Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce is a fantastic dinner you can throw together in about 10 minutes. Sure beats using jarred sauce!
Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
Make this Instant Pot Spaghetti and have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
If you want to use a jarred sauce rather than take the extra few minutes of making a homemade sauce, no problem, it’s so easy. Try this recipe Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, but if you want an incredible meal my Instant Pot Spaghetti is the way to go.
Another delicious spaghetti dinner with pasta and homemade meat sauce is my Pressure Cooker Beef and Macaroni. It is also a one pot meal and totally delicious.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Spaghetti
Really, why use a jar of sauce when it is so easy to make your own homemade sauce in the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker. It tastes like it simmered all day and the process is super easy. You will never use a jar again.
If you don’t want to make your own sauce, I’ll tell you how in the notes section below.
Make sure you also are preparing my delicious Air Fryer Garlic Bread Buns, so you can sop up all the delicious sauce.
Saute Some Onions
If you want ground beef/turkey, sausage, meatballs, etc., in your spaghetti, check out my Pressure Cooker Beef & Macaroni recipe (or, just brown your meat in a bit of oil and continue on with this recipe).
Use the Sauté or Browning function on your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker and allow the cooking pot to get nice. Heating the cooking pot before adding any fat, helps make the pot non stick.
Sauté the onions for two minutes and then add the garlic and sauté one more minute.
Sink the Spaghetti into the Sauce
Add in the rest of the ingredients, including the spaghetti or pasta and close the lid. Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce is just about ready.
After seeing how quickly this comes together, can you honestly say you would prefer jarred sauce? Not me!
If you want to add in vegetables, like zucchini or carrots, chop them very thick and add them in when you add in your pasta.
Pro Tip: Brand of spaghetti does make a difference when cooking under pressure. I highly recommend using De Cecco Spaghetti. I have found that this brand is cheaper to buy through Amazon than in stores.
Unclump Noodles
Spaghetti noodles WILL clump a bit, but just take a fork and break them up and they will be fine and perfectly cooked.
Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
If you just want to make a pot of sauce, please see my Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce.
If you would like to make this recipe with jarred sauce, check out my Pressure Cooker Soccer Mom Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe.
Don’t forget Air Fryer Garlic Bread Buns, to get every drop of the sauce.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Pesto Penne + Video
- Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Instant Pot Baked Ziti (Pressure Cooker)
- Instant Pot Greek Lemon Butter Fettuccine Pasta + Video
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Microplane Artisan Course Grater
- Rachael Ray 24 oz EVOO Stoneware Dispensing Bottle
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Alton Brown Salt Box
- De Cecco Spaghetti
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Yellow/Brown Onion chopped
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds crushed
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ¼ cup Red Wine/Cabernet a good Cabernet!
- 28 ounces Diced Tomatoes w/Juice
- 3 ounces Tomato Paste
- 15 ounces Tomato Sauce
- 2.5 cups Chicken Stock/Broth (or 2.5 cups water + 2.5 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Chicken Base) (or plain water)
- 1 teaspoon Light Brown Sugar
- Parmesan Rind chunk optional
- 1 pound Spaghetti broken in half or other Pasta
- 2 teaspoons Dried Parsley Flakes
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Push Sauté or Browning function on Pressure Cooker. Allow it to fully heat.
- Add oil to cooking pot.
- Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add basil, oregano, fennel seeds, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper and give it a good stir.
- Pour in wine and deglaze cooking pot.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and mix to combine.
- Turn off pressure cooker.
- Mix in chicken broth and brown sugar.
- Add spaghetti to sauce and push it into the sauce as much as possible.
- Drop in Parmesan rind (if you don't have a rind, add about 1/8 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Not the powdered grated stuff, the real thing).
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook on high pressure (most machines default to high pressure) for 5 minutes.
- When Beep sounds, wait 5 minutes and then carefully release the rest of the pressure. You will need to do intermittent turns of the pressure valve to avoid anything from spitting out of the pot.
- Remove lid and stir in parsley flakes.
- With a fork or spaghetti server, separate any clumps which may have formed and mix in. The once clumped spaghetti will continue to soften as you are stirring, so don't worry that it may be a bit firm when you first look.
Notes
This Old Gal's Pasta Rule of Thumb
- Look at package of pasta and find the variable cook time. Choose the lesser time given and then subtract 2 minutes. For example, if your package of pasta says "cook for 8 - 11 minutes," take that 8 minute number and cut it in half, which is 4. Then subtract 2 minutes from the 4 minutes and you will end up with the proper cook time. In this case the cook time will be 2 minutes.
- After the 2 minute pressure cook time is up, wait 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- If the variable cook time on your package of pasta is 13 - 16 minutes, err on the lesser side. In this instance, the cook time would be 4 minutes. It is better to end up with overly firm pasta rather than mushy because you can continue to cook the pasta, but if it is mushy, there is nothing you can do to correct.
- If the pasta is too firm or al dente for your taste, simply put the lid back on the pot and let the pasta sit in the hot pot. The residual heat will continue to cook the pasta. Check after a few minutes to see if the pasta has reached the perfect firmness for your liking. If not give it a stir and let sit some more.
PIN this Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Quick Spaghetti Dinner
Jill-iv3 used your spaghetti and meatballs sauce many times, but I’d prefer to make the sauce. Can I just add the frozen meatballs to this recipe?
Yes you can. I prefer homemade too. Jill
You call for “28 ounrd Diced Tomatoes”. That’s supposed to ounces, right? Canned?
This looks great! I was wondering if you have ever used rice pasta and how it turned out? I wondered if your tip for cooking the pasta (time-wise) would be the same. Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
Rice pasta cooks super fast and usually it needs to be soaked first, so if you don’t soak it, it shouldn’t be a problem, but the liquid would need to be reduced as it takes less. I have not done it this way, so I cannot give you exact measurements at this time. Jill
So delicious and simple!
Hi, Fantastic Recipe! Was searching for a from scratch one pot, IP spaghetti recipe. Yours appears to be the only one. I’m one of those types that believes sauce is made, not opened and dumped and the only time sauce is in a jar is because you canned it. So then, added 1 sliced red pepper & 8 oz. sliced mushrooms to the onions & garlic. Now then, was not sure on the rest of the assembly, so added the halved spaghetti crisscrossed, then all the spices, then the 3 tomato cans, now poured in the broth and wine to sorta wash the tomatoes’ and spices into to the dry pasta, fired up the IP. Ok then, now I’m wondering about the assembly and what could be going wrong in there. So now I’m thinking maybe others weren’t clear on the assembly so I checked the comment section and found out I did it wrong, oh well if it’s real bad will have to give it another go. It got done, opened the lid to see what bad things had gone on in there, stirred it up with the big fork, nothing was stuck to anything, everything was well sauced, pasta perfect, sauce perfect, the final verdict wife liked it. I did not use fennel or sugar. As with any good pasta sauce there’s lots of tweaks that can be done and directions to take it. Thank You So Much Kevin
Thanks for the kind words, Kevin. Did you scroll to the recipe card at the bottom? There are step by step directions. Jill
I was looking for the Instant Pot recipe for a jar of sauce and spaghetti noodles so my son can make it. Any suggestions.
I changed a few things. I sautéed my onions like mentioned. Then I added my pasta. I put the pasta in different directions, so no clumping. I added a jar of sauce, a can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, and A jar of water. I high pressure cooked for 8 minutes, and let the pressure out manually. It was a little watery, but thickened up. Since I had no meat, I added mozzarella cheese to my bowl.
I just made this dish in my 6 qt Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker and it was super delicious. I followed your recipe exactly. Thank you. I am going to purchase your cook book.
Thank you, Tracey. Jill
No, i don’t think I’ve left this queztion before. My family doesn’t like the added tomatoes. How do I adjust the recioe if I don’t include them. Do I just adjust the liquid by adding more water?
Can this instant pot spaghetti recipe be made without adding the tmatoes?
Was looking for something quick on a Sunday being that it was already 830pm. When I looked at the ingredients, it was perfect. I actually do a sauce on the stove top and have learned to keep all of those well stocked in my pantry. I didn’t have any onions, and I normally use already minced garlic and just watched that for about a minute or so. My pasta was slightly undercooked but that could’ve just been me. I also didn’t have the wine, I know, who doesn’t have a stockpile of wine? I look forward to playing with this recipe some more.
I love how quick and easy this was to make! And that it was homemade instead of canned sauce. My family ate it right up.
This is delicious !!! The only change I made was , I halved the pasta.. A whole pound of spaghetti would have been way to much. I used half a pound and broke it in two and the sauce to pasta ratio was perfect. Delicious flavor to sauce.
I am glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you. Jill
Just want to compliment you on this recipe. I love spaghetti, and while my mom’s spaghetti was always good, this blows it out of the water. My wife and daughter love it as well.
Hi Kevin. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for the nice note. Jill
This is still my mainstay now – generally once a month (as we have left-overs for another full family meal). So good.
Tried it. Used spinach noodles and added 1 lb lean ground beef (browned on stove top before adding to pot). Got the “burn” message. Had noodles and tomatoes stuck to the bottom. Dumped it all into my spare pot, added another 1 cup water. “Burn” again. It’s edible. Not even bad. No clue why it burned though.