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
Caring is sharing! If you would like to support This Old Gal, please share this recipe on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes!
If you share a picture of something you make from our blog, tag it with #thisoldgalcooks so we can see it. We might feature it on Instagram! It makes my day when I see you’ve made one of our recipes!
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.
Thank you so much for publlshing this recipe. I have been interested in making spaghetti in the Instant Pot, but really didn’t want to use a jar of sauce if I could help it. Well, I made the recipe but only used half the ingredients (plus a half pound of lean ground beef) because it’s just my husband and myself. There were NO complaints from husband (for a change) and I also thought that it tasted really delicious! Now I can have spaghetti and meat sauce, made with the convenience of the Instant Pot, and no yucky pots and colanders from which to wash (and scrub!) that yucky pasta residue.
This is a great recipe!! Love that it doesn’t have a jar sauce. I added Italian sausage!! It is the best spaghetti I have ever made!! I have made it 4 times now!! So good it’s in my pot now!! ? Thank you
Thanks, Kellie. Jill
So good! I used whole wheat Rigatoni and added ground turkey. Delicious, thanks!
Since I am only cooking for two, can I cut the recipe in half? Does that change the cooking time. (If you cannot tell, I am a total newbie, just got my IP last night)
Thanks
Are you using a large or small clove? Makes a big difference.
Thanks and really liked the recipe
Hi Rick. We like garlic, so large cloves. Jill
This Old Gal, thanks so much for your recipes and tips. I like your website.
What is ratio of water to pasta for cooking pasta? I see that you said:
The general rule of thumb is to cook the pasta for 1/2 of the time, minus 2 minutes, erring on the lowest side, indicated on the package.
Still, I would like to know the ratio. Here, the tomatoes add water also.
Thank you.
Help?
Both times I’ve made this it has burnt. Could it be because I use spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce?
That would be my guess, Jeanne. Try using the recipe ingredients and let me know how you enjoy the recipe. Jill
How would I do this with homemade pasta which only takes about 2 minutes to cook anyway?
In the sauce it’s 28 ounces of diced tomatoes right? (Want to be sure. It looks great)
I don’t think I have ever commented on a recipe before, but I am so excited about this recipe I had to review it! I just made it tonight after 7 hours of baseball and softball games. It came together super quickly, even with defrosting ground beef and sautéing it in the instant pot. And the best part was that my whole family, including a very picky son, and 100% Italian picky eating husband loved it! My daughter and I aren’t as picky and we loved it too! I will definitely be making this again!
Absolutely delicious! I hoped it would be good but didn’t expect this good! And thank you for a recipe that didn’t take a jar of sauce! I searched pinterest for instant pot spaghetti and yours was the only one without jarred sauce! I did add ground beef. Oh such a good recipe!
Hi Tara. I am glad you enjoyed the spaghetti. Jill
If I have a bunch of frozen homemade sauce, do I have to adjust the water that I add /as opposed to using jarred sauce)?
Hi Robin. Since I don’t know your recipe, it is hard to make a guess. You would need to add water, to cook the spaghetti. Jill
Well, hey! That worked out! I used whole wheat pasta, browned 1.25 lbs. ground turkey on saute, and the rule-of-thumb pasta formula. This is only the third pasta dish I’ve tried in the IP, but it’s the first one where the pasta hasn’t been over-cooked. Hooray!
Hi Meredith. I am so glad your pasta came out great. 🙂 Jill
Your recipes for QUICK SPAGHETTI DINNER and PRESSURE COOKER SPAGHETTI DINNER sound like they are delicious.
Could the spaghetti dinner recipe use meat as well and start by browning ground beef and then adding rest of ingredients. Would all of the other ingredient amounts remain the same?
Just made this tonight and it was yummy! Thank you for a great recipe.
Just got my instant pot, looking forward to trying your recipes.
Delicious. I added a yellow squash shredded and squeezed, a half green pepper diced and a half red pepper diced. Because I had a 17.6 oz. packet of spaghetti, I added about a 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes that I had on hand and another quarter cup of water. I used the Better than Bullion mixed into my water. I had some issues with my noodles not all cooking at the same speed. Had to add 3 minutes after the first round and NPR. I had added frozen meatballs on top, maybe that changed the dynamic?? The sauce was fantastic. Easy peasy.
I made this a few days ago, exactly according to the recipe, with the addition of a small bag of frozen meatballs right on top of the other stuff. It was PERFECT! I love the fact that you can rely on TOG’s recipes to have perfectly balanced seasonings!
Hi Jessica~
I am so glad you enjoyed your meal. Thank you for visiting my blog. 🙂
Jill
I haven’t tried yet but knowing ahead of time that my husband doesn’t care for the jar sauce because of too much tomato-based. What would you suggest I do, if anything to make this be one he likes.
To clarify – if using your sauce recipe do I include the 15oz of tomato sauce as well? or is the 15oz tomato sauce if I’m skipping the sauce recipe and using jarred sauce?
Tried the spaghetti recipe today, delicious
I just got my instant pot today and I made this tonight exactly as stated except eliminated the fennel because I’m not a big fennel fan. This was AMAZING! Seriously probably the best spaghetti sauce I have ever eaten. The noodles stuck together a bit as stated but I just stirred it and they came apart. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for the recipe.
Hi April~
Wonderful news. I am glad you enjoyed your meal. Jill
I’ve made this 5 times now and it’s been perfect every time. I start with 1lb ground turkey and use a jar of good quality organic sauce. I also add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and a little extra red pepper flake. 4 mins and 5 mins NPR is the perfect time for us when using gluten free pasta. I serve it with a big salad and this is enough to feed a family of four with leftovers for one lunch the next day. Thanks!
I made this tonight for my family and it turned out wonderful! I browned hb meat with frozen bell pepper and onion mix on saute..drained the fat…I was lazy and used jar sauce 24 Oz so I added 1full jar and 3/4 jar of water for 5 mins. Thank you so much! Next time I’m trying your homemade pasta sauce ????
I made a double batch, using an 8-qt Duo IP. The sauce was amazing…
If adding jar sauce, what size Do you use?
I followed this recipe to a T, I was really excited to use this because I already shared the recipe with a friend at work who got an IP for Christmas! I used Cavatappi pasta, so set my time at 6 minutes on high. We actually all took a nap shortly after I set this up, so it went about half an hour on the keep warm cycle, but it is just perfect! When it was completely done, I added a package of large curd cottage cheese, and diced up some vegetarian patties I had made this week. It is incredible, my husband has already asked me to make it again. This is a hit with my family! Thanks so much for the recipe.I will make this again, frequently!
Susanne, you scared me a “to a T,” because it is usually prefaced by I had a failure and I followed this recipe…… Hehehe 100% of the time when I see that, they didn’t. Actually really following to a T like you did, yields great results. So funny you added cottage cheese. I do that too! So good.
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Jill
I tried this two nights ago and it was perfect. Fantastic instructions, thank you so much.
Hi Allidee~
Thank you. So glad you enjoyed your meal.
Jill
This has quickly become our favorite way to make spaghetti. So easy, quick and better for you than jar, store bought sauce. I really – really love this recipe. My family has two helpings of this recipe every time I make this. They even ask for more for lunch the next day. Highly recommend! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Sandra~
Thanks so much for the comments. I am thrilled your family loves this recipe. 🙂
Jill
I just got my first IP and haven’t had much luck with making something good with it. We have gluten sensitivities, can we use brown rice pasta instead? would I need to reduce the cooking time?
In the recipe it calls for diced tomatoes, paste and sauce, but I see crushed tomatoes in your picture! Do you use either, or… I like sauce made with crushed tomatoes so it caught me eye!
Hi Amy~
Either is fine. 🙂
Jill
Hi Jill,
I’m trying this recipe out and wasn’t sure if after the initial sauté step you have to change to manual mode to get it to high pressure? In sauté mode I wasn’t able to change the time or pressure. This is my first day using it! Thanks for the help!
Hi I just got my pressure cooker and am a total newbie. How would I adjust this if I wanted to use whole wheat noodles and added some ground turkey?
Sorry I can’t help you but I am hoping someone will answer you. I actually had to use ww pasta last night (all I had)….I am a newbie as well….didn’t have all ingredients so I had to “wing it”. I have lyme disease my brain wasnt functioning too well & I needed something quick…. It turned out ok but spaghetti wasn’t cooked enough (for me). … I can’t wait until I can make the recipe by the letter (planned with correct ingredients) it sounds amazing. Good luck 🙂
Is there something than can be used instead of red wine? Id like to try this tonight, but no wine in the house…
Hi Ruthie~
You can use another liquid to make up for the amount of red wine, but you won’t get the delicious depth of flavor that red wine adds to red sauces.
Jill
I followed this almost to the tee. It turned out fabulous! I’m a believer! Thanks for the recipe and the directions.
Hi Mary~
Almost to a tee, uh oh, what did you do differently? I bet it will be fabulous. Let me know.
Jill
Made with jarred sauce and added 1 1/2 jars of water as suggested. Turned out very watery and not very flavorful. Spaghetti was perfectly al dente. Will have to try your homemade sauce recipe next time.
Hi Judy~
I am glad the spaghetti was at least al dente. The homemade sauce ill give you a homemade taste.
Jill
I made this the other night and it was AMAZING!! I brought my IP to the fire station to cook for my brothers tonight, but I need to maybe double the recipe. Do you think the times would remain the same?? If not, how long do you think? I have a Smart 60 duo.
~Thanks,
Mike
Hi Mike~
Thank you so much for the compliments. The time should be the same with a double recipe, although it may take longer to get to pressure. To be on the safe side, cook for one minute less, as you can always simmer after the fat, if need be.
Jill
So I doubled it, and everything worked out…. Took FOREVER to come to pressure. It ended up needing a little more cooking to get the noodles just right. I didn’t see your reply until after it was started, so I went with a full double recipe. The guys loved it! I think 6 minutes at pressure would be perfect.
I made this the other night and it was AMAZING!! Today I brought my IP to the Engine House to cook for my brothers! I’m wondering if you can double this recipe? Do you think the times would remain the same?
Hi Michael~
You certainly can double the recipe. The cook time will be the same, but reduce the liquid by about 1/4 cup.
Thanks so much for the kind words and thank you for keeping the city safe!
Jill
Mine came out hot, spicy and a little sour to taste. I admit I’m not an experienced cook, but I thought I followed the recipe. Maybe that’s how it’s suppose to taste and I’m just too used to jarred pasta sauce.
Hi Brian~
I am not sure why your sauce was sour and spicy. The sauce should taste like sauce that was cooked all day. Did you add the wrong spice, by accident?
Jill
Mine came out perfect. Thank you, Jill! I used a little more brown sugar than called for, maybe as much as 2 tsp. I don’t use red pepper flakes, due to personal preference, and didn’t have either black pepper or fennel seeds, but for my family this was perfect! Maybe you misread the 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes, and put in more?
Do you mean 1 jar of sauce and then half a jar of water? I’m a little unclear here:
”
If you want to use a jarred sauce, add a jar and a half of water and spaghetti noodles or pasta and cook for half of the lower time indicated on the box of spaghetti/pasta.”
Thanks!
Hi Melanie~
One jar of sauce and one and one half jar of water or broth.
Hope that helps.
Jill
Hello,
This recipe looks fantastic! On step 11 do you just reseal and let sit or do you cook on high pressure for 5 minutes? I am new to IP cooking. I attempted pasta the other night and it was mushy.
Hi Christi~
Thanks for the compliment. There is no step 11, so I am not sure what you are asking.
Jill
I am a little unsure of when you add the spaghetti noodles. Do you put them in with all the ingredients or after you cook the sauce for five minutes of high. Do you put the spaghetti in raw or cooked if it goes in after you pressure cook the sauce. Looks great and want to use this on our sailboat.
Hi Mary~
Everything gets cooked at once in the same pot. After you add the sauce ingredients, add the pasta and the liquid. The noodles will stick together a bit, but just pull them a part with a fork after opening the lid.
Have fun on the boat.
Jill