Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs (+Video)
It only takes 5 ingredients to make this Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs! A delicious dinner will be ready in 30 minutes!
A SIMPLE INSTANT POT DINNER RECIPE
Ever since I shared my Crock Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe a few years ago, folks immediately started asking for an electric pressure cooker recipe. Instant Pot electric pressure cookers have become immensely popular these last few years and folks want more easy weeknight recipes that kids will love too!
WHAT KIND OF PRESSURE COOKER SHOULD I USE?
I have a pretty basic, standard 6.5 quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. It doesn’t have a lot of bells of whistles and is pretty basic compared to some models that are out there now. However, it gets the job done. Generally a 6 quart pressure cooker will get the job done for a family of four. Larger 8-quart pressure cookers are better if you are serving more people and need to double recipes.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- Italian-style frozen meatballs
- spaghetti noodles
- water
- beef broth
- spaghetti sauce
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS:
Add frozen meatballs to the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. Top meatballs with broken spaghetti noodles, spread them out well, otherwise they will stick together while cooking. It’s okay if they poke up at angles. The more room around the noodles, the better.
Pour in water and broth then top with pasta sauce. Don’t stir.
Cook on manual pressure for 9 minutes then quick release. Remove lid and stir and let sit for a little bit to thicken up, it will look soupy at first but allow it to sit for several minutes while stirring occasionally and it will thicken.
CRAVING MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES?
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian style frozen meatballs
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles (1/2 box) (broken in half)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup beef broth
- 24 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- Add frozen meatballs to the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.
- Top meatballs with broken spaghetti noodles, spread them out well, otherwise they will stick together while cooking.
- Pour in water and broth then top with pasta sauce. Don't stir.
- Cook on manual pressure for 9 minutes then quick release.
- Remove lid and stir and let sit for a bit to thicken up as it will look soupy at first. Don’t be alarmed! Allow it to sit, with the top off, stirring occasionally and it will slowly begin to thicken.
Video
Notes
- If noodles stick together while cooking, you can easily break them apart with a fork after cooking.
- It’s really important to allow the spaghetti to thicken after cooking. It will look soupy at first but thickens as it sits so give it time.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
it looks so good. It didn’t burn on the bottom!!!! I’ve always had trouble with that in other recipes. Now for the taste test and family test. Taste test passed!!! Family test passed!!!
My sister and I received our Instant Pot Duo Nova for Christmas and, with the exception of maybe 3 nights, we have used it for every meal. This was one of the first recipes I saw on Pinterest and we did it the following night and all I can say is this was delicious!! The only thing we didn’t use was Beef Broth because we used chicken broth instead but man this is so darn yummy! Couldn’t even tell the meatballs were frozen it came out that good.
I know I’m late to the party but used this recipe last night and it was so good! I live at high altitude (6000 feet) so I add 1 to 2 minutes for pasta. Once done, release pressure, opened, stirred well, and it was soupy. Unplugged the cooker, set a timer for 10 minuets, Came back & its perfect!
This was excellent. I did a half recipe (served two). When finished, I put some spiralized zucchini on top and pressure cooked it for one more minute. Also added a cube of basil pesto. Yum!
can I do this with fresh homemade meatballs???
My first IP meal! I used whole wheat spaghetti, homemade meatballs made previously in the IP, and left out the beef broth (didn’t have any). While it came out a little soupy as others said, the flavor and consistency were great after sitting for a bit and thickening! Next time I will use less water and maybe a little more pasta.
I point that out in the actual recipe that you have to let it sit to thicken for a few minutes. I’ve thoroughly tested this recipe. If you use less water or add more pasta, it will get gummy or the pasta won’t cook until al dente. Hope that helps!
Easy enough to make. I had too much liquid but that was my fault.
Can I double this recipe
Not only does this taste great but using the instant pot saves us from washing 3 extra pots and pans!!!! Fast, easy, and now in our weekly menu rotation. Thank you! I doubled the recipe in my 8-qrt instant pot and we had leftovers for lunch.
I made this tonight using freshly made meatballs and used a wholebox of linguine. I also added some garlic powder to the sauce for flavour and basil.
Can I add more noodles? This came out pretty soupy for me. I enjoyed the ease and taste.
So yummy! I did take some advice from other recipes and added some Parmesan cheese at the end and a small bit of cornstarch to thicken it. It would have been great even without that stuff, but my personal preference is a thicker sauce. I will definitely make this again.
Does it make a difference that my instant pot is 8 quarts instead of 6?
Made this last night- so delicious and creamy! perfect noodle consistency, the meatballs were cooked and hot throughout- so happy I found this recipe. Thank you 🙂
This was quick and easy. I really appreciate that. I would cut back on the water though. Maybe in half. My sauce came out REALLY soupy. I strained off the sauce, added corn starch and reduced it on the stove for another 1/2 hour, then added the pasta and meatballs back in.
This meal was easy and delicious!
I want to use brown rice noodles, how long do you think I would pressure cook them?
I accidentally got switched over to your crockpot version without realizing. Now my meatballs are on top, will the dish still turn out okay?
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Jan, I don’t recommend it unless you have a large Instant Pot. The reason being that you don’t want the noodles to become one big gloppy blob.
This was a quick way to get my s spaghetti and meatballs fix! I made a smaller batch using half the pasta and about 11 turkey meatballs, 1 and 1/2cups of water and 3/4/ jar of sauce for 10 minutes and it was good. Seasoned after mixing and added some sauteed mixed veggies…. Thanks Brandie!
I’m new to this, My pressure cooker is high or low, what would “manual pressure” be considered?
Hi Keiko – for almost all Instant Pot recipes, it will be high unless it specifically says low. Hope that helps! 🙂
This was Delicious. I will make it again.
I love quick instant pot meals.
Question Can I use homemade frozen meatballs
Hi Kathy! I don’t see why not! 🙂
No it’s against the law….jk lol I’m literally about to try this recipe for the first time right now just got the broth ready
It is excellent and SOOOO easy. I use Chicken Meatballs and 3 cups of Chicken Broth instead of water and Beef Broth.