure?
For this pressure cooker spaghetti recipe, you’ll want to do a quick release of pressure. This will prevent your noodles from getting overcooked. Once cooking time is finished, just flip open the steam valve and wait until all the pressure is released before opening. Give the ingredients inside a good stir and top with any parmesan cheese or fresh basil if desired!
Can I Double Instant Pot Spaghetti Recipe?
Yes, you can definitely double the recipe! Just make sure you layer the ingredients properly, and you’ll want to make sure you’re using at least an 8 quart size pressure cooker to avoid over-filling. The pot may take a little longer to reach pressure, but still go with the 10-minute HIGH pressure and you should be golden!
Tips and Variations
- Resist the urge to stir the ingredients together after adding them to the instant pot before cooking.
- Add more flavor to the dish by using a more flavorful pasta sauce, extra Italian seasoning, or freshly minced garlic.
- Want it spicy? Add up to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes for a spicy kick!
More Easy Instant Pot Dinners
Need a few more easy dinners in the instant pot? I have a few for you to try!
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Rice
- Best Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe
- Instant Pot Meatloaf Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Shrimp Boil Recipe
This super easy instant pot spaghetti with meatballs is sure to become a family favorite!
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen meatballs, I use homemade frozen meatballs, but frozen cooked meatballs will work too.
- 8 oz uncooked spaghetti
- 24 oz pasta sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange the meatballs in Instant Pot in one layer. Break the spaghetti in half and arrange them over the meatballs.
- Drizzle the olive oil over spaghetti. Pour in the pasta sauce and water, making sure spaghetti is completely covered.
- Cover and set the Instant Pot to High pressure for 10 minutes. When cooking is done, quick release the pressure and carefully open the lid.
- Stir pasta and meatballs together in sauce, then top with parmesan cheese and enjoy right away with fresh basil on top for garnish if desired.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
alisa hannifan
I have not made this yet, but can I use something besides the meatballs? For example, can I use smoked sausage or kielbasa? Or, if I want it meatless, how would it be layered?
Shawn
Yes, you can swap out the meatballs for sausage or kielbasa, or just leave it out altogether.
Christina D
This was my first instant pot recipe and it didn’t disappoint… I added some seasonings and minced garlic to the sauce and used broth instead of water. The kids loved it and it goes in the rotation. Thank you for posting.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Christina!
Larry
I tried other recipes for this, but yours is the best. Got rid of theirs.
Corliss
OMG, thank you, thank you, thank you! This turned out awesome! Never again will I dread making pasta, because now I only have the one pot to clean up!
Shawn
Yay! So happy to help! Thank you for your comment!
Lolo
I used Trader Joe’s party meatballs. I followed the recipe and added a few cubes of TJ’s garlic cubes on top. GOOD LORD this was soooo perfect! I faught to put in only 1/2 the spaghetti package but it was on point! The pasta was not under cooked or mushy. Thank you for this recipe!!
Ginny
I decreased the water to 1 1/2 cups the second time I made it. 3 cups had been very watery.
I a lso used gluten free spaghetti (rice spaghetti) both times.
Shawn
I wonder if the gluten free pasta made a difference in the final consistency of the dish? Either way, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
beth
My husband loved it and he is hard to please. Thanks for the great recipe. Easy and only one pot to clean up! Yay!
Shawn
That’s so great to hear Beth! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Don Corleone
Wow–you got a mention of your travel to Italy and your boat in one comment while also insulting anyone reading the recipe. You seem great.
Suzi
Funny!
I’m teaching my 18 yr old step grandson to fend for himself. This is recipe #2. Perfect.
Thank you
Sam
Question…I have made this recipie at least a dozen times and all but one time the noodles get stuck together in chunks and don’t cook all the way. I’ve tried increasing the time, a tad more water, chicken broth, less noodles and i still get chunks of not all the way cooked noodles. Any thoughts?
Shawn
Do you space the noodles out when you add them into the pot? Maybe try adding in a tablespoon of oil to the mixture would fix that? Sorry you’re having issues with it! Hope that helps!
maria
It looks delicious but tastes bland, which is a common complaint I have about many of these cult-like IP recipes that are, quite frankly, intended for people that can barely cook and don’t know what good food tastes like. If you’ve travelled Italy, you’d never like this recipe in a million years.
I used a sauce that I KNOW tastes delicious when used in the conventional manner. The flavour was totally destroyed in the instant pot and made the sauce taste really bland. I had to add a lot of extra seasoning (pesto, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder) and even then, the depth of flavour wasn’t there. What’s more, I added fresh shaved parmesan and the cheese scalded so badly that it stuck to the sides of the pot and and required extra clean up / scrubbing when I was doing the dishes.
I made this recipe at home to see if it’s something I could make on our boat as a quick one-pot meal that is easy to clean up in the summer months when we are cruising. There is no way I’d make this again unless I can figure out a way to keep the flavour.
Shawn
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the flavor Maria. I think that you can obtain a better flavor if instead of using water, you used chicken broth. I would not add cheese to the dish prior to cooking, wait until after it’s cooked to add it. Hope that helps!
Lisa
Wow! I used Penne instead of spaghetti because I only had Angel Hair. Absolutely amazing and so easy! I will never go back to the old way! Thank you!
Shawn
Woohoo! So great to hear Lisa!
Karen
I use angle hair and it turns out everytime
Lara Lyon
I’m not sure if this was asked in earlier posts, but what size IP is used for this recipe? I have a smaller one since I cook for two, and experienced spurting when I vented it. I am positive it is because I filled it too much, but I think it turned out ok. Even the “soupiness” some experience as they open it seems to go away.
Shawn
Hey Lara, this recipe is best in a 6 or 8 quart pot. If you want to cook it in a 3 quart, you’ll probably need to halve the recipe.
Julie
Great recipe! I made this on the fly after moving all day long. Lots of boxes, driving, and unpacking with it ending at 945pm. I had 6 to feed. I doubled the pasta and sauce, but couldn’t find a measuring cup for the water so I winged it according to the measurements on my pot. It came out perfecto! Thank you for a great on the fly recipe.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Julie!
Tim
If I double the recipe, will that mean I also need 6 cups of water? that seems like a lot
Shawn
I wouldn’t double the water, I think 4 to 5 cups should be plenty, but I haven’t tested this so I can’t be certain. If you do give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Maria
Recipe says to set the Instapot to “Manual.” Is that another word for “Pressure cook”? Newbie here. 🙂 Thanks!
Shawn
Yes! You’re correct! Enjoy!
heidi steindel
I use 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid for 8oz of pasta I only use 3 cups if i use the whole box and it comes out just fine.
Shelly Stamps
Delicious. But a bit too al dente at 10 minutes. Next time I’d try 11-12 minutes.
Shawn
Glad you enjoyed it Shelly!
April
I just got my first pressure cooker but it doesn’t have a manual button I really want to cook this so what would I do?
Shawn
You should cook it at High pressure.
Douglas
I just made this as a half batch. The bag of frozen meatballs had 6 meatballs per serving. So I did 12 meatballs, half the sauce, half the spaghetti noodles, and half the water. It came out just a little soupy so I switched on the sauté and cooked it, while stirring, to a better consistency. This will be my go to recipe for spaghetti and meatballs! Thanks!
Shawn
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it!
Kim
Hello! What if you just want to use ground beef vs meat balls? I imagine that I would season it first and place it on the bottom like you’ve done with the meat balls? Thanks!
Cristin
I made this last night and though I had a hiccup, ultimately it turned out great! I doubled the recipe (well, everything but the meatballs), and when I opened the lid, it was pretty soupy. I added some cornstarch to thicken it up a bit, but it still wasn’t quite right. Next, I added some cream, and presto… perfection! I also added a bunch of random spices like oregano, parsley, etc., to liven it up because store bought sauce can be pretty bland. Overall it was delicious and super easy!
Shawn
I’m so glad you were able to make it work Cristin! 🙂
Robin
I have a 2 quart pressure cooker. How much ingredients do I need to make this spaghetti & meatball recipe?
Shawn
I’ve never seen one so small! I would try and quarter the recipe and you should be good!
Jen
This recipe is so easy and the reason I bought and instant pot! Turned out perfectly.
Shawn
Fantastic! So glad you are enjoying it!
Cheryl Holtom
If making homemade meatballs that would be raw, do you have to cook them first before putting them in with the other ingredients? This will be my first time cooking in the instant pot.
Shawn
You could put them in raw, but I would turn the IP to saute setting and sear them on all sides first so they hold their shape better when pressure cooked. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Evie Litman
I made this recipe twice and it came out perfect both times. Just bought an instant pot so this was easier than I thought.
Stephanie Murphy
Can you use browned ground hamburger in place of meatballs?
Shawn
Definitely!
Moriaelini
This has become one of my go to meals for when I do not feel like making a more involved dinner. My husband and kids love it. I use a whole box of Ronzoni smart taste pasta (12 oz) and just add a touch more broth than three cups. I also use meatballs made from pork and poultry since we no longer eat beef. Every time it comes out brilliantly. I usually add extra Italian seasonings and use unsalted broth instead of water for extra flavor.
Shawn
Awesome! So glad you’re enjoyed the recipe!
Sean Wylie
Can you use macaroni for this recipe
Shawn
I think that should be just fine.
Kayla
Can this be made the same way in a regular crockpot?
Shawn
I don’t think that would be an effective way to cook this recipe. But you can try my One Pan Spaghetti and Meatballs for a quick alternative!
Mike
Shawn-I halved the recipe since I’m cooking for two. In order to keep the spaghetti covered with water/sauce, I had to add the full 3 cups of water even though everything else was half. The result was a soupy watery mess…I had to strain the spaghetti and heated up more sauce in the microwave to make it palatable.
So, if I halve the water my spaghetti isn’t covered…any advice? Should I place the spaghetti underneath the meatballs instead of on top?
Thanks.
Shawn
Oh bummer! I’m sorry halving the recipe didn’t work out. I would refrain from putting the noodles underneath the meatballs because they would most likely stick to the bottom and cause a burn notice. I’m thinking if you did try and half the liquid it MIGHT still work… reason being is that the water and pressure would boil up a bit and possibly still cook the noodles. It would take some testing to be sure… next time I make this I’ll try that and see what happens. Or if you get around to it before me, let us know how it goes!
Kirk
Soni need to change the Cooking time if I double receipt?
Shawn
Hi Kirk, I have not tested doubling this recipe. This is a good question because doubling a recipe in an Instant Pot does not mean increasing the cooking time like you would think. More items in a pressure cooker will make it fuller which means it will take longer for the cooker to reach pressure. For time-sensitive recipes that are undesirable when over-cooked (like veggies, risotto or pasta) you might actually need to decrease pressure cooking time. That’s because even while the cooker is reaching pressure the food is already cooking. I would probably keep the cooking time the same as a single batch. Just be aware that the pasta might be more cooked than in a single batch. Hope this helps!
Cristin
Kirk, just wanted to let you know I successfully doubled the recipe (sans doubling the meatballs) and it was great, thought a bit soupy. I thickened it up with cornstarch and some cream. I cooked for it for 10 minutes, as stated in the recipe.
Pat
If i were making this meal for a non vegetarian and a vegetarian, would the vegetarian get a bad effect or meat taste from being in the same pot? What do you think?
Shawn
My guess is that it would depend on how stringent the vegetarian’s standards are. Some can tolerate a meat flavor, while others can not. If you cook the meatballs in the sauce there will be some juices and flavor transfer in to the sauce. Hope this helps!
Karen
Can this be made with meatballs that aren’t frozen? Thanks!
Shawn
Hi Karen, Absolutely! Use them as you would frozen.
Kayla
Love this with spaghetti! Interested in your thoughts/adjustments of using angel hair?! My husband wants angel hair… I’m nervous to try it and would think I wouldn’t cook as long?! But will my meatballs still cook?
Shawn
I’m happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe! I have not tested this recipe with the angel hair pasta. The shortened cooking time needed for the pasta would not be enough to cook the meatballs.
Debbie
The flavor was good. I added exta garlic, onion, and mushrooms and cooked x 15 minutes. But when all was said and done, it was more like soup. We had to cook more pasta to give it some density. Would cut way back on water in future.
Angela
If I wanted to double the pasta, would the cook time stay the same? Also, would you recommend doubling water or sauce too? Thanks!
Lisa
I can’t eat spaghetti (allergic to gluten and nightshades), but my family loves it. I normally microwave store-bought frozen meatballs and then simmer them in a jar of sauce while I boil noodles in yet another pot, plus lids for everything. This saved me so much time and now there is only one pot to wash instead of a whole stack, and I can just run it through the dishwasher instead of hand-washing to save the rivets and non-stick coating on my pots. I will definitely make it this way from now on!
Shawn
Great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Laura
I love the instant pot and all of the recipes I’ve used so far whether they need a bit of tweaking or not. This one is for sure NOT the same. The sauce turned out very watery and bland. The noodles ended up in huge clumps. Also, it definitely took longer than 30 minutes to pressurize. I was skeptical of the bad reviews on this, but, after a ruined dinner I will be much more in tune to negative reviews.
Shawn
Sorry Laura, to me it sounds like the seal on your instant pot wasn’t on quite right or maybe your vent wasn’t closed all the way? It shouldn’t take that long to pressurize. That could be where the problem is. Hope you give it another try!
Penny
I think I’ve made this a dozen times by now. Exactly as the recipe. It comes out a bit watery, but thickens after a few minutes. The best part though is the second night. In fact, the second night is so good that I’ve made batches just for meal prep. Easy peasy.
Shawn
Love it! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Jaecee
The whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Shawn
Awesome! So glad you enjoy it!
Jackie
I’m an Instant Pot newbie and this recipe was LEGIT. Haha. If I wanted to double the recipe except the meatballs, would the cook time stay the same? Also, would you recommend doubling water too? Thanks!
Simone
Can u use. Angel hair pasta with this recipe. I have had gastric bypass and can’t tolerate large or thin spaghetti.
By using the the angel hair I don’t fill up as fast.
Also do I adjust the cooking time when using the angel hair pasta.
Ann
Hello! So glad I found this, thanks for sharing 🙂 I’ve made it with gluten free noodles (added 5 minutes) and very yummy, convenient, and worth a repeat, which I’m doing tonight!
Shawn
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Megan
Came out very watery and noodles were clumped together and not cooked in spots