Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs + Video

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is a one pot dump and push meal, using pantry items and frozen meatballs and ready in under 15 minutes. Meatballs can be bagged from the store, or homemade raw, then frozen meatballs.

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

All of us have busy lives and are running around and just living our life.

We don’t always have time to cook a big drawn out meal or take the time to make a homemade spaghetti dinner like my Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce. While it is a quick meal, it does take some time to get the sauce ingredient together.

My Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, which I jokingly call Soccer Mom Spaghetti and Meatballs because busy moms and dad can pick up the kids from soccer practice and have a hot and delicious dinner on the table in no time. Busy professionals enjoy this recipe too as it is easy to put together after coming home from a long day at work.

Using just your Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker, your spaghetti dinner will be ready to eat in under 30 minutes….way under 30 minutes.

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Soccer Mom Spaghetti and Meatballs

Many moms and dads are very busy driving their kids all over the place and need to be able to run into the house, toss a few things in their Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker, get the kids situated and sit them down to a good and hearty meal. All that in a very short amount of time and with little to no effort.

So, I will show you how to make Instant Pot Soccer Mom Spaghetti and Meatballs, with all store bought, packaged ingredients. By the time you have changed out of your work or running around clothes, your meal will be done and waiting.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

• Frozen Meatballs – any brand. You can even use your own fresh and then frozen raw meatballs.
• Spaghetti
• Spaghetti / Pasta Sauce
• Water or Chicken Broth

Pro Tip: a Tablespoon of Chicken Base added to the water increases the richness of the dish.

Vegetarians love to make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs with Gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs.

Add Olive Oil to Cooking Pot

Pro Tip: A little bit of olive oil added to the cooking pot will help keep the noodles from sticking together.

It also helps to add more of a homemade taste when using jarred spaghetti sauce. In my opinion, olive oil is one ingredient, where I feel, quality matters a lot and makes a huge difference. I use this extra virgin olive oil when I cook.

Add all the Frozen Meatballs

Can I use Homemade Meatballs?

• Sure. Many people who do not like to cook or need to cook in a hurry will by meatballs from the freezer section at the grocery store and keep bags of frozen meatballs in their freezer.

My Instant Pot Greek Meatballs {Keftedes} would be awesome in this recipe.

Pressure Cooker Italian Meatballs in Red Wine Sauce can easily be made in batches and frozen for use in this Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe.

If you prefer to make meatballs yourself:

• • We like to buy a bunch of ground meat when it is on sale. The meat can be beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, whichever you prefer.
  • We then make up ton of meatballs and freeze them raw in freezer save bags. This way, whenever we want Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, we are good to go.

You can use the meatballs recipe from my famous Low Carb Margherita Pizza Meatballs, which are stuffed full of cheese, if you like.

Pro Tip: When making recipes using a layering technique, it is important to add the ingredients into the cooking pot in the order of what needs the most cooking. In this case, raw frozen meatballs would take longer than pasta, so they go in first. They are closest to the heat source.

Spaghetti Being Broken in Half and Added to Cooking Pot

Every time I break spaghetti in half, Ed cringes. And I get it.

I like long noodles too, but when using a pressure cooker, unlike the stove, you don’t have the option of pushing the noodles down into hot boiling water

Pro Tip: Breaking the spaghetti in half allows the spaghetti to be submerged under the water. This will help in even cooking.

Best Spaghetti for Cooking Under Pressure

In my opinion, De Cecco Brand Pasta holds up so much better than other brands of pasta when pressure cooking. Plus, I prefer the taste and texture of De Cecco Brand Pasta.

Add Broken Spaghetti to Pot Over Meatballs.

In the above photo, I am using De Cecco Spaghetti.

There is a reason. I use Amazon Subscribe and Save for all my De Cecco Pasta. I find the S&S significantly cheaper than buying the De Cecco Brand Pasta in the grocery stores. Check the prices, they are always changing on line and I grab a bunch when the price drops.

Can Another Pasta be Used?

• Of course. Everyone loves spaghetti and meatballs, but a different shaped pasta is just fine

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs with Gemelli Pasta

I’ve used gemelli to make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Pro Tip: If using a different type of pasta, remember to use my “Rule of Thumb” found in the notes section below, to get the proper cook time.

Sprinkle Salt Over Spaghetti

The time to add salt when cooking spaghetti noodles or pasta is to the cooking water. This is the time when the spaghetti itself will get seasoned.

How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

• Add a little olive oil to the cooking pot. Olive oil will help keep the noodle from sticking and also add a nice flavor to the spaghetti sauce.
• Grab meatballs out of the freezer, dump them in.
• Open a jar of your choice of spaghetti sauce and dump it in. We like Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce, as it is lower in sugar.
• Breaks some Spaghetti in half and dump it in.
• Pour in the water.

That’s it. Go change your clothes and set the table. Seriously, that’s it. How much time did that take?

Cover the Spaghetti with the Large Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

Use a nice quality spaghetti sauce like Rao brand or Muir Glen since you are using a jar. Ragu Traditional is another good brand to use. Personally, we love my Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce for Pasta [Homemade].

If you like a more saucy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, you can add more sauce. Just don’t add additional water.

Fill Jar of Spaghetti Sauce with Water and Pour into Cooking Pot

When making Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, decide if you want to use water or chicken broth. My Pressure Cooker Bone Broth/Stock is great to use and add so much flavor.

If you want to use chicken broth, try adding a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon Chicken base to the cooking pot.

Drive those kids around knowing you can prepare a quick and easy meal.

Stir Spaghetti Around to Remove Any Clumps

Pro Tip: Often times, you will find some of the spaghetti clumping together. Do not panic. Merely take a fork or a spaghetti server and break up the spaghetti and push it back into the sauce.

The spaghetti will continue to absorb the liquid, giving you time to mix the spaghetti without worrying about over cooking the noodles.

There you go. Delicious and filling and most importantly, since this is called Pressure Cooker Soccer Mom Spaghetti and Meatballs, QUICK! It looks great!

Watch the video below as I walk you though every step and detail of this recipe. I’ve given you a ton of information above, but sometimes a live visual of the process helps so you can follow along. I have my own cooking show on you YouTube Channel, so be sure to check it out and subscribe!

Watch my video and then scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card.

Tips and Tricks to Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

1. Grocery store frozen meatballs or your own homemade frozen raw meatballs will work.
2. Swirl the oil around the bottom of the cooking pot.
3. A couple of teaspoons of Better than Bouillon Chicken Base will add additional flavor.
4. Mix up a batch of my Low Carb Margherita Pizza Meatballs and keep them in your freezer to use for this recipe.

Another delicious pasta recipe the kids will especially love is my Pressure Cooker Beef and Macaroni. You will be happy not to have to use a can of the stuff!

Enjoy the Glee in your Partners Eyes as he Takes His/Her First Bite

Can you see the joy in Ed’s eyes as he takes that first bite?

Ed can eat pasta several times a week. Spaghetti and Meatballs is one of his favorite meals. One of the most favorite things he loves is a good Italian Meatball Sandwich and with my recipe, you will have just that.

If I were you, I would buy a ton of meat and make up several batches of my meatball recipe and freeze then raw.

Pro Tip: You can even make up a batch of my Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce and turn this “Soccer Mom” version into a homemade version. This is truly one of the best spaghetti sauce recipes you will ever have.

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love adding freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese to all my pasta dishes. 

Alternatively, if you want to make this all homemade, check out my Pressure Cooker Quick One Pot Spaghetti Dinner recipe.

More Easy “Soccer Mom” Instant Pot Recipes to Make

• Instant Pot BBQ Ranch Chicken (Pressure Cooker)
• Instant Pot Italian Chicken Olive Garden
• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken (Pressure Cooker Zesty Chicken)
• Instant Pot Creamy Baked Ziti

I hope that this Pressure Cooker Soccer Mom Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe will save you lots of time in the kitchen and more time with your families.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker
• Cilio Olivewood Spatula
• Microplane Artisan Ribbon Grater
• De Cecco Spaghetti
• Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce

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Here is the handy printable recipe:

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

5 from 28 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Pressure Release: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 483kcal

Author: Jill Selkowitz

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 24-26 ounces Frozen Meatballs (or frozen homemade)
• 16 ounces Spaghetti broken in half
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt (or 1.5 tsp sea salt)
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning Blend (optional)
• 24-36 ounces Spaghetti / Pasta Sauce
• 3 cups Fresh Water Chicken Broth or (3 cups water + 1 TBL Better than Bouillon Chicken Base)

Optional

• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded

US Customary - Metric

Recommended Products

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Liquid Measuring Cup Set

Spaghetti Server/Pasta Fork

Instructions

• Add olive oil to cooking pot and swirl to coat the bottom.
• Add frozen meatballs to cooking pot, spreading out across the pot.
• Break spaghetti in half and place over meatballs. Make sure spaghetti is spread out evenly.
• Sprinkle salt and Italian seasoning over spaghetti noodles.
• Dump in jar of spaghetti sauce, trying to keep the sauce over the broken spaghetti.
• Fill empty spaghetti sauce jar with water or chicken broth and pour into the cooking pot. Make sure the spaghetti is submerged in the liquid.
• If you are using chicken base instead of chicken broth, add the chicken base to the jar of water and shake to mix. Then pour the liquid into the cooking pot.
• Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
• When beep sounds, wait 5 minutes and then slowly release the rest of the pressure.
• Remove lid and mix together, breaking up any pasta which has clumped together. The noodles will continue to soften and absorb the liquid and sauce.
• If there is excess liquid (there shouldn't be), simmer to reduce.

Video

Notes

Adding a little oil to the cooking pot will help keep the pasta from sticking.

When cooking layered recipes in a pressure cooker, it is important to add the ingredient which takes the longest to cook into the pot first, before the other ingredients, like spaghetti, which is fast cooking.

Salting the the pasta with the water before cooking is the best time to season the pasta with salt.

Breaking spaghetti  in half will ensure that the spaghetti is submerged in the liquid and will cook evenly.

For a saucier spaghetti and meatballs, add more sauce to fit your tastes. Do not increase amount of liquid. Try to keep the sauce on top of the spaghetti, so that it does not totally drip to the bottom of the pot. This will keep the spaghetti from burning.

If you prefer homemade meatballs, yet want a quick spaghetti and meatball recipe, buy meat when it is on sale and follow my Instant Pot Meatball recipe. Freeze the raw meatballs in 26 ounce packages and use them for this Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe.

If there is any sticking of the spaghetti noodles, simply use a fork or spaghetti server/pasta fork and break up the clumps. Push the noodles into the liquid. My short cook time allows for extra mixing of the spaghetti, as the spaghetti will continue to absorb the water and the fettuccine will be perfectly al dente.

If using another type of pasta, use my "pasta rule of thumb." Look at the cook time on the package of pasta. Take the lesser time and cut that time in half. Then subtract two minutes. That is your cook time. This allows for the 5 minute natural pressure release time, so that the starchy water can settle and not spit out through the pressure valve when the pressure is released.

Originally published on April 16, 2016. Republished with new photos and video on May 22, 2019.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 483 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 63mg21%

Sodium 1424mg62%

Potassium 658mg19%

Carbohydrates 47g16%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 24g48%

Vitamin A 401IU8%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 83mg8%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs [Pressure Cooker]