Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti
By Anna Young
Today Im going to be sharing one of the easiest spaghetti recipes ever. Thanks to the instant pot, I can minimize my clean-up time without sacrificing flavor or nutrients. You can actually have this instant pot spaghetti ready to go, start to finish, in just over five minutes . Just add in the spaghetti noodles, a bit of olive oil, some water, and a pinch of salt and then let your instant pot work its magic. Make sure to use authentic extra-virgin olive oil when making this recipe to ensure that its heart-healthy for you and your young ones.
Get ready to check out what is perhaps one of the easiest spaghetti recipes ever. All youll need is an instant pot in order to make a spaghetti dinner thats full of flavor and nutrient-dense. You can literally have these spaghetti noodles ready to go in only five minutes, from start to finish. What I love about this instant pot spaghetti is how absolutely convenient it is without sacrificing texture or flavor. Yum!
Spaghetti Squash Is A Great Pasta Substitute
It wasnt til I went Paleo that I finally sampled a spaghetti squashbut I undercooked it and turned my nose up at the squeaky, bland vegetable strands. But heyIm open-minded. I gave spaghetti squash a second chance at a swanky vegetarian restaurant, and thats when I finally had an epiphanythis gourds pretty awesome if its;properly cooked and smothered in a delicious sauce. Its not quite a pasta substitute, but this noodle-y veggie is a fabulous vehicle for an umami-packed sauce.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Noodles
by Adrianne · This post may contain affiliate links ·
It is super quick to make Instant Pot Spaghetti noodles and I am going to show you exactly how to do it! No more standing at the stove waiting for water to boil, throw it all in, press a button and put your feet up!
Pasta recipes like my Instant Pot Rigatoni with Jar Sauce, Instant Pot Spaghetti with Jar Sauce and;Instant Pot Pasta with Jar Sauce are simple and easy Instant Pot starter recipes.
This recipe is perfect for beginners as we take it back to Basics!
My Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese and Instant Pot Penne Pasta are slightly more advance, but I take lots of step by step photos so everyone can follow easily and make their own!
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Freezing And Storing Spaghetti
If theres a chance you have leftovers, theyll be even better the second day. I dont know what it is about Italian food, but its always better after the flavors have melded together overnight. One of my favorites for leftovers is Baked Chicken Spaghetti, it is so good!; Sometimes I secretly hope there are leftovers, just so I can have them the next day for lunch. Warmed up with a slice of bread and Im set!
- Storing: Like most dishes, this will keep beautifully in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freeze:;This will freeze for 3-4 months well. If I know Im going to freeze leftovers Ill try to under cook the noodles just a tad bit so they are really al dente. Using the quick release valve stops the cooking process. Once the spaghetti has completely cooled I will portion out in individual freezer safe containers or bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stove top or microwave. Enjoy!
Why You Will Love Making Pasta In The Electric Pressure Cooker
- Your days of babysitting pasta are OVER.; Add your ingredients, push some buttons, do some yoga
- NO MORE STARCHY WATER FOAMING OVER ONTO YOUR STOVETOP that’s the golden reason right there
- With this magical formula, you are almost guaranteed perfectly cooked pasta every time.; As always, times may vary slightly depending on the brand, model, and altitude
- So easy your kid can do it.; That’s worth the cost of an Instant Pot right there
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The Instant Pot Pasta Formula
To cook any type of pasta perfectly in the Instant Pot :
But theres no need to do all that math. Just use the chart below:
**0 is a real setting on the Instant Pot / pressure cooker. For small pasta shapes with a short recommended cook time, set the timer to zero minutes. The pressure cooker will fully pressurize but wont hold for any amount of time.
Our Method Of Cooking Pasta
Our method for cooking any type of pasta in the Instant Pot is a bit different, and well explain how we came to it below. But first, here is our basic method:
So whats the science behind this? Its simple: the pasta is already cooking during the time it takes to come up to the pressure, and the pasta continues to cook when the pressure cooker clicks off. The reason we do it this way is to minimize the Instant Pot from boiling over with starch. This looks like starch spewing out of the pressure release knob.
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Optional Brown Ground Beef In Instant Pot
*For Dump-and-Go Meal: skip the browning, sauteing, and deglazing steps below. Make sure to break the ground beef into smaller chunks, then layer the seasoned ground beef chunks, onions, garlic, dried herbs at the bottom of the pot.
*Pro Tip: This is an optional flavor-boosting step. If you have time, this step will greatly enhance the flavors of the Instant Pot Spaghetti.
First, heat up Instant Pot Pressure Cooker using Sauté More function.
*Tip: For older versions press Saute button, then Adjust button. For newer versions press Saute button twice.
Wait until it says HOT . This prevents the ground beef from sticking to the pot.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil in Instant Pot. Then, swirl your pot around to make sure the oil is coated over the whole bottom of the pot.
Now, add 1lb ground beef in Instant Pot, then season generously with salt & black pepper.
*Note: The ground beef will start to release moisture. At the 5-minute mark, discard the ground beef juice.
You just have to let the ground beef brown in Instant Pot. Simply stir them once in a while until theyre slightly crisped and browned .
Finally, taste the ground beef, then adjust the seasoning with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Can You Cook Pasta In Spaghetti Sauce
- Yes!
- Using a pressure cooker is the easiest method using these directions below.
- If using the old fashioned stovetop method the instructions are very similar
- just thin our your spaghetti or tomato sauce with water or broth
- bring it to a boil
- add dry spaghetti noodles I prefer to break them into 3 equal parts so everything is submerged
- cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally so pasta doesnt stick
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Spaghetti In Instant Pot
If youre new to using this high pressure pot, this is the first recipe you should make. If you follow the directions below youll never make it on the stovetop again.
Lets start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
With everything cooked in one pot it came out perfectly in just 10 minutes AND its been on the most popular Instant Pot recipes TWO years in a row!
You could make it vegetarian without meat, as is stated in the recipe card below, or cook porcupine meatballs in Instant Pot separately. Then serve them together and enjoy with parmesan cheese.
So yummy right??!! Its truly a grab your Instant Pot and set, then GO type of recipe.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Optional add ins for this Instant Pot recipe:
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 c. fresh diced tomatoes
Just in case you get the burn message displayed on your machine here is how to deglaze your Instant Pot so you can resume cooking.
If youve never cooked spaghetti in one pot before it is so much easier than cooking everything separately. I love how the noodles turn out cooked in the sauce too.
Instead of boiling them all on their own youre just adding some water to the overall mixture so it absorbs it from there.
Time needed:;10 minutes.
Add the ground beef pasta into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.
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Saut Onion Garlic Spices And Vegetables
Add the minced onions, minced garlic, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of dried oregano and dried basil in the pressure cooker. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the spices start to release their fragrance. Stir frequently.
Then, add in the minced carrots and celery. Sauté for another 3 minutes.
Taste & season with kosher salt and ground black pepper if desired.
Cooking Any Type Of Pasta In The Instant Pot
We wanted to create a recipe that you can use for cooking any type of pasta. During our research over the last few months, weve tried out at least 14 different types of pasta using this recipe. Weve had large degrees of success with almost all of them, with some variables.
Before we go into this, we have a caveat: What weve learned over many years of developing recipes in the Instant Pot is that despite this appliance claiming it works the same across the board, weve found that not to be true. So while weve had great success using this method of cooking nearly any type of dried pasta, you may need to tweak our recipe a bit based on your specific Instant Pot or other brand of pressure cooker.
Weve tried this recipe with three different types and sizes of Instant Pots with success, but be open to the idea that you may need to slightly tweak this recipe to get your exact desired results for whatever recipe you are using. We really wanted this recipe to be fool-proof but in the end there are too many variables. The variable here is the altitude of where you live, the type of pasta you are using and your specific Instant Pot. But we are confident that this recipe is pretty close to perfect, and has worked for so many different shapes and types of pasta for us.
However, were sharing this recipe because weve found it infinitely useful for making pasta, and think you will too.
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Why My Instant Pot Is Spitting Out Too Much Foam During Quick Release
Therere a few reasons youre having too much foam spitting out of Instant Pot:
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti:
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How To Prevent Foaming During Quick Release
A common complaint when making Instant Pot pasta is that you may experience sputtering and foaming upon performing a quick release of pressure when the pasta is done cooking. To be honest, Ive only had this happen once, and it was when I used a pasta brand other than my normal one. Which leads me to think that it could be brand dependent.
If you do experience this issue, there are a few tactics you can use to minimize and/or prevent it:
- Add some olive oil to the ingredients before pressure cooking. About one tablespoon per pound of pasta should do the trick.
- Release the pressure more slowly by turning the steam release knob just slightly instead of full open.
- Similar to the wooden spoon across the top of the pot stovetop trick, place a trivet over top of the dry pasta. Then add the water and salt and pressure cook according to the recipe directions.
Or you could just do what I did turn the steam release knob to full open and throw a towel over top to contain the overspray! #whateverworks
Serving Instant Pot Pasta
After eight minutes on high pressure, release the pressure valve to do a quick release of pressure, carefully open the pot, and give the whole thing a swift stir. The pasta will be too hot to eat and will continue to cook as you remove the pot from your pressure cooker and get your bowls ready. A few minutes of cooling and a flurry of Parmesan cheese will make this the perfect weeknight dinner.
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Instant Pot Pasta Formula
Since different pasta shapes require different cook times, here is what works for me:
Look for the suggested cook time on the box. Now, take the lower number and divide it in half. If an odd number is listed, divide that and round down. For example, if it says 7 minutes, divide that in half, which is 3.5 and round it down to 3.
This produces pasta that is well cooked and just right for my family. For an al dente pasta, or firm to the tooth, subtract one minute from that. For a softer and more tender pasta, simply add another minute to that cook time.
Whole Wheat or Gluten-Free Pasta: The cooking-time formula holds true for whole wheat and gluten-free pasta varieties, too. Simply refer to the cooking time on the package and follow the calculation above.
Which Type Of Pasta Can I Cook In An Instant Pot
Quite honestly, I prefer to cook shorter pasta, like penne, rigatoni, ziti, but you can cook any type of pasta in an Instant Pot.;
Theres one caveat when cooking long noodles, like spaghetti. First, you need to break the noodles in half to fit in your pot and then layer them in a criss cross pattern to prevent them from clumping together. Basically, just throw the long noodles in a messy pattern and you should be good to go.;;
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Whats The Best Way To Cook Spaghetti Squash
Determined to find the best method to cook spaghetti squash, I tested various methods for cooking spaghetti squashfrom microwaving and slow cooking to baking and pressure cooking. After cooking my weight in spaghetti squash, I can finally tell you that pressure cooking is the best and most effective way to cook this vegetable.
Ive extolled the virtues of pressure cooking before, and this is just more evidence of its awesomeness. My trusty stovetop pressure cookers have been workhorses in my kitchen for some time now, but these days, Im almost exclusively turning to my electric programmable Instant Pot.
Can I Add Beef Or Sausage To My Spaghetti
While the recipes that I listed above definitely serve as a good starting point for branching out, theres still something to be said about taking this specific recipe and adding on to it.
Another one of my go-tos for sauce is to simply toss either sausage or lean ground beef into the instant pot, along with some red wine, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes.
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