This delicious Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe is a secret weapon to get a kid-friendly dinner on the table quickly and easily. It’s among the easiest of my Instant Pot recipes, which is saying something since I ALWAYS strive for easy dinners!
For this recipe, I use store-bought spaghetti sauce and frozen meatballs. That’s because I can keep these ingredients on hand at all times so when life gets busy and I’m tempted to hit a drive through, I can fall back on this instead.
You can just as easily use your own homemade sauce if you prefer. If you prefer homemade meatballs, you can also make your own and freeze them. Or, make them fresh but cook them separately and add them to the spaghetti at the end.
Can I cook spaghetti in a pressure cooker?
Yes, you can pressure cook spaghetti in a pressure cooker in less time than regular cooking and with less water.
Pressure cookers can cook just about anything, and since an Instant Pot is simply an electric pressure cooker, the same is true for your Instant Pot.
What are the ingredients to make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs?
Since the goal for this dish is to make a kid-friendly dinner quickly and easily, I’ve kept the ingredient list simple. Here’s all you’ll need:
- spaghetti
- spaghetti sauce
- can of diced tomatoes
- frozen meatballs
- olive oil
- water
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
To make spaghetti and meatball using an Instant Pot just follow the steps below.
Let’s begin!
Step 1 – Add the Frozen Meatballs
Place the meatballs inside your Instant Pot liner and make sure they are not jammed in. The reason you don’t want to place your frozen meatballs in tight is that you want to leave space for the liquid and avoid burning.
Step 2 – Add the Spaghetti
For this step, you need to make sure you break the spaghetti in half and place it over the meatballs.
Step 3 – Add Remaining Ingredients
To finish this Instant Pot Spaghetti and Frozen Meatballs recipe we need to add the olive oil, diced tomatoes, sauce, and water.
Step 4 – Pressure Cook
Close your Instant Pot lid and turn the nob to “Sealing.”
Press the Manual button on your Instant Pot and make sure it is on high and set your timer to 7 minutes for al dente pasta or 9 minutes if you like it softer.
Once the Instant Pot is done, turn it off and release and turn the knob to “Venting.”
Once the pressure has fully released, carefully open the Instant Pot. It should look like this:
Stir the spaghetti and meatballs.
Your Instant Pot Spaghetti and frozen Meatballs is ready to be served! Top with grated parmesan, if you like.
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Frozen Meatballs Recipe
Now that you know how to make a quick and delicious Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs meal it is time to print the recipe with the exact measurements.
A classic dinner that your family will love.
- 1 16 oz box spaghetti
- 1 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 1 lb package frozen meatballs
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups water
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Place the meatballs at the bottom, but do not cram together.
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Break the spaghetti noodles in half and place on top of the meatballs.
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Add the diced tomatoes, sauce, water and oil.
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Close the Instant Pot and turn the knob to sealing.
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Hit manual, high, 9 minutes (or 7 minutes for al dente).
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When cook time is done, turn off the Instant Pot.
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Quick release.
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Open the Instant Pot, stir the spaghetti and serve!
Once you’ve made this and realize how easy it is, you’re definitely going to want to save the recipe to use again and again. Don’t forget to pin it so you can find it later!
If you enjoyed this recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, try some of these other easy Instant Pot dinner ideas:
More Instant Pot Resources
Love your Instant Pot? Find more Instant Pot Recipes here. And check out my favorite Instant Pot Hacks.
Do more with your Instant Pot with these helpful Instant Pot Accessories:
If you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get occasional emails with new recipes, along with tips and resources to help you get the most out of your Instant Pot.
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Lesley says
Made this tonight and it came out really good! Yay!
Anne Nielsen says
I have made this recipe several times. Family and friends alike all love it. And it’s sooo easy! The only change is we like a lot of sauce so I add another 24 oz jar of sauce.
Corinne Schmitt says
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for commenting.
Larry says
Made it, did not like it
Cortnee says
I have a large family to feed. If you want to double this recipe, should you still use 3 cups of water? I can’t imagine using 6 and the sauce come out like water. Or should I just make one batch, dump it and make another?
Corinne Schmitt says
I have a big family too and I just double the whole thing. The spaghetti absorbs the water and since you’re doubling the spaghetti too, you’ll need all that water.
Deanna Jessiman says
I tried this last night and turned out great! I used pre made raw meatballs that I thawed. I cooked the onion and garlic then put the eight meatballs on the bottom then added 1/2 cup each of pasta sauce and diced tomatoes then dumped a small bag of pasta ( penne 500g ). Then added the rest of the pasta sauce
(650ml) And the rest of the diced tomatoes (28 oz). Then added 2 cups of the water instead of 3 because
I used more then told to in the sauces. Added the olive oil. Locked up the lid and timed 9 minutes!
I was worried it was going to burn on the bottom and be to runny but it turned out perfect!!
Thanks
Corinne Schmitt says
I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you so much for leaving your feedback and sharing the details of how you prepared it — super helpful for others!
Phil Johnson says
does adding 3 cups of water thin the sauce out too much
Corinne Schmitt says
The sauce is thin. If you like a thicker sauce, you can add tomato paste before cooking. I haven’t tried the recipe with less water and more spaghetti sauce because I worry about the pasta not cooking through completely or possibly getting a burn error.
Scott Schleiffers says
You serve 7 people with 13 meatballs?
Corinne Schmitt says
LOL, no. I learned a long time ago that the portions I make for my family are WAY too much for others. Most of my recipes are created using the 6 quart with the average family in mind. I use the 8 quart and usually double my recipes to cook for my own family.
Cathy says
Could this be made without the meatballs, or would the spaghetti stick to the bottom of the insta-pot?
Corinne Schmitt says
Yes, you can make this without the meatballs. Just drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of the pot before setting the noodles in.