Easy Homemade Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll probably notice that this recipe is a departure from the usual, which tends to be international and/or spicy.  That doesn’t mean we don’t eat Mac and Cheese or Spaghetti; it’s just that I don’t post those recipes.

Recently I got a request from a special person (my daughter!) to post my spaghetti recipe on this blog.  She’s going to be living in an apartment at her university and plans to cook.  She requested some Instant Pot pasta recipes that aren’t on the blog, so you get to enjoy them too!

Tips

• Substitute ground pork or half quantity pork/half quantity beef for the ground beef.

• Substitute 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning for the dried basil and oregano.

• Omit sugar and add 1/4 cup shredded carrot.

• The spaghetti I use for this recipe is Barilla Spaghetti No. 5 which is a medium thickness.  Its stovetop cook time is 9 minutes.  If the cook time listed on your package is different, you may need to change the pressure cook time.

• Spaghetti tends to clump together when cooked in the Instant Pot.  You can reduce the clumping drastically by spreading out and layering the dry spaghetti in a criss-cross pattern.  If there are still clumps when pressure cooking is completed, stir the spaghetti and separate the clumps using a fork.

• I like my spaghetti to be cooked more than al dente, so I release the pressure after 5 minutes i.e. 5-minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR 5)

Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
• Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘6′ (6 minutes).

Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid.
• Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust time to 6 minutes (00:06).
• Press ‘Start’.

Instant Pot DUO 2 Minute Natural Pressure Release:

• Once pressure cooking is complete, wait for 2 minutes and release pressure.
• Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot ULTRA 2 Minute Natural Pressure Release:

• Once pressure cooking is complete, wait for 2 minutes and release pressure.
• Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.

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Easy Homemade Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Prep 5 mins

Cook 25 mins

Total 30 mins

Author Paint the Kitchen Red

Yield 4 servings

This Easy Homemade Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce recipe does NOT use jar pasta sauce.  The sauce is made from scratch and the spaghetti and sauce are cooked together to make a quick and easy one-pot meal that’s kid-friendly and delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste, optional)
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth or chicken broth
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 lb dry spaghetti
• Shredded Parmesan cheese
• Chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Select the 'Saute' function and pre-heat the Instant Pot.
2. Add olive oil to the inner pot.
3. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. (If the beef browns too quickly, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and press the ‘Saute’ button again.)
4. Drain fat or remove fat from beef with a small ladle.
5. Add onion and garlic. Stir until onion is translucent.
6. Stir in salt, sugar, dried basil, dried oregano, black pepper and crushed red pepper. 
7. Deglaze pot with a tablespoon or two of broth, stirring until liquid has nearly evaporated.
8. Press ‘Cancel’ to turn Instant Pot off.
9. Add remaining broth and stir.
10. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, but don’t stir.
11. Divide spaghetti into three batches.  Add spaghetti to the inner pot in a criss-cross pattern: add one-third of spaghetti over the tomatoes, spreading it out horizontally. Add the next one-third of spaghetti, spreading out vertically. Add the final layer, spreading out horizontally. (see blog post for step by step photos).
12. Using a spatula, push down on spaghetti until submerged in the liquid.
13. Close the lid and pressure cook for 6 minutes.
14. Do a 2 to 5 minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR 2 to 5).  *
15. Open the lid and stir spaghetti and meat sauce until combined.  If there are any strands of spaghetti stuck together, use a fork to separate the strands.
16. If you find the spaghetti to be too liquidy, allow it to rest for about 5 minutes, and it will absorb the extra liquid.
17. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan cheese before serving.

Notes

• Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
• * Use 2 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for al dente pasta.
• See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving

Amount Per Serving
Calories 579
% Daily Value
Total Fat 15 g		23%
	Saturated Fat 5 g	25%
	Unsaturated Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 60 mg		20%
Sodium 739 mg		31%
Total Carbohydrates 80 g		27%
	Dietary Fiber 21 g	84%
	Sugars 12 g
Protein 41 g		82%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

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