Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Close overhead shot of spaghetti and meatballs in a bowl garnished with fresh basil

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5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

This Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is an easy dinner recipe with just 10 minutes of prep.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs, Instnat Pot Spaghetti, Pressure Cooker Spaghetti

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Resting Time 3

Total Time 28

Servings people

Calories 515.2kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. frozen fully-cooked Italian style meatballs, thawed (I used 16 large meatballs from a 26-ounce bag)
¾ lb. (12 ounces) spaghetti, uncooked, broken in half
1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce (about 2 ½ cups total)
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, NOT drained
1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced garlic
For serving: chopped fresh herbs; grated Parmesan

Instructions

Heat oil in an electric pressure cooker using the SAUTE setting. Add meatballs and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until meatballs are browned and heated through.
Remove meatballs from pressure cooker and set aside on a plate. Cover loosely to keep warm.
Add spaghetti, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and garlic to the pressure cooker; stir. Close and lock the lid. Turn the pressure release valve to sealing position.
Cook for 8-10 minutes using the HIGH PRESSURE COOK setting (it will take about 10 additional minutes for your pressure cooker to build pressure and start the cooking process). When the timer goes off, use the Quick Pressure Release to release the pressure right away. Turn the pressure cooker off. Carefully remove the lid.
Stir the meatballs into the spaghetti. Allow to rest in the pot for about 3-5 minutes. Divide spaghetti and meatballs evenly among serving bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, if desired.

Notes

Nutrition information provided below is just an estimate, based on the ingredients that I used. If you use different brands, your nutrition facts may vary.

Use frozen turkey meatballs or bite-sized smaller meatballs instead of the large dinner-size meatballs shown here.
If you prefer to use whole wheat spaghetti, you'll likely need to decrease the cooking time to about 5-7 minutes.
Don't forget that the Instant Pot requires about 10 minutes to build up to high pressure before it starts the cooking timer. I've included this additional waiting period in the "prep time" calculation.
For a shortcut, try using a jar (or bottle) of pre-minced garlic that you can find in the produce section at just about any grocery store.
Make this Instant Pot Spaghetti with noodles only! You can just use the jar of sauce and no meat by skipping the meatballs and jumping right to step #3 in the recipe.
Instead of using meatballs, prepare Instant Pot Spaghetti and Sausage. To do so, sauté 1 lb. of ground Italian sausage or even just ground beef in the Instant Pot. Drain off any fat, and set aside the cooked sausage while you prepare the spaghetti according to package instructions. At the end of the cooking time, combine the sausage (or beef) with the pasta, just as you would the meatballs.
Make Instant Pot Spaghetti from scratch by using your favorite homemade meatballs and about 2.5 cups of homemade marinara sauce.

Nutrition